H. Hovnanian Family Foundation Awards Over $250,000 to Advance Arts and Culture in Armenia
YEREVAN — Nine cultural projects in Armenia will receive a total of $256,011 from the H. Hovnanian Family Foundation. The grants, awarded for the second-quarter 2025 cycle, back both creative new works and the institutions that keep Armenia’s cultural life vibrant for the long term. The cycle drew a record 263 applications, a clear sign of both the demand for and the vitality of cultural programming in Armenia. Many of the selected grantees are state and community institutions, pointing to a growing effort to strengthen local infrastructure while encouraging artistic innovation.
Preserving heritage and telling stories
A number of projects will focus on protecting Armenia’s tangible and intangible heritage. Culture for Democracy will document 15 endangered traditional songs from Artsakh by recording, transcribing, and archiving them, with the work culminating in a music video and a public concert. Factum Documentary Center will commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Great Repatriation of 1946–49 with a multimedia exhibition, featuring oral histories, archival records, and film, and accessible to audiences both in person and online.
In Gyumri, the Avetik Isahakyan Museum will see long-needed repairs, from new display cases to restored windows, floors, and lighting. The updates will help protect its collections while creating a brighter, more welcoming space for visitors. In Old Khndzoresk, Save Armenian Monuments will restore historic trails and add facilities, such as benches and rest stops, making the site safer and more accessible as it develops into a hub for cultural tourism.
Expanding spaces for performance and creation
Several theaters and cultural institutions will upgrade their facilities to better serve artists and audiences. The Yerevan State Chamber Theater will equip a new hall with lighting and sound systems to launch a year-round program for young directors, including training, mentorship, and productions. The Abovyan Dramatic Theater will purchase and install a modern lighting system and projector, boosting technical quality and audience attendance.
In Lori, the Sos Sargsyan Palace of Culture of Stepanavan will receive upgraded lighting and sound systems, expected to increase the number of annual events by at least 30 percent and enhance community engagement.
Innovating in education and the arts
The Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the National Academy of Sciences will produce an educational animated film, “Vahag and the Dragon”, in collaboration with OnOff Animation Studio. The project also includes youth awareness campaigns and the distribution of booklets on Armenia’s ancient Vishapakar (Dragon Stones). The Komitas Conservatory will partially furnish its library, with additional funding still being sought to finalize the space and enhance its research and learning environment for students and faculty.
Strengthening Armenia’s cultural landscape
“These projects demonstrate the richness and diversity of Armenia’s cultural sector,” said Anahit Hakobyan, (Grants) Program Manager at the H. Hovnanian Family Foundation. “We are proud to support innovative new projects and longstanding institutions that safeguard and transmit our cultural heritage. The record number of applications shows the strength of Armenia’s artistic community and its determination to grow.”
