SPRINGFIELD, Ga. – Effingham County’s arts and history community leaders are joining forces to form a new nonprofit alliance designed to bring better events, better access to grant funding and more visibility to the local cultural scene.

Effingham Cultural and Historical Alliance – or ECHA – organized by Lindsey Gerow, founder of Effingham Artists, aims to unite organizations such as the Effingham Community Orchestra, the Mars Theatre, the Effingham Living History Museum and other mission-aligned groups under one coordinated umbrella.

For residents, that could mean stronger promotion of local events, better coordination so groups aren’t competing for the same audiences, expanded programming and access to larger grant-funded opportunities that have never reached Effingham before. The alliance grew out of conversations Gerow initiated in 2024 while forming the county’s first artist association.

“When I started Effingham Artists, I reached out to the community orchestra, to the Mars Theatre, to the Effingham Living History Museum, because I knew we were all mission aligned,” she said. “And by combining forces, it would allow us a greater voice to advocate for our programming and education in general in Effingham County.”

Rather than operating separately, Gerow said the groups would work together through the alliance while maintaining their own identities. By forming a shared nonprofit structure, the organizations would be better positioned to pursue grant funding and other financial support that could expand exhibits, performances and educational programming.

“By starting this nonprofit, it’ll enable us to get more fiscal support, and then be a bigger blip on the map when we’re trying to advocate for our programs,” she said.

Strength in numbers

Gerow emphasized that the alliance is about collaboration, not consolidation. Each organization retains its own mission and operations while gaining the backing of the collective effort.

“There are so many wonderful events in our community, but they’re all fractured,” she said. “But through the Cultural Alliance, we can ensure that we put our collective strength behind each one, rather than competing with each other.”

Currently, Effingham Artists hosts exhibits quarterly, the orchestra performs quarterly, and the Living History Museum holds two major events annually. By coordinating schedules and resources, these groups can reach more people and make each event bigger and more successful.

“I still meet people every day that don’t know we have a theater,” Gerow said. They don’t know we have an orchestra. They don’t know we have arts classes. They don’t know we have a history museum,” she said. “That’s really what we’re up against, is the not knowing. How are we going to get them engaged? How are we going to get them out of the house and into the community?”

Expanding opportunities

Funding is another major driver. By pooling resources, the organizations hope to pursue larger grants and public funding opportunities that individual groups may struggle to secure.

Gerow has her eye on programs through South Arts, which support community placemaking, cultural centers and traveling exhibits. One such program, Jazz Road, brings professional jazz quartets to host communities, an opportunity no city south of Atlanta currently participates in.

“If we were able to get the grants to host these wonderful opportunities, it would really put Effingham on the map as a cultural center and a wonderful place to live,” she said.

Building the board

The alliance is still in its early stages. Gerow said a core group of five to seven board members has committed, with plans to expand. She is also seeking a treasurer with nonprofit budgeting experience.

“Virginia Patterson with the Effingham Community Orchestra is involved. Maddie [Greer] is planning to join the board, along with representatives of the Effingham Living History Museum and Effingham Georgia Green,” she said. “ I have a lot of community building and organizational strengths – but I am not an accountant by any means. I would really like somebody who just has more nonprofit knowledge than I do.”

Gerow hopes to formally incorporate the alliance by the end of the year, with a fully functioning board and operations ready to support the county’s cultural events.

A long-term vision

For Gerow, the alliance is part of a bigger dream she has carried for decades: creating a permanent cultural hub for Effingham County.

“This has been the dream since I was a student at South Effingham High School years ago,” she said. “I’ve always wanted to start a physical Cultural Arts Center here.”

Her professional experience and academic research have built toward this moment. Her master’s research focused on community arts engagement, comparing arts programs across Georgia counties and studying best practices for sustainable cultural organizations.

“Everything I’ve done professionally and academically has led to building toward this dream,” she said.

Effingham Artists now has nearly 50 members, and the new alliance represents the next step in growing a coordinated, sustainable arts community.

“I had no idea when I started Effingham Artists that it would snowball this fast,” she said. “I’ve definitely grabbed hold of something, and I’m just riding it for dear life right now.”