Twenty-five Ohio arts organizations, including one based in Delaware County, have been awarded federal funding through the National Endowment for the Arts’ Art Works and Challenge America grant programs, the National Endowment for the Arts announced in a media release on Wednesday.
The Ohio awards total $525,000, with individual grants ranging from $10,000 to $45,000 to support arts programs and initiatives throughout the state.
According to the release, Art Works grants, given in a variety of arts disciplines, “support artistically excellent projects that celebrate creativity and cultural heritage, invite mutual respect for differing beliefs and values, and enrich humanity.” Challenge America grants “offer support primarily to small and mid-sized organizations for projects that extend the reach of the arts to populations that have limited access to the arts due to geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability,” the release stated.
“Ohio is full of hard-working arts organizations and creative leaders who know that meaningful arts experiences have the power to change lives,” said Ohio Arts Council Executive Director Donna S. Collins. “The support of the National Endowment of the Arts is integral to empowering Ohio’s artistic visionaries to continue to excel in their work, pursue groundbreaking innovations, and share their passions. We express our heartfelt gratitude to the National Endowment for the Arts for its ongoing support of the arts in our state.”
The local recipient was the Central Ohio Symphony, which received a Challenge America grant of $10,000.
In the release, the National Endowment for the Arts said 1,187 grants totaling $27.3 million were awarded during this round of federal Fiscal Year 2020 funding. Organizations in all 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, were awarded arts project grants.
“The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support grants throughout the entire country that connect people through shared experiences and artistic expression,” said National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Mary Anne Carter in the release. “These projects provide access to the arts for people of all abilities and backgrounds in both urban centers and rural communities.”
