Maine Arts Commission Applauds Federal Funding to State Arts Organizations

AUGUSTA, MAINE, May 15, 2019- The National Endowment for the Arts announced that it has awarded grants totaling $981,800 in state arts funding to 10 arts organizations and agencies in Maine. These federal grants support projects by some of Maine's major arts institutions. In addition, the Endowment works in partnership with the Maine Arts Commission to ensure that the people of Maine have access to the arts.  A grant of $756,800 to the Maine Arts Commission helps to support projects throughout the state.

In announcing the grants, National Endowment for the Arts Acting Chairman Mary Anne Carter said, “Reflecting the diverse artistic richness of our nation, these Arts Endowment-funded projects are varied in their size, scope, and artistic discipline. The projects also illustrate the unique geographic reach of Arts Endowment funding, serving Americans in places large and small in all corners of the country.”

Here is the list of grants recently announced by the National Endowment for the Arts:

• State/jurisdiction and listed by city/town and 
• Funding category (Art Works II, Our Town, state and regional partnerships, and Research: Art Works) and then listed by artistic discipline/field.

 About the National Endowment for the ArtsStephanie Fortunato, Director of the City of Providence Department of Art, Culture + Tourism, and one of the Arts Endowment grant recipients, said, “We are grateful to the National Endowment for the Arts for making an investment in Providence’s 2020 cultural planning process and the opportunity it presents to convene and strengthen our creative community’s ability to address emerging challenges and opportunities over the next decade. First published in 2009, Creative Providence is a living blueprint for strengthening the creative sector, serving as a community-wide guide to public policy, public initiatives and investments. Now at the ten year mark, the City is reassessing our original goals and strategies with plans to release the second Cultural Plan in summer 2020. I look forward to connecting with our City’s creatives and others in this endeavor.”

Established by Congress in 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the Arts Endowment supports arts learning, affirms and celebrates America's rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community across America. Visit arts.gov to learn more.

About the Maine Arts Commission, 

The Maine Arts Commission supports artists, arts organizations, educators, policy makers, and community developers in advancing the arts in Maine. For more than 50 years the Commission has encouraged and stimulated public interest and participation in the cultural heritage and programs of our state; has worked to expand the state's cultural resources; and has encouraged and assisted freedom of artistic expression for the well-being of the arts, to meet the needs and aspirations of persons in all parts of the state.