7 February National Endowment for the Arts Awards More Than $520K to Ohio Organizations February 7, 2018 Art, For Organizations, For the Public, NEA, News, Organizations, Public Akron, Art Works, Challenge America, Cincinnati, Clark County, Cleveland, Cleveland Heights, Columbus, Cuyahoga County, Dayton, Franklin County, Gambier, Hamilton County, Knox County, Lucas County, Montgomery County, National Endowment for the Arts, NEA, Nonprofit, OAC, Ohio, Ohio Arts Council, Rocky River, Shaker Heights, Springfield, Summit County, Toledo, Westerville 0 Twenty-six Ohio organizations have received grant awards through the National Endowment for the Arts’ (NEA) Art Works and Challenge America programs. The NEA announced its first of two major grant announcements for federal Fiscal Year 2018 on Wednesday, awarding more than $25 million in grants across all artistic disciplines to nonprofit organizations throughout the United States. Ohio nonprofits will receive a total of $521,000 through the NEA’s first round of federal Fiscal Year 2018 funding. “The National Endowment for the Arts is a valued partner in supporting Ohio's cultural treasures as exemplified in these 26 grantees from around the state," said Ohio Arts Council Executive Director Donna S. Collins. "The commitment of federal funds through the NEA is critical to the Ohio Arts Council’s mission to fund and support quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally, and economically.” A complete list of Ohio NEA grant recipients follows: Akron Akron Art Museum: $30,000 Cincinnati Cincinnati Ballet Company, Inc. (aka Cincinnati Ballet): $15,000 Cincinnati Museum Association (aka Cincinnati Art Museum): $35,000 Cincinnati Opera Association (aka Cincinnati Opera): $30,000 Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park: $15,000 Cincinnati Shakespeare Company: $15,000 Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra: $40,000 Educational Theatre Association: $36,000 Cleveland CityMusic Cleveland (aka CityMusic Cleveland Chamber Orchestra): $10,000 Cleveland International Film Festival, Inc. (aka CIFF): $20,000 Cleveland Modern Dance Association (aka DANCECleveland): $25,000 Cleveland Public Theatre, Inc.: $10,000 Cuyahoga Community College Foundation (on behalf of Tri-C JazzFest Cleveland): $20,000 Rainey Institute (aka Eleanor B. Rainey Memorial Institute): $10,000 SPACES: $30,000 Zygote Press, Inc. (aka Zygote Press): $20,000 Cleveland Heights Apollo's Fire, The Cleveland Baroque Orchestra (aka Apollo's Fire Baroque Orchestra): $35,000 Columbus OhioDance: $10,000 Dayton Dayton Contemporary Dance Guild, Incorporated (aka DCDC): $10,000 Gambier Kenyon Review: $20,000 Rocky River Aradhana Committee: $20,000 Shaker Heights Verb Ballets: $10,000 Springfield Westcott House Foundation: $20,000 Toledo Toledo Opera Association (aka Toledo Opera): $10,000 Toledo Orchestra Association, Inc. (aka Toledo Symphony Orchestra): $10,000 Westerville Otterbein University: $15,000 For more information about these organizations, click here to download a complete, filterable list of grant recipients. The NEA’s Art Works grant program is its largest funding category. According to the NEA, Art Works grants focus on “the creation of art that meets the highest standards of excellence, public engagement with diverse and excellent art, lifelong learning in the arts, and/or the strengthening of communities through the arts.” For federal FY 2018, the NEA awarded 936 Art Works grants totaling more than $24 million. Challenge America grants support projects that “extend the reach of the arts to underserved populations—those whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability,” according to the NEA. Each grant is $10,000. This year, the NEA awarded 138 Challenge America grants totaling $1.38 million. In November, the NEA announced the recipients of its federal FY 2018 Literature Creative Writing Fellowship. Elissa Washuta of Columbus, Ohio, was one of the 36 Fellows named for this year. In a media release announcing the most recent award recipients, NEA chairman Jane Chu praised organizations committed to sharing the value of the arts with the public. “It is energizing to see the impact that the arts are making throughout the United States. These NEA-supported projects are good examples of how the arts build stronger and more vibrant communities, improve well-being, prepare our children to succeed, and increase the quality of our lives,” she said. “At the National Endowment for the Arts, we believe that all people should have access to the joy, opportunities, and connections the arts bring.” For more information about the NEA’s grant programs, visit arts.gov. ABOUT THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS Established by Congress in 1965, the NEA 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 NEA 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 NEA. ABOUT THE OHIO ARTS COUNCIL The Ohio Arts Council is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally, and economically. Connect with the OAC on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, or visit our website at oac.ohio.gov. ### Article by Amanda Etchison, Communications Strategist Comments are closed.