National Endowment for the Arts Announces More than $12 Million in Grants to Expand Access to Arts Participation in Communities Nationwide

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Washington, DC — The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is pleased to announce 112 organizations recommended for awards under ArtsHERE—a new pilot program in partnership with South Arts and in collaboration with the other five U.S. Regional Arts Organizations—designed to expand access to arts participation across the nation. These nonprofit organizations, each with demonstrated commitment to equity within their practices and programming, are recommended for non-matching grants of $65,000 to $130,000, totaling $12.356 million, to fund specific projects that will strengthen the organizations’ capacity to sustain meaningful community engagement and increase arts participation for underserved groups and communities. Grant recipients will also take part in peer-learning and technical assistance opportunities, and the NEA will report on lessons learned from this initiative. 

Read more about the grant recipients and their projects.

“The National Endowment for the Arts is thrilled to provide resources to a group of exceptional organizations through ArtsHERE, a program to help deepen meaningful and lasting arts engagement in underserved communities,” said Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD, chair of the National Endowment for the Arts. “Everyone should be able to live an artful life, and ArtsHERE is an important step in ensuring we are strengthening our nation’s arts ecosystem to make this a reality.”

Historically underserved groups and communities—those whose opportunities to experience the arts have been limited by factors such as geography, race or ethnicity, economics, or disability—frequently report lower rates of participation in various arts activities than other groups do. Managed by South Arts, the NEA announced the ArtsHERE pilot grant program in 2023 in recognition that engaging in the arts is essential to individual, social, civic, and economic well-being and in response to President Biden’s Executive Order that put forward a government-wide effort to advance equity for all Americans. 

Recommended grant recipients are from all 50 states, DC, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. ArtsHERE aims to address disparities in arts participation through grants that help organizations better serve and reach their communities. For instance:

• In Juneau, Alaska, JAMM (Juneau Alaska Music Matters) is a tuition-free music program, which uses the power of music and the social experience of ensemble to help youth reach their fullest potential. JAMM is dedicated to preserving the Lingít language, the main Indigenous language in Southeast Alaska, and integrating its cultural wisdom into education. An ArtsHERE grant of $105,610 will support professional development by bringing together Lingít speakers, culture bearers, string teaching artists, and certified music teachers to develop music-based Lingít language instruction and culturally responsive training for educators. Activities will include a summer teacher training and music lab, field research in Sitka, Alaska, and the creation of culturally responsive teaching practice video tutorials. 
• In Racine, Wisconsin, the Mahogany Black Arts & Cultural Center is dedicated to the preservation, research, and exhibition of Racine County Black Cultural History. They run programs including an oral histories project; the Wisconsin Black Art & Culture Expo; and a multidisciplinary, emerging artist fellowship. An ArtsHERE grant of $130,000 will help them strengthen their organization through the development of a five-year strategic plan that will include community outreach, board development, and technological investments to grow and manage a member database. 
• In Nashville, Tennessee, the Native American Indian Association of Tennessee, Inc., preserves and promotes the cultural heritage of Native Americans in Tennessee. They aim to foster understanding and appreciation of Native American traditions through educational programs and cultural events. An ArtsHERE grant of $130,000 will support enhancement and expansion of their Arts & Culture Education program that focuses on increasing participation in Native American arts, improving cultural representation, and promoting Native heritage through various educational and community engagement activities. Activities will include an organizational needs assessment, strategic planning, community engagement, and field research to improve cultural representation. 
• In White River Junction, Vermont, the Special Needs Support Center of the Upper Valley (SNSC) is a group of individuals, families, and professionals throughout the Upper Valley and beyond who proudly work together to create a community where people with disabilities can live their best lives. An ArtsHERE grant of $95,300 will enable SNSC to build capacity in all the arts-focused organizations within the Upper Valley (NH and VT) to create places where people with disabilities have access to the arts. SNSC will work to provide staff training, recommendations on disability-friendly practices, and consulting.
• In San Juan, Puerto Rico, Taller Comunidad la Goyco, Inc. is an organization born from community organizing dedicated to the creation of programs, initiatives, and opportunities that highlight the historical, social, and cultural wealth of the Machuchal community and the Loíza Street sector in Santurce, Puerto Rico. An ArtsHERE grant of $70,000 will support curated programming, promotion and marketing, and training for the volunteers who are ambassadors for their monthly community fairs, where they provide free and accessible arts experiences. They aim to increase audiences for the fairs by 10 percent and effectively communicate the results of cultural programming tied to health and well-being, as well as the environment, in their urban coastal community.
• In Fort Worth, Texas, The Welman Project connects teachers and schools with surplus materials from businesses, promoting creative reuse and sustainability in education. It aims to enrich arts learning experiences while reducing waste and fostering environmental stewardship. To increase their ability to serve their community, The Welman Project will be opening a new, larger makerspace as part of the future Fred Rouse Center for Arts and Community Healing, which was formerly used as a KKK auditorium. An ArtsHERE grant of $74,900 will support strategic planning and cultural competency training to prepare for the opening of its tool library and makerspace and to ensure it operates effectively and sustainably as it expands into a majority Hispanic community. 

“We are very excited to work with these organizations on their projects,” said Susie Surkamer, president and CEO of South Arts. “The arts are essential to the fabric of our nation, and at the heart of this necessity are the organizations and individuals who champion them. Through ArtsHERE, we are excited to continue expanding and enriching the arts landscape both nationally and within these unique local communities.”

In addition to grant awards, ArtsHERE grant recipients will also participate in quarterly peer learning workshops, monthly cohort sessions, and one-on-one meetings with technical assistance coaches and field experts. These meetings are designed for knowledge sharing, learning, and capacity-building, to help reinforce the initiative’s opportunities for cross-sector engagement.

As a pilot program, ArtsHERE will be documented and evaluated by the NEA to better understand the project activities supported by this program and how grantees approached the work. These insights may inform the future of ArtsHERE and similar funding programs in the future.

More than 4,000 organizations applied for ArtsHERE funding in late 2023 and early 2024. Applications were reviewed by multiple review panels based on published review criteria, including the applicant’s organizational capacity and their capacity-building project, alignment with ArtsHERE’s commitment to equity, and engagement with historically underserved communities. The selected organizations will receive funding to support their projects, which will take place between October 2024 through June 2026.

ArtsHERE is also supported by The Wallace Foundation through matching funds to the Regional Arts Organizations in support of this program.