In its first 50 years, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) awarded more than $5 billion in grants to recipients in every state and U.S. jurisdiction, the only arts funder in the nation to do so. Today, the NEA announced awards totaling more than $27.6 million in its first funding round of fiscal year 2016, including an Art Works award of $20,000 to the Arts Council for Long Beach to expand its efforts to market Long Beach as a vibrant cultural community.
NEA Chairman Jane Chu said, “The arts are part of our everyday lives, no matter who you are or where you live. They have the power to transform individuals, spark economic vibrancy in communities and transcend the boundaries across diverse sectors of society. Supporting projects like the one from the Arts Council for Long Beach offers more opportunities to engage in the arts every day.”
Promoting Long Beach’s dynamic arts and cultural sector is a major component of the Arts Council’s strategic plan. The Art Works award will support the Arts Council’s continued efforts to market the existing arts and cultural programs that contribute to the thriving creative community of Long Beach.
Arts Council Executive Director Victoria Bryan said, “We are excited that the NEA award will bring additional resources to Long Beach and align with the City-funded initiative to support economic development through the creative sector.”
To join the Twitter conversation about this announcement, please use #NEAFall15. For more information on projects included in the NEA grant announcement, please visit www.arts.gov.