On January 15, 2020, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) announced 1,187 grants totaling $27.3 million awarded to programs and projects across the country. 11 of those grants, totaling $245,000 will support work in Arizona.
“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 Arts Endowment Chairman Mary Anne Carter. “These projects provide access to the arts for people of all abilities and backgrounds in both urban centers and rural communities.”
This funding announcement includes grants awarded through the NEA’s Art Works and Challenge America grant programs.
Art Works
Art Works grants support artistically excellent projects that celebrate our creativity and cultural heritage, invite mutual respect for differing beliefs and values, and enrich humanity. Cost share/matching grants range from $10,000 to $100,000.
For fiscal year 2020, the Arts Endowment encouraged Art Works applications for artistically excellent projects that honor the Women’s Suffrage Centennial, celebrating women’s voting rights in the United States.
Arizona Grantees:
City of Mesa, Arizona
$60,000
Mesa, AZ
Art Works – Local Arts Agencies
To support the commission of a site-specific work by artist Cannupa Hanska Luger.
Phoenix Art Museum
$50,000
Phoenix, AZ
Art Works – Museums
To support an exhibition featuring the artist Teresita Fernández (b. 1968).
Phoenix Theatre, Inc.
$10,000
Phoenix, AZ
Art Works – Theater
To support Partners That Heal.
Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation (aka Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture)
$25,000
Scottsdale, AZ
Art Works – Design
To support the second phase of a design investigation into alternative roofing materials for Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West.
Childsplay, Inc.
$10,000
Tempe, AZ
Art Works – Theater
To support a production of Last Stop on Market Street by Cheryl L. West, based on the book by Matt de la Peña and Christian Robinson, with music and lyrics by Lamont Dozier and Paris Dozier.
Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona
$10,000
Tucson, AZ
Art Works – Local Arts Agencies
To support a grant program for arts projects by nonprofit organizations in Pima County, Arizona.
Kore Press, Inc.
$10,000
Tucson, AZ
Art Works – Literary Arts
To support the publication and promotion of books of poetry and nonfiction.
Loft Cinema, Inc. (aka The Loft)
$20,000
Tucson, AZ
Art Works – Media Arts
To support the 2020 Loft Film Fest, a touring series, and related public programming.
Tucson Museum of Art
$30,000
Tucson, AZ
Art Works – Museums
To support an exhibition and catalogue featuring the contemporary artist Brad Kahlhamer (b. 1956).
Challenge America
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. Each grant is for a fixed amount of $10,000 and requires a minimum $10,000 cost share/match.
Arizona Grantees:
East Valley Children’s Theatre
$10,000
Mesa, AZ
Challenge America
To support the production of a new theater work for youth at Mesa Arts Center in Mesa, Arizona, and related outreach activities.
West Valley Arts Council
$10,000
Surprise, AZ
Challenge America
To support the creation and installation of public art through the Gallery 37 student apprenticeship program.
Apply for NEA Grants
The next funding deadline for applications to the Grants for Arts Projects category is February 13, 2020. Note: Grant applications previously submitted to the Art Works category will now be submitted to the Grants for Arts Projects category.
The next funding deadline for applications to Challenge America is April 9, 2020.
Banner Photo by JesseJ.Media, courtesy of The Loft Cinema
