The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) announced $438,000 in grant funding for 26 Ohio arts organizations, including the Kenyon Review, which received $15,000. As part of its first round of funding for federal fiscal year 2024, the NEA said it has recommended 1,288 arts grants nationwide totaling more than $32 million.
“The NEA is pleased to announce these grants, all of which strengthen our nation’s arts sector in different ways,” said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, Ph.D. “Whether it’s the creation of new art, opportunities for the public to participate and engage in the arts, or work to better understand the impact of the arts, these grants contribute to the well-being of individuals and communities, help meet the challenges of our time, and build towards a future in which all people can lead artful lives and reach their full potential.”
In its media release, the NEA said organizations will carry out arts projects in several of the federal agency’s funding programs, including Grants for Arts Projects, Challenge America, Literature Fellowships, Research Grants in the Arts, and Research Labs.
Most of the Ohio awards were distributed through the NEA’s Grants for Arts Projects program, which the NEA media release states “provides expansive funding opportunities to strengthen the nation’s arts and culture ecosystem.” Ohio’s Grants for Arts Projects grantee awards range between $10,000 and $40,000 to support arts programs and initiatives across the state. Funded Ohio projects include those in arts education, dance, literary arts, media arts, museums, music, presenting and multidisciplinary works, theatre, and visual arts.
Seven Ohio nonprofit organizations received Challenge America grants, with each award totaling $10,000, including the Public Library of Mount Vernon and Knox County. Awarded in all artistic disciplines, these grants “offer support primarily to small organizations for a wide variety of arts projects that reach historically underserved communities,” the media release stated.
The University of Cincinnati received a $20,000 Research Grant, which the NEA states supports “research studies that investigate the value and/or impact of the arts.” The university will use the award to conduct a domestic, multi-city research study on the impact of the arts on the growth of local commerce and street vitality.
“We are thankful to the NEA for their continued acknowledgment of the strength, vitality, and impact of Ohio’s arts and culture sector,” said OAC Executive Director Donna S. Collins. “These investments are a testament to the hard work, creativity, and innovation of the state’s nonprofit arts organizations, which enrich the lives of all Ohioans and continue to power the state’s economy.”
