National Endowment for the Arts Announces More Than $19 Million in Grants for the First Round of Fiscal Year 2007 Funding

		Contact: Sally Gifford 202-682-5606 giffords@arts.gov

December 12, 2006

Washington, D.C. -- In its first major grant announcement of fiscal year 2007, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) announced today that it will award $19.4 million to fund 848 grants. The Arts Endowment will distribute $19,486,750 in this round of FY 2007 funding to nonprofit national, regional, state, and local organizations across the country, funding Access to Artistic Excellence grants as well as Literature Fellowships for individuals.

"These grants and fellowships underscore the NEA's role in bringing the highest quality art to the most people possible," said NEA Chairman Dana Gioia. "From public art works to professional development opportunities to literary fellowships that foster developing talent, these grants represent a valuable investment in American art that will serve the American people."

Access to Artistic Excellence grants support the creation and presentation of work in the disciplines of dance, design, folk and traditional arts, literature, media arts, museums, music, musical theater, opera, presenting, theater, and visual arts. This round of funding also supported grants to Local Arts Agencies for service-to-the-field projects that assist artists and arts organizations improve managerial and strategic resources. Projects include commissions, residencies, workshops, performances, exhibitions, publications, festivals, and professional development programs. Through this category, the NEA will fund 798 projects out of 1,342 eligible applications, for a total federal investment of $18,486,750 million.

Examples of projects supported by Access to Artistic Excellence grants include:

• Support to the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha, Nebraska for a touring exhibition, Masterpieces from the State Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow, with accompanying catalogue and education programs. Many of the works to be included have never been seen outside of Russia.
• Support for the world premiere production of The Raven Odyssey by Perseverance Theatre in Douglas, Alaska. The project will weave together folkloric stories gathered from Alaskan Native cultural groups to create a pan-Alaskan celebration of the state's history and indigenous cultures.
• Support for a design competition to create a "green" arts campus in Clark County, Indiana. The project will use methane gas from a nearby landfill to provide energy for a campus comprising art studios, exhibition spaces, classrooms, and businesses.
• Support for the launch of SmART Cards, a cultural gift card that can be used for admission to several Dayton, Ohio arts organizations including the Dayton Ballet and The Human Race Theatre Company.

Literature Fellowships are the Arts Endowment's most direct investment in American creativity, encouraging the production of new work and allowing writers the time and means to write. The agency received more than 1,056 applications for its Creative Writing Fellowships in Poetry. Fifty writers will receive fellowships of $20,000 each, including Anthony D. Barnstone of Whittier, California, Adrienne J. Su of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and Matt Yurdana of Portland, Oregon.

Grants listings noted in this announcement:

Access to Artistic Excellence

Literature Fellowships: Creative Writing in Poetry

Grant listings for these categories are also available by state.

Some details of the projects listed in this grant announcement are subject to change, contingent upon prior Endowment approval. For additional information, contact the National Endowment for the Arts Office of Communications at 202-682-5570.

About the National Endowment for the Arts

The NEA is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts -- both new and established -- bringing the arts to all Americans, and providing leadership in arts education. Established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government, the Arts Endowment is the largest national funder of the arts, bringing great art to all 50 states, including rural areas, inner cities, and military bases. For more information, please visit www.arts.gov.

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