Community Foundation to Receive $150,000 Grant from the NEA as Part of the American Rescue Plan

The Community Foundation of Grand Forks, East Grand Forks & Region is pleased to announce they have been selected to receive an American Rescue Plan grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to help the arts and cultural sector recover from the pandemic. The Community Foundation is receiving $150,000 and will use this funding to distribute grants in their community to eligible recipients to save jobs and to fund operations and facilities, health and safety supplies, and marketing and promotional efforts to encourage attendance and participation. In total, the NEA will award grants totaling $20,200,000 to 66 local arts agencies nationwide for subgranting.

“The NEA’s significant investment in local arts agencies, including the Community Foundation of Grand Forks, East Grand Forks & Region, is a key element in helping the arts and culture sector recover and reopen, while ensuring that American Rescue Plan funding is distributed equitably,” said Ann Eilers, NEA’s acting chair. “These grants recognize the vital role of local arts agencies and will allow them to help rebuild local economies and contribute to the well-being of our communities.”

“We are deeply appreciative to our federal partners for this funding from the American Rescue Plan,” said Becca Baumbach, Executive Director of the Community Foundation. “This much-needed opportunity will provide critical support to our creative sector, ensuring that museums, theaters, galleries, and studios are well positioned to re-open with new safety protocols in place and regain a solid financial position for long-term sustainability. For many households during the pandemic, these organizations brought entertainment, creativity, and a touch of normalcy during periods of seclusion and uncertainty. From outdoor theatre and live-streamed ballet performances to Zoom-based arts classes and virtual book readings, these nonprofits have gone above and beyond to create a vibrant community regardless of the circumstances dealt to them over the past eighteen months.”

The Community Foundation of Grand Forks, East Grand Forks & Region will distribute the funding to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations with an arts and/or culture-based mission and principal operations in the City of Grand Forks in conjunction with its annual Arts Regrant Program. Applicants will be able to apply for funding to assist with salaries, facilities, health and safety supplies, and marketing and promotional efforts. The Arts Regrant Program will open for applications at 9:00am on February 1, 2022, and will close at noon on February 28, 2022. Applications will be evaluated based on artistic quality; impact, existing or potential, on the communities and audiences the organization serves and/or plans to serve; and organizational capabilities. Preference may be given to nonprofits that have not received any prior American Rescue Plan funding. Grant recipients will be announced by March 31, 2022. More details about the program will be available at gofoundation.org beginning in January.

This is the second of three installments of the NEA’s American Rescue Plan funding. Last April, the NEA announced that 40 percent of its $135 million in ARP funding would be allocated to 62 state, jurisdictional, and regional arts organizations for regranting through their respective programs. The third installment of ARP funding to arts organizations to support their own operations will be announced in early 2022.

For more information on the NEA’s American Rescue Plan grants, including the full list of local arts agencies funded in this announcement, visitwww.arts.gov/COVID-19/the-american-rescue-plan.

About the Community Foundation of Grand Forks, East Grand Forks & Region
The Community Foundation of Grand Forks, East Grand Forks & Region is a nonprofit, community foundation created by and for the people of the region to encourage a spirit of philanthropy. Working in partnership with individuals, families, businesses, nonprofits, and trusted advisers, the Foundation manages over 100 charitable funds and provides grants to qualified nonprofit organizations, public entities, and other charitable causes.
 
Since 1998, the Foundation has granted over $8 million to create stronger, more vibrant communities across the middle and upper Red River Valley, with a focus on Grand Forks and Polk Counties.
 
Learn more about the Community Foundation and its work at gofoundation.org.