Chapman Cultural Center has 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.
In total, the NEA will award grants totaling $20,200,000 to 66 local arts agencies nationwide for sub-granting. Chapman Cultural Center is receiving $250,000 and will use this funding to distribute grants within Spartanburg County to eligible organizations to save jobs and fund operations and facilities, health and safety supplies, and marketing and promotional efforts to encourage attendance and participation.
“The NEA’s significant investment in local arts agencies, including Chapman Cultural Center 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.”
“It is an honor to receive a grant from the NEA. This grant will provide critical support for our partner non-profit organizations by helping restore their operating grants back to pre-COVID levels,” said Lisa O’Connell-Hall, Interim President and CEO. “This will also advance our goal of making sure that the arts and cultural community is solvent for years to come by progressing towards a forward funding model.”
Chapman Cultural Center plans to use the funds to supplement our existing General Operating Support Grants to pre-COVID levels or beyond. For more than 25 years, Chapman awarded GOS funds to local arts and cultural organizations to help them create the best quality arts experiences possible for the Spartanburg Community. Because of the pandemic, available funding decreased as much as 70% from previous years and has slowly returned to 65% percent of pre-COVID levels. However, officials recognize that Spartanburg’s arts and cultural community still needs help to thrive again.
For more information on the NEA’s American Rescue Plan grants, including the full list of local arts agencies funded in this announcement, visit www.arts.gov/COVID-19/the-american-rescue-plan.
Prepared by Chapman Cultural Center.