THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS ANNOUNCES
$34 MILLION IN GRANTS TO SUPPORT THE ARTS

The Choir School of Delaware and State Education Agency Directors of Education to receive federal funding for arts projects

Wilmington, Del. (January 17, 2023) — As the only funder in the country to support arts activities in all 50 states and five U.S. jurisdictions, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) announced that two Delaware organizations will receive $50,000 in federal grants. This is the first of the NEA’s two major grant announcements each fiscal year and includes grants to organizations through the NEA’s Grants for Arts Projects, Challenge America, and Research Awards categories. This announcement also includes grants to individuals for Literature Fellowships in creative writing (poetry) and translation.

“Together, these grants show the NEA’s support nationwide for strengthening our arts and cultural ecosystems, providing equitable opportunities for arts participation and practice, and contributing to the health of our communities and our economy,” said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. “I encourage everyone to explore these projects and the ways they help provide inspiration, understanding, and opportunities for us to live more artful lives.”

The full list of recommended grants is available in a state-by-state listing and organized by grant category/discipline. Additional information about the projects can be found using the NEA’s Grant Search.

The Choir School of Delaware will receive Challenge America grant in the amount of $10,000 to support the professional recording of an intergenerational choir.

“The Choir School is grateful to be among this year’s NEA funding recipients. Our Challenge America grant will facilitate a professionally recorded album of our intergenerational choir, our first since the 1970s,” says Deputy Director Brittney Stanton. “This is an invaluable opportunity to uplift the talents of our students and connect them to the unforgettable experience of recording an album. It sends them a clear message: their voices deserve to be heard and celebrated.”

The State Education Agency Directors of Education (SEADAE) will receive an Art Works – Arts Education grant in the amount of $40,000 to support professional development training for teachers and teaching artists using the National Core Arts Standards as the basis for assessing student learning in the arts.

“It is an honor to be recognized by the NEA regarding the work we do to ensure equitable access to arts instruction across the country,” said Todd Shipley, SEADAE president and Director of Arts Education for the Tennessee Department of Education. “Through the support of the NEA, directors of the arts in state departments of education across the nation will be provided with resources and professional learning focused on building the capacity of constituents to meet the needs of diverse populations. SEADAE will evaluate current instructional practices for equity and inclusivity and develop appropriate resources and strategies—including a turnkey toolkit—to support arts learning for all student populations.”

The full NEA grant descriptions follow:

Challenge America
The Challenge America category primarily supports small and mid-sized organizations for projects that extend the reach of the arts to underserved populations—those whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability. Challenge America grants are awarded in all artistic disciplines to reach historically underserved communities that have rich and dynamic cultural identities. The NEA received 447 eligible applications and will award grants to 262 organizations for a total of $2,620,000 in funding.

Grants for Art Projects
Art Works is the NEA’s principal grantmaking program designed to support artistically excellent projects that celebrate our creativity and cultural heritage, invite mutual respect for differing beliefs and values, and enrich humanity. Grants for Arts Projects is the agency’s largest grant program. For this round of funding, the NEA received 1,939 eligible applications and will award grants to 1,251 organizations for a total of nearly $28.8 million in funding.

About the National Endowment for the Arts
Established by Congress in 1965, the NEA is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the NEA supports arts learning, affirms and celebrates America’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community across America. For more information, visit www.arts.gov.

About the Delaware Division of the Arts
The Delaware Division of the Arts, a branch of the Delaware Department of State, is committed to supporting the arts and cultivating creativity to enhance the quality of life in Delaware. Together with its advisory body, the Delaware State Arts Council, the Division administers grants and programs that support arts programming, educate the public, increase awareness of the arts, and integrate the arts into all facets of Delaware life. Funding for Division programs is provided by annual appropriations from the Delaware General Assembly and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. For more information about the Delaware Division of the Arts, visit arts.delaware.gov or call 302-577-8278.

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