The West Virginia Commission on the Arts of the West Virginia Division of Culture and History has received $296,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) as a one-time grant under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act). The money will be used to provide funds to nonprofit arts organizations in West Virginia for job preservation. Applications are available and must be postmarked by May 15, 2009.
The West Virginia Arts Recovery grant program is meant to secure these very vital roles in arts organizations to ensure that the arts stay intact in West Virginia. The program will help reduce the strain on programming funds that many arts organizations are facing.
Eligible applicants can apply for salary position funding up to $50,000 for one or more positions. The salary support, full or partial, is meant to preserve jobs that are critical to an organization’s artistic mission as well as jobs that are in jeopardy or have been eliminated as a result of the current economic climate. The program is not intended for job creations and new positions are not eligible.
For more information about this program or to apply, contact Jeff Pierson, director of arts, at (304) 558-0240 or by e-mail at jeff.pierson@wvculture.org. Applications also available at the Division’s Web site at www.wvculture.org/arts. Eligible organizations are also listed online.
The NEA was awarded $50 million in all from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. A portion of the stimulus funds, $19.8 million, was distributed to state and regional arts agencies for sub-granting programs that preserve jobs in local art organizations throughout the country.
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 annual national fund supply of the arts, bringing great art to all 50 states, including rural areas, inner cities, and military bases. For more information about the NEA, visit www.arts.gov.
The West Virginia Division of Culture and History, an agency of the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts, brings together the state’s past, present and future through programs and services in the areas of archives and history, the arts, historic preservation and museums. Its administrative offices are located at the Cultural Center in the State Capitol Complex in Charleston, which also houses the state archives and state museum. The Cultural Center is West Virginia’s official showcase for the arts. The agency also operates a network of museums and historic sites across the state. For more information about the Division’s programs, visit www.wvculture.org. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
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