Four Delaware arts organizations receive federal grants from the National Endowment for the Arts to help recover from pandemic.
The Delaware Contemporary, Art Works for All, Delaware Shakespeare, and Wilmington Children’s Chorus all received American Rescue Plan Grants from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Each organization received either $50,000 or $100,000, and are among 567 arts organizations nationwide located in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Washington, DC to receive the grants.
In total $57.75 million in non-matching funds was awarded.
Kristin Pleasanton is the Deputy Director of the Delaware Division of the Arts, and she says the organizations can use the money for COVID related issues.
"They can use this money to help them reopen and re-establish themselves, maybe bring back staff, or hire new staff, pay expenses for their buildings, or their utilities. Even programs that can help support marketing and safety supplies such as masks or hand sanitizer, or whatever else they might need to get through the pandemic," said Pleasanton.
She says the grants will be helpful.
"I think the sizable amount of their grants can really make a difference," said Pleasanton. "It can fund a couple positions, it can do a lot of marketing, a lot of programming, so yeah I think the impact is great, and it's of course that the perfect time."
Pleasanton notes the pandemic has been hard on the arts community with exhibits canceled, buildings closed, organizations laying off staff, and losing audiences.
Delaware Public Media' s arts coverage is made possible, in part, by support from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency dedicated to nurturing and supporting the arts in Delaware, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.
