2014 NEA Our Town Projects Receive More Than $5 Million in Support
The National Endowment for the Arts has announced that it is expanding its support of arts-based community development with recommended grants for the fourth year of the Our Town program. Chairman Jane Chu said the agency will award 66 Our Town grants totaling $5.07 million to organizations in 38 states, investing in local efforts to leverage arts assets to drive community development. Since Our Town’s inception in 2011, the NEA has awarded 256 Our Town grants totaling more than $21 million in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
This year’s Our Town projects further the Obama Administration’s commitment to fund work that supports greater opportunity and economic mobility for all. These Our Town grants reinforce the president’s belief that the arts are as fundamental to a community’s success as safety, land use, transportation, education, and housing, helping build stronger communities in cities and rural communities alike. Our Town funds arts-based community development projects in a way that is authentic, equitable, and augments existing local assets.