The NEA Awards $1.4 Million in Literary Grants

April 18, 2014

With an overall budget of $146 million for 2014, up from $138 million last year, the National Endowment for the Arts announced plans to award $1.42 million to fifty-six literary nonprofits in America. The Association of Writers and Writing Programs was awarded $75,000 for its 2015 conference in Minneapolis, the Writer’s Chronicle magazine, and its website. The PEN American Center will receive $90,000 in support of the PEN World Voices Festival of International Literature.

“We know that arts and culture play an important role in our nation’s economy, with the most recent numbers showing the sector comprising more than 3.2 percent, or $504 billion, of GPD,” said NEA Acting Chairman Joan Shigekawa. “These NEA-supported projects will not only have a positive impact on local economies, but will also provide opportunities for people of all ages to participate in the arts… and support our nation’s artists as they contribute to our cultural landscape.”

Last month at the annual Arts Advocacy Day conference in Washington, DC, arts advocates from across the country lobbied congress, making the case for an NEA budget in 2015 of $155 million.

“We’re very grateful for the NEA’s continuing support, which has helped us greatly expand the audiences whom we serve,” said David Fenza, Executive Director of AWP. “The progress we’ve made in improving the conference, the Chronicle, and the website would not have been possible without the NEA’s support.”

 

Sources: NEA, Publishers Weekly

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