Two in S.C. land NEA, South Arts ‘ArtsHere’ grants

More than $12 million to expand access to arts participation nationwide

The National Endowment for the Arts announced 112 organizations recommended for awards yesterday under ArtsHere—a new pilot program designed to expand access to arts participation across the nation.

ArtsHere is in partnership with South Arts and in collaboration with the other five U.S. Regional Arts Organizations.

The nonprofit organizations, each with demonstrated commitment to equity within their practices and programming, are recommended for non-matching grants of $65,000 to $130,000, totaling $12.356 million, to fund specific projects that will strengthen the organizations’ capacity to sustain meaningful community engagement and increase arts participation for underserved groups and communities. Grant recipients will also take part in peer-learning and technical assistance opportunities, and the NEA will report on lessons learned from this initiative.

Two South Carolina groups were recommended and will receive funding.

  • The Catawba Cultural Center of Rock Hill is to receive $120,453 to support an expansion of educational offerings provided by the Catawba Nation Cultural Division, to include Cultural Arts Apprenticeships and accessible cultural how-to videos, which can be shared with Catawba Nation members who are unable to attend classes in person. The Catawba Nation Cultural Division is dedicated to preserving and promoting the rich cultural heritage of the Catawba people. They aim to educate both tribal members and the public about their traditions and history.
  • The Watering Hole of Columbia is to receive $88,300 to support hiring a programs and capacity assistant to help create and implement strategic planning, staff training, and stakeholder engagement activities. The Watering Hole Poetry Organization centers nurturing Southern poets of color by providing workshops, retreats, and networking opportunities. They create a supportive community for poets to develop their craft and share their work.

“The National Endowment for the Arts is thrilled to provide resources to a group of exceptional organizations through ArtsHere , a program to help deepen meaningful and lasting arts engagement in underserved communities,” said Maria Rosario Jackson, Ph.D., chair of the National Endowment for the Arts. “Everyone should be able to live an artful life, and ArtsHere is an important step in ensuring we are strengthening our nation’s arts ecosystem to make this a reality.”


Historically underserved groups and communities—those whose opportunities to experience the arts have been limited by factors such as geography, race or ethnicity, economics, or disability—frequently report lower rates of participation in various arts activities than other groups do. Managed by South Arts, the NEA announced the ArtsHere pilot grant program in 2023 in recognition that engaging in the arts is essential to individual, social, civic, and economic well-being and in response to President Biden’s executive order that put forward a government-wide effort to advance equity for all Americans.

Recommended grant recipients are from all 50 states, DC, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. ArtsHere aims to address disparities in arts participation through grants that help organizations better serve and reach their communities. For instance:

  • In Juneau, Alaska, JAMM (Juneau Alaska Music Matters) is a tuition-free music program, which uses the power of music and the social experience of ensemble to help youth reach their fullest potential. JAMM is dedicated to preserving the Lingít language, the main Indigenous language in Southeast Alaska, and integrating its cultural wisdom into education. An ArtsHere grant of $105,610 will support professional development by bringing together Lingít speakers, culture bearers, string teaching artists, and certified music teachers to develop music-based Lingít language instruction and culturally responsive training for educators. Activities will include a summer teacher training and music lab, field research in Sitka, Alaska, and the creation of culturally responsive teaching practice video tutorials.
  • In Racine, Wisconsin, the Mahogany Black Arts & Cultural Center is dedicated to the preservation, research, and exhibition of Racine County Black Cultural History. They run programs including an oral histories project; the Wisconsin Black Art & Culture Expo; and a multidisciplinary, emerging artist fellowship. An ArtsHere grant of $130,000 will help them strengthen their organization through the development of a five-year strategic plan that will include community outreach, board development, and technological investments to grow and manage a member database.
  • In White River Junction, Vermont, the Special Needs Support Center of the Upper Valley (SNSC) is a group of individuals, families, and professionals throughout the Upper Valley and beyond who proudly work together to create a community where people with disabilities can live their best lives. An ArtsHere grant of $95,300 will enable SNSC to build capacity in all the arts-focused organizations within the Upper Valley (NH and VT) to create places where people with disabilities have access to the arts. SNSC will work to provide staff training, recommendations on disability-friendly practices, and consulting.
  • In San Juan, Puerto Rico, Taller Comunidad la Goyco, Inc. is an organization born from community organizing dedicated to the creation of programs, initiatives, and opportunities that highlight the historical, social, and cultural wealth of the Machuchal community and the Loíza Street sector in Santurce, Puerto Rico. An ArtsHere grant of $70,000 will support curated programming, promotion and marketing, and training for the volunteers who are ambassadors for their monthly community fairs, where they provide free and accessible arts experiences. They aim to increase audiences for the fairs by 10 percent and effectively communicate the results of cultural programming tied to health and well-being, as well as the environment, in their urban coastal community.
  • In Fort Worth, Texas, The Welman Project connects teachers and schools with surplus materials from businesses, promoting creative reuse and sustainability in education. It aims to enrich arts learning experiences while reducing waste and fostering environmental stewardship. To increase their ability to serve their community, The Welman Project will be opening a new, larger makerspace as part of the future Fred Rouse Center for Arts and Community Healing, which was formerly used as a KKK auditorium. An ArtsHere grant of $74,900 will support strategic planning and cultural competency training to prepare for the opening of its tool library and makerspace and to ensure it operates effectively and sustainably as it expands into a majority Hispanic community.

“We are very excited to work with these organizations on their projects,” said Susie Surkamer, president and CEO of South Arts. “The arts are essential to the fabric of our nation, and at the heart of this necessity are the organizations and individuals who champion them. Through ArtsHere , we are excited to continue expanding and enriching the arts landscape both nationally and within these unique local communities.”

In addition to grant awards, ArtsHere grant recipients will also participate in quarterly peer learning workshops, monthly cohort sessions, and one-on-one meetings with technical assistance coaches and field experts. These meetings are designed for knowledge sharing, learning, and capacity-building, to help reinforce the initiative’s opportunities for cross-sector engagement.

As a pilot program, ArtsHere will be documented and evaluated by the NEA to better understand the project activities supported by this program and how grantees approached the work. These insights may inform the future of ArtsHere and similar funding programs in the future.

More than 4,000 organizations applied for ArtsHere funding in late 2023 and early 2024. Applications were reviewed by multiple review panels based on published review criteria, including the applicant’s organizational capacity and their capacity-building project, alignment with ArtsHere’s commitment to equity, and engagement with historically underserved communities. The selected organizations will receive funding to support their projects, which will take place between October 2024 through June 2026.

ArtsHere is also supported by The Wallace Foundation through matching funds to the Regional Arts Organizations in support of this program.


About the National Endowment for the Arts

Established by Congress in 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent federal agency that is the largest funder of the arts and arts education in communities nationwide and a catalyst of public and private support for the arts. By advancing equitable opportunities for arts participation and practice, the NEA fosters and sustains an environment in which the arts benefit everyone in the United States. To learn more, visit arts.gov or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

About South Arts

South Arts advances Southern vitality through the arts. The nonprofit regional arts organization was founded in 1975 to build on the South’s unique heritage and enhance the public value of the arts. South Arts’ work responds to the arts environment and cultural trends with a regional perspective. South Arts offers an annual portfolio of activities designed to support the success of artists and arts providers in the South, address the needs of Southern communities through impactful arts-based programs, and celebrate the excellence, innovation, value and power of the arts of the South. For more information, visit www.southarts.org.

About the U.S. Regional Arts Organizations

The United States Regional Arts Organizations (USRAOs)—Arts Midwest, Mid-America Arts Alliance, Mid Atlantic Arts, New England Foundation for the Arts, South Arts, and Western States Arts Federation—are a collective of six nonprofit arts service organizations committed to strengthening America’s infrastructure by increasing access to creativity for all Americans. They serve the nation’s artists, arts and culture organizations, and creative communities with programs that reflect and celebrate the diversity of the field in which they work. They partner with the National Endowment for the Arts, state arts agencies, individuals, and other public and private funders to develop and deliver programs, services, and products that advance arts and creativity. Together, the USRAOs work to activate and operate national arts initiatives, encourage and support collaboration across regions, states, and communities, and maximize the coordination of public and private resources invested in arts programs. In Fiscal Year 2023, they invested over $18.4 million across the United States and Jurisdictions, through nearly 2,400 grants that reached more than 1,000 communities. For more information, visit usregionalarts.org.


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