Thirteen New England-based Organizations Selected for ArtsHERE Awards 

Boston, MA — The New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) joins the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in announcing 112 organizations, including 13 organizations in New England, recommended for awards under ArtsHERE—a new pilot program in partnership with South Arts and in collaboration with the other five U.S. Regional Arts Organizations—designed to expand access to arts participation across the nation. These 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.

“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, PhD, 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.

“We are excited to celebrate the 13 grant recipients’ projects in our region, along with many others across the country, that will expand access to arts participation. We are grateful to work on this important pilot initiative with the National Endowment for the Arts, the Wallace Foundation, and our RAO colleagues,” shared NEFA executive director Harold Steward.

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.

In New England, the 13 ArtsHERE grant recipients are:  

Afro Caribbean Cultural Center (ACCC), Waterbury, CT: $130,000

The ArtsHERE grant will support strategic planning, data collection, professional development, and marketing to deepen ACCC’s understanding of the Afro-Latino diaspora of the region and state and build awareness of their work so they can serve more individuals. ACCC is a multidisciplinary center that integrates the arts, education, activism, and conscious cultural tourism to foster social transformation in the Caribbean Taino and Afro-descendent cultures of the region. 

Community Partners in Action, Hartford, CT: $130,000

The ArtsHERE grant will expand the Prison Art Program’s staff; support the development of protocol and handbooks for instructors, participants, and staff as part of long-term strategic succession plan; create marketing materials; and distribute art supplies in all CT prisons for their Prison Arts Program, which uses arts expression as a tool for personal, social, and institutional change since 1978. CPA has provided critical services that promote accountability, dignity, and restoration for youth and adults affected by the criminal justice system.

HartBeat Ensemble, Inc., Hartford, CT: $100,000

The ArtsHERE grant will develop HartBeat Ensemble’s fee-for service storytelling program into an earned income venture. It will also enable the hiring of a Business Development Director and Artistic Producer to support the creation of provocative theater that connects people and communities across traditional barriers of race, gender, class and geography. HartBeat is an artist-led & artist-driven company dedicated to building community partnerships and integrating the arts into the local civic agenda.

NXTHVN, Inc., New Haven, CT: $130,000

The ArtsHERE grant will support NXTHVN’s disability justice project with the formation of a working group, conduction of research and a full community audit, and implementation of new strategies as part of their work with the Dixwell and New Haven communities. NXTHVN creates educational and professional opportunities and delivers resources, knowledge and capital to underrepresented artists, curators, and audiences locally. NXTHVN works to position Dixwell and New Haven as epicenters for transformative art and entrepreneurship by facilitating meaningful exchange between creators, arts professionals, and community members who use the arts and innovative ideas to create a more equitable world.

Indigo Arts Alliance, Portland, ME: $110,500

The ArtsHERE grant will enhance Indigo Arts Alliance’s residency and community engagement programs, guided by a comprehensive strategic planning process, logic model, and community mapping to support their work in professional development and amplification of Black and Brown thought-leadership, vision and creative practice. As a Black-led organization, IAA cultivates and celebrates art as a key resource for healthy communities, connects global and local Black and Brown artists, provides an affirming environment for the creation of artwork across disciplines, and promotes engagement through participatory events that bring artists' and activists' work into public conversation on social justice, culture, and community.

Castle of our Skins, Roxbury, MA: $120,500

The ArtsHERE grant will enable Castle of our Skins (COOS) to expand community engagement programming through staff expansion, website projects, program design and evaluation, and organizational accessibility training. COOS invites audiences to explore Black heritage and culture, spotlighting both unsung and celebrated figures of the past and present in classrooms, concert halls, and beyond.

Company One, Inc., Boston, MA: $130,000

The ArtsHERE grant will support Company One Theatre’s (C1) community organizing, training, and engagement strategies, including stakeholder trust-building and the creation of a multi-racial, socioeconomically diverse coalition for change. C1 builds community at the intersection of art and social change through theatrical events, public readings, conversations, workshops, and full-scale productions driven by issues of civic importance to Boston.

Front Porch Arts Collective, Boston, MA: $130,000

The ArtsHERE grant will fund the development of a new strategic plan to transition the Front Porch Arts Collective into a permanent physical home and become an integral part of cultural place-making in the historically Black neighborhood of Roxbury. The Front Porch is a Black theatre company committed to advancing racial equity in Boston. Their artistic programming includes full productions, staged readings, concerts, developmental workshops, and other community appreciation events as well as mentorship of aspiring Black and Brown theater professionals.

Southeast Asian Coalition of Central Massachusetts, Inc., Worcester, MA: $117,000 

The ArtsHERE grant will help establish the School of Traditional Southeast Asian Arts as a dynamic center for cultural exchange, learning, and immersion to support the Southeast Asian populations to thrive. Essential to the project is stakeholder participation, a consultant to guide the process, alignment with community needs, and incorporation of best practices in the design of the arts curriculum. The Southeast Asian Coalition of Central Massachusetts (SEACMA) assists the Vietnamese, Nepali, Cambodian, Burmese, Laotian, and Afghan populations to successfully integrate, thrive, and become contributing citizens while maintaining their unique cultural heritage. 

Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire, Portsmouth, NH: $76,069  

The ArtsHERE grant will support training and research on audience demographics; expanding and diversifying audiences; meetings and program assessments with stakeholders; development of programs; and marketing/fundraising strategies to support the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire’s work to promotes awareness and appreciation of African American history and life to build more inclusive communities today. Their arts programming includes visual arts, poetry, design, and hosting performances. 

Puerto Rican Institute for Arts and Advocacy, Pawtucket, RI: $101,400  

The ArtsHERE grant will support PRIAA’s strategic planning, staff training, community engagement, marketing, and partnerships with heritage organizations and a network for the apprenticeship program. Founded in 1994, PRIAA is dedicated to promoting and facilitating civic and cultural awareness of the Puerto Rican culture, as well as other Latino/a/x heritages, through performance, workshops, visual art, literature, crafts and the Afro-ancestral arts. By bringing the best of the Caribbean arts and authentic folklore to Rhode Island and the New England region, PRIAA advocates for cultures that contribute to the social, political and economic well-being of an entire nation.   

Clemmons Family Farm, Inc., Charlotte, VT: $130,000  

The ArtsHERE grant will support overall marketing strategies, research and promotion of the farm to Black artists and scholars on faculty at New England universities to use sabbatical time in residence at the historic Clemmons farm. Clemmons Farm serves as an educational prototype and a model for preserving African American owned agricultural land, culture, and heritage assets in the U.S. Clemmons Family Farm is an African American women-led arts and culture organization that empowers Vermont's Black artists and culture bearers with opportunities for professional development, advocacy, visibility, networking, paid engagements, collective healing, and safe haven for creativity that helps them to thrive.

Special Needs Support Center, White River Junction, VT: $95,300

The ArtsHERE grant will enable SNSC to build capacity in the arts-focused organizations within the Upper Valley (NH and VT) by developing and implementing disability-friendly practices, training staff, and consulting. 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, across the spectrum and throughout their lifespan, can live their best lives.

Read about all 112 grant recipients and their projects  

“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 across the country 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 NEFA 

The New England Foundation for the Arts invests in artists and communities and fosters equitable access to the arts, enriching the cultural landscape in New England and the nation.  NEFA accomplishes this by granting funds to artists and cultural organizations; connecting them to each other and their audiences; and analyzing their economic contributions. NEFA serves as a regional partner for the National Endowment for the Arts, New England’s state arts agencies, and private foundations. Learn more at www.nefa.org. 

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. 

Contact 

Ann Wicks 
(She/Her/Hers)
Communications Director & Co-Accessibility Coordinator
tel. 617-423-1390 
awicks@nefa.org