Pictured: The Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, will receive an NEA Art Works grant to support an arts education outreach program that serves middle and high school students in San Diego. The museum also receives support from the California Arts Council.

SACRAMENTO, CA – The National Endowment for the Arts has awarded more than $3 million to California nonprofit organizations in its first two major grant announcements for fiscal year 2018. Federal funds totaling $3,363,000 will benefit 132 grantees statewide.

The grants span two funding categories, Art Works and Challenge America. Art Works is the NEA’s largest funding category and supports projects that focus on the creation of art that meets the highest standards of excellence, public engagement with diverse and excellent art, lifelong learning in the arts, and/or the strengthening of communities through the arts. The Challenge America category features NEA support for projects that extend the reach of the arts to underserved populations-those whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability.

Awarded projects range from performances and exhibitions, to healing arts and arts education programs, to festivals and artist residencies.

Click here for the full announcement from the National Endowment for the Arts, including a detailed list of all 2017 Art Works and Challenge America grantees.

About the National Endowment for the Arts
Established by Congress in 1965, the NEA is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the NEA supports arts learning, affirms and celebrates America’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community across America. For more information, visit www.arts.gov.

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The mission of the California Arts Council, a state agency, is to advance California through the arts and creativity. The Council is committed to building public will and resources for the arts; fostering accessible arts initiatives that reflect contributions from all of California’s diverse populations; serving as a thought leader and champion for the arts; and providing effective and relevant programs and services.

Members of the California Arts Council include: Chair Nashormeh Lindo, Vice Chair Larry Baza, Phoebe Beasley, Christopher Coppola, Juan Devis, Kathleen Gallegos, Jaime Galli, Donn K. Harris, Louise McGuinness, Steven Oliver, and Rosalind Wyman. Learn more at www.arts.ca.gov.