Arts Nonprofit In Newark Earns NEA Grant, Impact 100 Award

Newark NJ

17 February, 2022

7:01 AM

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NEWARK, NJ — An arts nonprofit in Newark has been doing impressive work in Essex County, and it's been paying off with a series of grants. Recently, Arts Ed Newark announced that it has been approved to receive an American Rescue Plan grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to help the arts and cultural sector recover from the pandemic. Arts Ed Newark said it is recommended to receive $150,000, which will be used to "save jobs and to fund operations and facilities, health and safety supplies, and marketing and promotional efforts to encourage attendance and participation." In total, the NEA will award grants totaling $57,750,000 to 567 arts organizations in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Washington D.C. "Our nation's arts sector has been among the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. The National Endowment for the Arts' American Rescue Plan funding will help arts organizations, such as Arts Ed Newark, rebuild and reopen," NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson said. Throughout the pandemic, Arts Ed Newark workshops trained more than 300 educators and community members, sharing tools and strategies to help them work with trauma-impacted youth. "This funding highlights the importance of what Arts Ed Newark has been providing for educators throughout this pandemic: training and resources that promote safety, security, and healing through the arts," Arts Ed Newark Director Lauren Meehan said. "We became even more of an essential resource to partners, enhancing and increasing communication and networking efforts so our communities of teachers, arts organizations, community-based organizations did not feel isolated or alone," Meehan said. IMPACT 100 GRANT Meanwhile, Arts Ed Newark was also recently selected as a recipient of an Impact100 Essex Equity Grant. Impact100 Essex awarded three of the $15,000 "unrestricted" grants to local nonprofits led by Black, Indigenous and other People of Color (BIPOC) in Essex County. The recipients of the grants were Arts Ed Newark, East Orange-based Sierra House and Newark Science and Sustainability. "By piloting these Equity Grants, Impact100 Essex is signaling its trust and value in grassroots nonprofits led by people of color in our county," said Mayuri Chandra, co-chair of the DEI Action Committee, Impact100 Essex. "We are grateful that Impact100 Essex is recognizing the specific challenges of Leaders of Color in this sector," Meehan said, adding that the nonprofit will use the funds to "increase its work in advocacy, trauma-informed care and engagement alongside various stakeholders such as educators, families, school leaders, funders and more in the name of increasing arts education equity." Send local news tips and correction requests to [email protected] Sign up for Patch email newsletters. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Don't forget to visit the Patch Newark Facebook page.