PROVIDENCE – Nearly $1 million in grants have been allocated to 121 culture, humanities and arts nonprofits in Rhode Island.
The funds come from the Rhode Island Culture, Humanities and Arts Recovery Grant program, a collaboration between the R.I. State Council on the Arts and the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities, the councils announced Monday.
The program was funded by $968,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds distributed by the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. The grant money is not part of Rhode Island’s $1.1 billion federal allocation of ARPA funds.
Each nonprofit recipient of the state grant program received $8,000 for general operating support to prevent, prepare, respond and recover from hardships suffered due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“These federal funds given to our state through the NEA’s and NEH’s ARPA allotments acknowledge the important economic impact culture, humanities and arts have on Rhode Island,” Gov. Daniel J. McKee said in a statement.
RISCA and the Rhode Island Humanities Council said that 95% of recipients of the grant were small to midsize nonprofits and/or Black, Indigenous and people of color-centered organizations. In addition, over a quarter of recipients were first-time grantees and 65% of organizations were located outside of the city of Providence.
“I am delighted that we were able to combine funding from the NEA and NEH to directly support these cultural nonprofits,” stated Randall Rosenbaum, executive director of RISCA. “We’re proud that so many of these grantees are small and medium sized organizations, represent culturally diverse communities, or are new to us. These grants will have a significant impact on communities throughout our state who have suffered greatly because of the pandemic.”
A full list of grant recipients may be found online.
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