(NEWARK, NJ) -- Arts Ed Newark 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 is recommended to receive $150,000, and may use this funding 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, DC.

“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,” said Dr. Maria Rosario Jackson, chair of the NEA. “The arts are crucial in helping America’s communities heal, unite, and inspire, as well as essential to our nation’s economic recovery.”

"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. 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," said Lauren Meehan, Director of Arts Ed Newark. 

Arts Ed Newark strengthens the community of arts educators through training, workshops, and networking events. Through the pandemic, their workshops trained 300+ educators and community members and 100% of survey respondents felt that as a result of the workshop series they gained more tools and/or strategies to work with trauma-impacted youth.

The American Rescue Plan was signed into law in March 2021 when the NEA was provided $135 million for the arts sector. The funding for organizations is the third installment providing more than $57.7 million for arts organizations. In April 2021, the NEA announced $52 million (40 percent) in ARP funding would be allocated to 62 state, jurisdictional, and regional arts organizations for regranting through their respective programs. The second installment in November 2021 allocated $20.2 million to 66 local arts agencies for subgranting to local artists and art organizations.

For more information on the NEA’s American Rescue Plan grants, including the full list of arts organizations funded in this announcement, click here.