NEA Announces Additional 2017 Grants to Benefit U.S. Arts Organizations

Although the revered national organization has been under threat of extinction since the dawn of Trump's presidency, the NEA announced a second round of 1,195 awards, totaling $84.06 million, to benefit arts organizations throughout the United States. In her statement announcing the awards, NEA chairman Jane Chu states, "The American people are recognized for their innovative spirit and these grants represent the vision, energy, and talent of America’s artists and arts organizations...I am proud of the role the National Endowment for the Arts plays in helping advance the creative capacity of the United States." The grants benefit a vast array of organizations throughout the country, including the magazine Poets & Writers and the organization LAMBDA Literary. Let's pick up with the good news from there:

In the largest grant category, Art Works, 1,029 grants totaling $26.1 million were awarded. Book industry entities to receive the grants include Poets & Writers, which received $75,000 to support the publication of its magazine Poets & Writers, the development of new content and resources on pw.org, and improvements to its online directories. Lambda Literary received $25,000 to support its Writers Retreat for Emerging LGBTQ Voices, the LGBTQ Writers in Schools Program, and its national reading series.

"NEA funding is critical to our ability to serve creative writers," Poets & Writers' executive director Elliot Figman said. "With this award, we will help writers to connect with one another, publish and promote their work, and advance their careers."

Read on at Publishers Weekly.