The NEA will make 1,023 awards totaling $74,326,900 to nonprofit arts organizations in all 50 states plus five U.S. jurisdictions. This funding is dedicated to the NEA’s Art Works and State and Regional Partnerships grant categories.

Many Americans for the Arts members will receive these awards to beneift their local communities.

In April, Americans for the Arts’ VP of Research and Policy, Randy Cohen, and VP of Private Sector Initiatives, Emily Peck, attended Council on Foundations’ annual meeting in San Francisco. Council on Foundations is a strategic partner of Americans for the Arts, and is committed to showcasing the transformative power of connecting philanthropy and art.

Last week, Randy Cohen, Vice President of Research and Policy at Americans for the Arts, garnered media attention as the featured speaker at the Innovation & Creativity Through the Arts breakfast sponsored by the Wichita Arts Council. He shared his experience and presented ideas, inspiration, and real-world examples of how the arts can create jobs, retain young professionals, and attract new businesses.

With the impending dissolution of the Arts & Health Alliance (Alliance), its Board asked Americans for the Arts to help by providing access to online resources and serving as a home for its members. Americans for the Arts recognizes the transformative power of the arts, and part of our 2015-2017 Strategic Plan is to raise awareness and understanding of all the ways the arts help to transform communities. 

The Americans for the Arts 2015 Public Art Network (PAN) Year in Review is open for submissions. The annual PAN Year in Review recognizes exemplary, innovative and creative public art projects completed in the previous calendar year, 2014. Up to 50 projects will be selected and presented at the Americans for the Arts Public Art & Placemaking Preconference happening June 10-12, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois.

On Tuesday, February 10, Americans for the Arts' CEO, Bob Lynch, served as a panelist for the Business-Community Impact Symposium, hosted by The Conference Board - a partner of Americans for the Arts.

Susane “Suzy” Josephson Finesilver, Americans for the Arts National Patron, passed away February 1, 2015. She born in San Antonio, Texas, in 1916 and lived there for her entire life. Americans for the Arts will miss her dedication to the arts and volunteerism, which helped shape so many organizations working to advance the arts and arts education across the country.

The winter meeting of the United States Urban Arts Federation (USUAF) took place in New Orleans, LA on January 21-23, 2015 at the InterContinental New Orleans. The USUAF was updated on Americans for the Arts current programs and initiatives for 2015, and many conversations were had over the weekend around central themes of arts and diversity, creative equity, placemaking, and more.

President and CEO of Americans for the Arts, Robert L. Lynch, as well as Vice President of Local Arts Advancement, Clayton Lord, participated in the third annual SphinxCon on January 30 in Detroit, Michigan as part of Americans for the Arts ongoing work in the field of arts and diversity.

Register today for the 2015 Annual Convention, taking place June 12–14, 2015 in Chicago!

The conference will take place at the Chicago Sheraton, with more than 40 breakouts, three keynotes, three preconferences, two Workshop Intensives, a dozen ARTventure Tours, and an opening reception at the Museum of Contemporary Art! 

Today, the Obama Administration released its FY 2016 budget request to Congress, which includes a proposed $2 million funding increase for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The request also includes substantial tax reform proposals, which could impact charitable giving.

On Martin Luther King Day, Floyd Green, Vice President of Community Relations & Urban Marketing at Aetna and member of the Americans for the Arts Board of Directors, received the National Action Network’s Merit Award for his efforts to expand healthy living to all communities

Get the conversation about encouraging creativity and ensuring arts education in your community with a new series of videos by Americans for the Arts. These videos convey the stories behind importance of arts education, as told by children whose lives have been postiviely impacted by the arts. 

This morning, Americans for the Arts' and the United States Conference of Mayors presented our three annual awards for public leadership in the arts. Congratulations to The Honorable John Hickenlooper, Governor of Colorado, for the State Arts Leadership award; The Honorable Annise Parker, Mayor of Houston, TX, for the Mayors National Award for Local Arts Leadership for cities with a population of 100,000 or more; and The Honorable Donnalee Lozeau, Mayor of Nashua, NH, for the Local Arts Leadership Award for cities with a population of 100,000 or less.