Larson Announces $230,000 for Community Arts Initiatives

Manchester, CT - Today, Rep. John B. Larson (CT-01) announced $230,000 in funding from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) for community organizations to expand local arts initiatives.

"The arts are a bedrock of our society, bringing communities together and raising awareness to the important issues that deserve our collective attention," said Larson. "I commend Community Partners in Action and HartBeat Ensemble for their efforts to create opportunities for at-risk youth and adults alike to express themselves through creative outlets. I am thrilled to announce new funding for these initiatives that will increase participation in the arts and advance equitable outcomes in Hartford."

Our arts community is one of the best of any mid-sized city in America, and this financial support from our federal partners adds significantly to the fabric of that community. I'm grateful to Congressman Larson for his partnership and his role in uplifting the valuable work being done in service to Hartford youth by organizations like Community Partners in Action and the HartBeat Ensemble," said Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam.

"Thank you to Congressman Larson for securing this grant to support these great organizations who are using the arts to better the lives of the youth in our communities," said Manchester Mayor Jay Moran.

"Community Partners in Action is honored and excited to receive this National Endowment for the Arts ArtsHERE award to sustain and expand the work of the Prison Arts Program, making Connecticut's prisons a more hopeful, healthy, and productive part of our community," said Jeffrey Greene, Program Manager of Community Partners in Action's Prison Arts Program.

"HartBeat is thrilled and blessed that the federal government has collaborated with regional arts organizations to support our work on helping organizations and communities develop more equitable and just working and learning ecosystems," said Godfrey L. Simmons, Jr., Artistic Director, HartBeat Ensemble.

The following organizations were awarded ArtsHERE grants:

• Community Partners in Action was awarded $130,000 to expand their Prison Arts Program that works to positively transform the prison, and the lives of all those living and working inside the prison, through the arts.

• HartBeat Ensemble, Inc. was awarded $100,000 to develop their storytelling program into an earned income venture that integrates theater into local civic community partnerships.

112 organizations across the country were awarded grants through the NEA's ArtsHERE program. Supported with federal funding, the ArtsHERE program aims to improve participation in the arts among underserved populations.

For a full list of grant recipients, click here.

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