ICYMI: Senator Murray Discusses Efforts to Boost Investments in Arts and Support Small Businesses at Tacoma Arts Live
Senator Murray: “I worked hard to increase funding for the NEA in last year’s funding bill, because I know how much the arts mean to people and the very real difference these grants will make in supporting local communities and local economies.”
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced $2,206,700 in grant funding for arts programs across Washington state. The grants will be administered by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), which received a 15 percent increase in funding through the Fiscal Year 2023 Omnibus that Senator Murray was a leader in passing. The funding, which is going out to 33 grantees across Washington state in amounts between $10,000 and $1,110,200, is part of $103.1 million in awards announced by NEA last week across all 50 states and U.S. jurisdictions.
“The arts are an integral part of Washington state’s culture and identity—bringing together local artists and artisans, students, community members, and small businesses,” said Senator Murray. “I worked hard to increase funding for the NEA in last year’s funding bill, because I know how much the arts mean to people and the very real difference these grants will make in supporting local communities and local economies. When we invest in the arts we aren’t just investing in our culture and communities, we are also building a stronger economy.”
Below is a full list of projects in Washington state that will receive awards from the newly-announced NEA funds:
| Grantee Name | Location | Program Description | Award Amount |
| ARTS IMPACT | Federal Way, WA | To support a professional development program for teachers. | $30,000 |
| FRIENDS OF LAKEWOLD | Lakewood, WA | To support a music presenting project in the Wagner House of the Lakewold Gardens. | $15,000 |
| NISQUALLY INDIAN TRIBE | Olympia, WA | To support public art training and the creation of a large-scale installation at Nisqually State Park in Washington. | $75,000 |
| WASHINGTON STATE ARTS COMMISSION | Olympia, WA | To support arts programs, services, and activities associated with carrying out the agency’s National Endowment for the Arts-approved strategic plan. | $1,110,200 |
| WASHINGTON STATE SUPERINTENDENT PUBLIC INSTRUCTION | Olympia, WA | To support the Washington State Teaching Artist Training Lab, a statewide professional development program for teaching artists working in all artistic disciplines. | $50,000 |
| ARTS NORTHWEST | Port Angeles, WA | Grants for Arts Projects – Presenting & Multidisciplinary Works To support a conference for the performing arts industry. | $25,000 |
| PORT ANGELES FINE ARTS CENETER FOUNDATION | Port Angeles, WA | To support planning and development for the Lauridsen Boulevard corridor and Uptown Arts District in Port Angeles, Washington. | $75,000 |
| CENTRUM FOUNDATION | Port Townsend, WA | To support the Centrum Fiddle Tunes and Acoustic Blues festivals. | $25,000 |
| AMERICAN CHEKHOV PROJECT | Seattle, WA | To support the Seagull Project’s development and production of a community-engaged theater work based on Maxim Gorky’s “The Lower Depths,” in a new adaptation by Jéhan Òsanyìn. | $10,000 |
| ARTIST TRUST | Seattle, WA | To support professional development services for artists in Washington State. | $25,000 |
| BASE | Seattle, WA | To support a choreography residency program. | $17,000 |
| BOOK-IT REPERTORY THEATRE | Seattle, WA | To support staff salaries for an arts education program. | $15,000 |
| HENRY GALLERY ASSOCIATION, INC | Seattle, WA | To support an offsite exhibition project featuring work by rafa esparza on the Seattle waterfront. | $45,000 |
| INDIGENOUS CREATIVES COLLECTIVE | Seattle, WA | To support multidisciplinary arts programming. | $20,000 |
| INTIMAN THEATRE | Seattle, WA | To support the development and world premiere production of “The Lion Tells His Tale” by Vida Sneed, directed by Steve Sneed, and featuring Delbert Richardson. | $15,000 |
| JACK STRAW FOUNDATION | Seattle, WA | To support artist residencies. | $50,000 |
| LANGSTON | Seattle, WA | To support the Seattle Black Film Festival and related public programming. | $20,000 |
| NORTHWEST FILM FORUM | Seattle, WA | To support ACTION!, a narrative filmmaking apprenticeship program. | $25,000 |
| PRATT FINE ARTS CENTER | Seattle, WA | To support the Master Artist and Artist-in-Residence programs. | $20,000 |
| RICHARD HUGO HOUSE | Seattle, WA | To support salary costs and artist fees for the “Word Works: Writers on Writing” series. | $25,000 |
| SEATTLE AQUARIUM SOCIETY | Seattle, WA | To support a public art installation at the Seattle Aquarium’s Ocean Pavilion. | $75,000 |
| SEATTLE ARTS AND LECTURES, INC. | Seattle, WA | To support a creative writing residency and professional development program. | $30,000 |
| SEATTLE SCHOOL DISTRICT #1 OF KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON | Seattle, WA | To support the expansion of the Creative Advantage, a collective impact project in Seattle Public Schools. | $100,000 |
| SEATTLE INTERNATONAL FILM FESTIVAL | Seattle, WA | To support film production and storytelling workshops for youth. | $20,000 |
| SCARECROW VIDEO ARCHIVE | Seattle, WA | To support the Silver Screeners program and associated community engagement activities presented by Scarecrow Video. | $10,000 |
| UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON | Seattle, WA | To support the Jacob Lawrence Legacy Residency, a program exploring themes of the African Diaspora. | $30,000 |
| VELOCITY DANCE CENTER | Seattle, WA | To support the Seattle Festival of Dance + Improvisation. | $30,000 |
| WING LUKE MEMORIAL FOUNDATION | Seattle, WA | To support the exhibition, “Witness to Wartime: The Painted Diary of Takuichi Fujii:” | $42,000 |
| CITY OF TACOMA, WASHINGTON | Tacoma, WA | To support arts activities and the development of a creative placemaking plan in the McKinley Hill neighborhood of Tacoma, Washington. | $100,000 |
| MUSEUM OF GLASS | Tacoma, WA | To support Hot Shop Heroes, a glass-making program for wounded warriors. | $30,000 |
| TACOMA URBAN PERFORMING ARTS CENTER | Tacoma, WA | To support the presentation of dance performances and short dance films. | $15,000 |
| WASHGINGTON STATE PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION | Tumwater, WA | To support the production of short films about Latino music, culture, and history in Washington. | $20,000 |
| METHOW MUSIC FESTIVAL ASSOCIATION | Winthrop, WA | To support artist fees for the Methow Valley Chamber Music Festival’s Summer Concert Series. | $12,500 |
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