Arizona Humanities grant enables arts and culture events to go virtual

Phoenix, AZ​: Cultural Coalition, Inc is pleased to announce that it has received $7,620 in support from the Arizona Humanities rapid-response grant program funded by the Congressional CARES Act through the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). The funds will be used to continue operations, support local artists, and transition the organizations traditional arts and cultural festivals and events into virtual programs. Cultural Coalition, Inc is one of fifty-eight (58) non-profit humanities and cultural organizations in Arizona awarded $520,000 in total funding in assistance for financial hardships from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Cultural Coalition is honored to be a recipient of these grant funds. This is a meaningful recognition of the value we offer our community. It will also help us continue our mission to amplify the cultural diversity of our communities and support artists by sharing their talents with children and families throughout the Valley.” ​- Carmen Guerrero, Executive Director of Cultural Coalition, Inc.

The CARES Act funds will enable Cultural Coalition, Inc to provide diverse cultural programs to the people of Arizona while supporting local artists through providing community engagement to a variety of festivals and programs through online platforms. Recorded videos and live streaming events on Facebook and YouTube supported by this grant include:

•  The Mask Alive! Festival of Masks, originally to be held at Pioneer Park in Mesa.
•  The Portal to the Past event, originally to be held at Pueblo Grande Museum in Phoenix.
•  The Artist Chat series, a visit with Valley artists for “behind the scenes” tours of their studiosand insight into their creative process.The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light the importance of art engagement in our communities, especially for uplifting morale. Cultural Coalition, Inc is excited for the opportunities presented with virtual events, bringing Arizona artists to a global audience. As social distancing becomes a new part of everyday life, it is evident, the need to connect with our communities is desired now more than ever in our constantly changing world.

ABOUT CULTURAL COALITION, INC

Cultural Coalition, Inc. is a local non-profit who has committed to supporting indigenous artists and encouraging youth arts education for over 25 years. We are dedicated to the education, promotion, and development of indigenous artists throughout Arizona. We provide our community with much needed artistic programs that highlight and amplify the cultural diversity of the Valley of the Sun.

ABOUT ARIZONA HUMANITIES

http://azhumanities.org
Mission: Arizona Humanities builds a just and civil society by creating opportunities to explore our shared human experiences through discussion, learning and reflection.

Arizona Humanities is a statewide 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and the Arizona affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Since 1973, Arizona Humanities has supported public programs that promote understand of the human experience with cultural, educational, and nonprofit organizations across Arizona.

NEH CARES

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency created in 1965. It is one of the largest funders of humanities programs in the United States. The National Endowment for the Humanities supports research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities.

As part of the 2020 Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES Act), the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) received an additional $75 million in supplemental funding to distribute as emergency relief to cultural institutions affected by the coronavirus.

Nearly $30 million of this funding has already been distributed to the state and jurisdictional humanities councils for local re-granting. The remainder will be distributed from NEH in direct grants to institutions and individuals through new NEH CARES funding opportunities.

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