SPADY MUSEUM TO RECEIVE $50K FROM NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS FOR SUPPORT DURING PANDEMIC-RELATED PAUSE IN PROGRAMS
Delray Beach, FL – July 23, 2020 – The Spady Cultural Heritage Museum (www.spadymuseum.com) was one of three nonprofits arts organizations in Palm Beach County and one of 855 organizations nationwide to receive funding from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
The Spady Museum will receive $50,000 from the NEA to support staff salaries, fees for artists or contractual personnel, and facilities costs. Announced on July 1, 2020, the grant funding will offset some of the revenues that have been lost to cancellations of fundraising and programming events, due to the COVID-19 pandemic response. Boca Raton Museum of Art and Palm Beach Opera also received funding.
The Spady Museum received additional funding stemming from the CARES Act: $7,500 from Florida Humanities Council and $1,929 from Florida Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs.
The NEA received more than 3,100 eligible applications requesting $157 million for the $45 million available in direct assistance.
“All of us at the National Endowment for the Arts are keenly aware that arts organizations across the country are hurting, struggling, and trying to survive and that our supply of funding does not come close to meeting the demand for assistance,” said Arts Endowment Chairman Mary Anne Carter. “That said, I am enormously proud of the over-and-above efforts of the Arts Endowment staff to swiftly and professionally manage such a large amount of additional work in a relatively short period of time on behalf of the American public.”
These awardees represent the diverse nature of arts organizations around the country. Overall funding is divided nearly evenly between small, medium, and large arts organizations.
Arts and culture are a key component of the U.S. economy that contribute $877.8 billion, or 4.5 percent, to the nation’s gross domestic product in 2017 and employ over 5 million wage‐and‐salary workers who collectively earned $405 billion. This funding will help support those jobs and those nonprofit organizations during this time of great need so that arts and culture will persevere as a significant contributor to the American economy.
About the National Endowment for the Arts
Established by Congress in 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the Arts Endowment supports arts learning, affirms and celebrates America’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community across America. Visit arts.gov to learn more.
About the Spady Museum
The Spady Cultural Heritage Museum is the only museum of its kind in Palm Beach County. Located at 170 NW Fifth Avenue in Delray Beach, it is dedicated to showcasing the contributions of members of the African Diaspora to Florida and the U.S. Programs include exhibitions, city tours, and community events. The museum is temporarily closed to the public until directives from The City of Delray Beach modify the COVID-19 response for public healthcare and safety. For more information, call 561-279-8883 or visit www.spadymuseum.com
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IMG_2770: Spady Cultural Heritage Museum Director Charlene Farrington sits on the porch of the Williams Cottage with her mother, museum founder Vera Farrington, as they tape a virtual Juneteenth 2020 program, held in collaboration with Delray Beach Public Library. The virtual program replaced a scheduled concert, canceled due to COVID 19-related closures. A grant from the NEA will help to offset lost revenue, due to canceled programming, and will allow staff and operations to continue during the pandemic.
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