The Columbus Arts Council has been awarded a $10,000 Challenge America Fast Track Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
The grant is a portion of the $155 million in grants the NEA awarded in 2009. The CAC will use the funds to partially support the March 6, 2010, performance by the African Children”s Choir at Mississippi University for Women.
The National Endowment for the Arts is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts, both new and established; bringing the arts to all Americans; and providing leadership in arts education. Established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government, the Arts Endowment is the largest annual national funder of the arts, bringing art to all 50 states, including rural areas, inner cities and military bases.
The NEA is the largest annual national funder of the arts in the United States. While the NEA”s budget ($155 million for FY 2009) represents less than one percent of total arts philanthropy in the U.S., NEA grants have a powerful multiplying effect, with each grant dollar typically generating up to seven times more money in matching grants.
The Columbus Arts Council was organized in 1965 and incorporated in 1971 with a mission “to present, promote and support the arts and arts education.” The CAC primarily services Columbus and Lowndes County, but annual programming draws people from all over Northeast Mississippi and Northwest Alabama.
The CAC offers arts-based community development programs, re-grants to local arts organizations and promotion and ticketing services for other local arts groups. The CAC also offers quality arts programming to the area through the Rosenzweig Arts Center Gallery Series, the Concert & Artist Series featuring professional touring productions, the Omnova Theatre Music Series, the Columbus Community Theatre, the Young People”s Artist Series and workshops in the local schools, Summer Arts Camp and Art Underground classes.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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