On May 15, 2024, The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) announced the second round of recommended awards for fiscal year 2024, with more than $110 million in funding to support the arts nationwide. This is the second of the NEA’s two major grant announcements each fiscal year. These grants fall under three NEA funding categories: Grants for Arts Projects, Our Town, and State and Regional Partnerships. Eight ACSO members have been selected to receive grants totaling $260,000 in funding (see list below). For the full announcement from the NEA, please click here.

NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD said, “These projects exemplify the creativity and care with which communities are telling their stories, creating connection, and responding to challenges and opportunities in their communities—all through the arts. So many aspects of our communities such as cultural vitality, health and well-being, infrastructure, and the economy are advanced and improved through investments in art and design, and this funding at the local, state, and regional levels demonstrates the National Endowment for the Arts’ commitment to ensuring people across the country benefit.”

Grants for Arts Projects - Music

• Association of California Symphony Orchestras (ACSO) - $15,000
  Purpose: To support the annual conference for California orchestras
  
  
• Berkeley Symphony Orchestra - $25,000
  Purpose: To support the Music in the Schools program
  
  
• Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music - $35,000
  Purpose: To support the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music
  
  
• Ojai Music Festival - $45,000
  Purpose: To support the Ojai Music Festival
  
  
• San Bernardino Symphony - $15,000
  Purpose: To support the annual community concert under the stars
  
  
• San Francisco Symphony - $55,000
  Purpose: To support the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra's performance project
  
  

Grants for Arts Projects - Arts Education

• San Diego Youth Symphony - $45,000
  Purpose: To support staff salaries for the Opus Project, a free instrumental music education program
  
  
• Tucson Symphony Orchestra - $25,000
  Purpose: To support the Young Composers Project, a music composition program

The next deadline for organizations interested in applying for Grants for Arts Projects is Thursday, July 11, 2024. Visit arts.gov for guidelines and application resources.