The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government by an act of the U.S. Congress, signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson on September 29, 1965. It is a sub-agency of the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities, along with the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
The President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH) is an advisory committee to the President of the United States on cultural issues. It works directly with the White House and the three primary cultural agencies: the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), as well as other federal partners and the private sector, to advance wide-ranging policy objectives in the arts and humanities. These include considerations for how the arts and humanities sectors can positively impact community well-being, economic development, public health, education, civic engagement, and climate change across the United States.
The Faith and Belief Forum, formerly known as the Three Faiths Forum (3FF), is an interfaith organisation in the United Kingdom.
The Alabama Symphony Orchestra is a major orchestra based in Birmingham, Alabama. The orchestra's resident and principal conductor is Christopher Confessore. The Orchestra was first formed in April 1921 but had to close because of financial issues in 1993. It re-opened in 1997 after substantial fundraising.
The South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts & Humanities (SCGSAH) is a prestigious boarding school for the arts located in Greenville, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1999 by Virginia Uldrick, the high school program provides pre-professional training in creative writing, dance, drama, music and visual arts to sophomores, juniors and seniors, in a master-apprentice, arts-centered community. The Governor's School also offers arts-intensive summer programs for 7th-through-12th-grade students.
Ernestina Ramirez was an American dancer and educator, best known as the founder and artistic director (1970–2009) of Ballet Hispanico, the premier Latino dance organization in the United States.
Blaffer Art Museum is a non-collecting contemporary art museum located in the Arts District of the University of Houston campus. Housed in the university’s Fine Arts Building, it is part of the Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts. It was founded in 1973 and has won several awards, including the Coming Up Taller Award as part of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities. The museum presents focus and major monographic and group exhibitions of national and international contemporary artists as well as artwork by University of Houston School of Art students.
The Theater Offensive is a Boston-based theatrical organization dedicated to the production of queer works. The Theater Offensive was founded in 1989 by Abraham Rybeck "to present the diversity of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender lives in art so bold it breaks through personal isolation, challenges the status quo, and builds thriving communities." The Theater Offensive mounts and produces festivals and individual productions by national and local queer performers, and also serves as a development environment for new theatrical work. In addition, The Theater Offensive works to build community through education, outreach, and political activism.
Eboo Patel is an American Ismaili of Gujarati Indian heritage and founder and president of Interfaith America, a Chicago-based international nonprofit that aims to promote interfaith cooperation. Patel was a member of President Barack Obama's inaugural Advisory Council on Faith-Based Neighborhood Partnerships.
WritersCorps is an American artists-in-service organization that hires professional writers to teach creative writing to youth. It grew from a national service model in the WPA tradition and is now an alliance of separately-run organizations in three cities.
The PS22 Chorus, directed by Gregg Breinberg, is a Webby Award-winning public elementary school chorus from PS 22 in Graniteville, Staten Island, New York City. It is composed of 60-70 fifth-graders. PS 22 is the largest elementary school in Staten Island. PS22 Chorus has performed with a multitude of musical acts and has had celebrated appearances on numerous national and international broadcasts throughout the years, after its videos had gained worldwide attention within the popular video-sharing site YouTube. To date, the chorus's YouTube videos have been watched more than 100 million times.
The Choral Arts Society of Washington is a major choral organization based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1965 by Norman Scribner, it is regarded as one of the premier symphonic choruses in the United States. The Choral Arts Society of Washington consists of three vocal ensembles; the Choral Arts Chorus, the Choral Arts Chamber Singers, and the Choral Arts Youth Choir.
Girls Write Now is a nonprofit organization serving girls and gender-expansive youth who attend New York City public schools and are from historically and systemically underserved communities. It was founded by Maya Nussbaum, now Executive Director, in 1998 during her senior year at Columbia University. As part of its core mentoring program, Girls Write Now matches young women from disadvantaged backgrounds who are interested in writing with professional women writers. In 2009, the Girls Write Now mentoring program was recognized by the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities as an outstanding arts program for youth, and it received the Coming Up Taller Award.
Francisco J. Núñez is an American conductor, composer, and the Director of the Young People’s Chorus of New York City. Núñez founded the Young People's Chorus in 1988 "to provide children of all ethnic, religious, and economic backgrounds with a safe haven for personal and artistic growth." He is a 2011 MacArthur Fellow.
The Harmony Project is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Los Angeles, California, that provides free music instruction and instruments to youth in underserved communities in LA and around the country. Programming consists of year-round music lessons, orchestra and ensemble participation, and a peer mentorship program influenced by El Sistema, Venezuela's highly successful music education program. Harmony Project currently serves over 2,000 students in the Los Angeles area, and expanded in 2011 with its first affiliate program, Harmony Project of Ventura County.
Born This Way Foundation is a non-profit organization founded in 2012 by American artist and activist Lady Gaga and her mother, Cynthia Germanotta. Named after the singer's album Born This Way (2011), the Foundation is committed to supporting the wellness of young people and working with them to "make the world kinder and braver".
Patricia A. Turner is an American folklorist who documents and analyzes the stories that define the African American experience. A professor in World Arts and Cultures/Dance and African American Studies at UCLA, Turner is the author of five books on topics ranging from rumors, legends and conspiracy theories to African American quilters and images of African Americans in popular culture. She is the 2021 recipient of the Linda Dégh Lifetime Achievement Award.
Boston Children's Chorus (BCC) is composed of over 300 singers from 10 choirs in over three locations around Boston. Its mission is to address the social problems of Boston's children and communities. Founded in 2003, BCC has performed all over the world in countries such as Japan, Mexico, Australia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Jordan, the Czech Republic, Germany and the United Kingdom. In addition, BCC has received critical acclaim for its music and hosts Boston's Martin Luther King Jr. annual celebration at New England Conservatory's Jordan Hall. This concert has featured guests such as Lou Gossett Jr, Patti Austin, Melinda Doolittle, Cindy Blackman Santana, Leslie Odom Jr., Dom Flemons and Roomful of Teeth and has been televised nationally.
Spy Hop is an after-school, youth media non-profit in Salt Lake City, Utah. It aims to provide opportunities for young people to get involved in the digital media arts and learn skills needed to begin working towards careers in the digital arts. It was founded in 1999 by Rick Wray and Erik Dodd as an after school film class and has grown over the years to include game design, documentary, music and audio production.
Karen Zacarías is an American playwright. She is known for her play Mariela in the Desert. It was the winner of the National Latino Playwriting Award and a finalist for other prizes. Mariela in the Desert was debuted at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago. Zacarías is the founder of the Young Playwrights' Theater located in Washington, D.C.
