Toni Nathaniel Harp

Looney and Harp Welcome State Grants For 20 New Haven Arts Organizations

Senate Majority Leader Martin M. Looney (D-New Haven) and Senator Toni N. Harp (D-New Haven) today welcomed news that the state Department of Economic and Community Development has awarded $461,370 in grants to 20 New Haven arts organizations.

“New Haven is home to a vibrant artistic and cultural community,” said Senator Looney. “These grants will help bolster our thriving, vibrant local artistic organizations that contribute to the social fabric that helps make New Haven a great place to live.”

“New Haven has a well-deserved reputation as a statewide hub for excellent music and fine arts—perhaps best captured by its annual International Festival of Arts and Ideas—and this state funding will help perpetuate that image,” Senator Harp said. “I embrace DECD‘s successful effort to equitably distribute limited funding, in New Haven and statewide in support of artistic exploration, collaboration, and presentation.”

Specifically, the grants—under the following categories—include:

Connecticut Artist in Every Community

• New Haven Symphony Orchestra – $5,000
• Hugo Kauder Society – $4,000
• Artspace, Inc. – $5,000
• Classical Contemporary Ballet Theatre – $3,690
• Clinton Avene School – $2,500
• Elm City Dance Collective, Inc. – $3,600
• Music Haven – $5,000
• New Haven Ballet – $5,000
• New Haven Festivals – $5,000

Arts Leadership

• 9arts – $25,000
• Hugo Kauder Society – $20,000
• New Haven Chorale – $25,000
• Pequeñas Ligas Hispanas de New Haven, Inc. – $25,000

Arts Leadership Implementation

• A Broken Umbrella – $43,790
• Architecture Resource Center – $60,000
• Artspace, Inc. – $72,000
• City of New Haven – $100,000
• COOP Center for Creativity – $25,000

Sustaining Relevance

• Creative Arts Workshop, Inc. – $20,410
• Music Haven – $6,380

On Monday, the state Department of Economic & Community Development/CT Office of the Arts and the State Historic Preservation Office awarded grants from the Historic Preservation Survey & Planning and the Arts Catalyze Placemaking program. These programs are funded by the state appropriation to DECD and by funds received from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Community Investment Act.

The grant programs from which funds were awarded include:

• Survey and Planning Grants for Historic Preservation—these grant may be used by Connecticut non-profit organizations and municipalities for a wide range of historic preservation planning activities, including surveys, nominations to the National or State Registers of Historic Places, pre-development studies, heritage tourism and other planning documents.
• Connecticut Artist in Every Community—these grants are to promote community development and teaching and learning through high quality arts engagement and arts integration. The program provides opportunities for residents of all ages, in every community, to interact with practicing artists in ways that will advance Connecticut cities, towns and villages as meaningful communities in which to live, work, learn and play.
• Arts Leadership—these grants provide funding for arts-based projects, activities and programs that engage partners and which will advance Connecticut cities, towns, and villages as meaningful communities in which to live, work, learn and play.
• Sustaining Relevance—formula-based awards provide support to arts organizations whose on-going work is relevant to the community and supports COA’s creative placemaking goals.