The
New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation is excited to announce its 2021-2022
Community Partnership grant recipients, which can be viewed now at jazzandheritage.org/2021-2022-grant-awards.
Since
1979, The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation has provided proceeds from
the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival directly into the community with
grants to finance different projects supporting and upholding the foundation's
mission. More than $10 million has been awarded to Community Partnership Grants
over the last 10 years.
Many other
developments related to the foundation's mission have been rewarded more than $
1.2 million, such as in school arts education programs, presenting
organizations, and individual artists with media or documentation projects.
"There
are so many groups working hard to support the culture of Louisiana, and we are
honored to be able to assist them in a direct and meaningful way through our
Community Partnership Grants," Don Marshall, executive director of the
Jazz & Heritage Foundation, said in a press release. "These are truly
your Jazz Fest dollars at work."
For the
2021-2022 grant cycle, these grants are awarded in five categories:
1. Jazz
& Heritage Presenting grants, awarded to Louisiana-based nonprofit arts
organizations that present festivals and other cultural events and hire local
performers.
2. Media
& Documentation grants for artists and others who create new artistic works
or otherwise document the local culture.
3. Education
In-School grants for schools providing music and art classes as part of the
school day.
4. Education
After-School grants for non-profits that present after-school and summer
educational programs in the arts.
5. Louisiana
Cultural Equity Arts grants, awarded to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color
(BIPOC) creatives and BIPOC-led nonprofit organizations in Louisiana.
In
all, 93% of the grants were funded.
Applications
are reviewed and scored by committees of the Jazz & Heritage Foundation's
Board of Directors and Advisory Council members. The applications are then categorized
by score. Those with the highest scores are awarded the most significant
percentage of their requested amount.
"The
Donald Harrison, Sr. Museum is a small community based one. The continuous
support of the Jazz & Heritage Festival Foundation has been immeasurable in
the museum's ability to document, preserve, and present the indigenous cultural
expressions of New Orleans to diverse audiences," Big Queen Cherice
Harrison-Nelson, a recipient of a 2021-2022 Community Partnership Grant, said
in a press release. "We are most grateful for the funding of projects and
programs that serve elders and children. Additionally, the application and
reporting process is obviously designed to be inclusive and not burdensome to
organizations and individuals who are from and work in communities that birth
and nurture the unique cultural expressions that make New Orleans, New
Orleans."
The declaration
of the completed grant cycle marks two years since the addition of the
Foundation's Louisiana Cultural Equity Arts grant. The grant category is open
to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) creatives and BIPOC-led
nonprofit organizations in Louisiana. The establishment of the grant category
is part of a more prominent influence by the Foundation to address structural
and elevate, amplify, and support BIPOC creatives' art and communities.
Because
of the multiple investments made in the community and making an intensive
effort to raise local artists and organizations, the Foundation is establishing
an environment where arts and education projects succeed long-term, especially
in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage & Heritage Foundation is the non-profit
that owns the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, presented by Shell. The
Foundation utilizes the proceeds from Jazz Fest—and other raised funds—for
year-round programs in education, economic development, and cultural
enrichment.
For more information on
the Foundation's activities, visit jazzandheritage.org.
To donate, visit jazzandheritage.org/donate.
