The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation has increased
its financial commitment towards funding Louisiana artists and nonprofit
organizations by allocating over one million dollars. The foundation just
opened up the application for the Community Partnership Grants Program for the
2020 - 2021 grant cycle. Funding will support artistic and cultural projects,
nonprofits, and education programs that are aligned with the Jazz &
Heritage Foundation's mission.
The foundation has also created a new grant that will be
open to blacks, indigenous people, and people of color (BIPOC). The Louisiana
Cultural Equity Arts Grant is meant to support BIPOC nonprofit organizations
and creative projects. This initiative was put out by the foundation in an
effort to address structural racism within the organization and beyond, as well
as to "elevate, amplify, and support the art of BIPOC creatives and communities."
The deadline to apply is July 27at 11:00 p.m.,
and the activities funded by these grants must take place in Louisiana between
September 1, 2020, and August 31, 2020. The foundation has committed to support
the community through the invested proceeds from Jazz Fest since 1979. More
than $8 million have been donated through community partnership grants. Don
Marshall, the executive director of the foundation, stated that "investing in
BIPOC communities is paramount to addressing racial disparities in Louisiana."
