Providence RI —The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) announced today the first round of recommended awards for fiscal year 2025 of more than $36.79 million with $300,000 divided among 11 Rhode Island-based arts entities and one artist, Julia Sanches of Providence. In 2024, the reward was $275,000.
The grants were given out in the following categories: Grants for Arts Projects, Challenge America, Research Grants in the Arts, Research Labs, and Literature Fellowships. This year's application deadline is Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025, and Thursday, July 10, 2025.
The Rhode Island arts and cultural entities receiving grants are:
• newportFILM, Newport, $10,000, supports a free summer film series featuring documentary films presented in outdoor settings on Aquidneck Island.
• CACD Capeverdean American Community Development of R.I., Pawtucket, $10,000, funds classes in upcycling fashion design for low-income teens.
• Artist Communities Alliance, Providence, $80,000, supports a conference for the artist residency field focusing on emergency preparedness and response.
• AS220, Providence, $20,000, supports a youth arts education and creative workforce development program.
• DownCity Design, Providence, $35,000, funds a series of free design education programs for youth.
• New Urban Arts, Providence, $25,000, supports a free art mentoring program for students.
• Providence Preservation Society, Providence, $15,000, supports a fellowship program.
• Queer.Archive.Work, Providence, $15,000, funds an artist residency program.
• RISD Museum, Providence, $30,000, funds a mid-career retrospective exhibit on artist Liz Collins (b. 1968).
• Sanches, Julia, Providence, $15,000, assists in the translation of the novel It Is Always the Hour of Our Death Amen, by Mariana Salomão Carrara from the Brazilian Portuguese.
• Trinity Repertory Company, Providence, $25,000, supports the world premiere production of Someone will Remember Us, by Deborah Salem Smith, Charlie Thurston, and Michelle Cruz.
• Woonasquatucket Valley Community Build (aka The Steel Yard), Providence, $20,000, supports an artist residency program at the Steel Yard.
"Congratulations to the 12 Rhode Island grantees, who are being awarded today and using federal dollars to support our already thriving arts and culture community -- a key economic driver. We are pleased that the NEA continues to support this community, which is one of the best in the nation," Governor McKee said. "On behalf of the State of Rhode Island, I thank our Congressional delegation, Senators Reed and Whitehouse, Congressmen Magaziner and Amo, and the NEA for investing in our state's important creative economy."
"The NEA is proud to continue our nearly 60 years of supporting the efforts of organizations and artists that help to shape our country's vibrant arts sector and communities of all types across our nation," said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. "It is inspiring to see the wide range of creative projects taking place—those that address our past and help us consider our future, integrate arts and culture in new ways into our lives and communities, and provide powerful opportunities for people throughout our nation to come together through a shared arts experience."
Each year, the NEA assembles panels of experts and knowledgeable laypeople with relevant expertise and experience to review NEA applications and rate them in accordance with published review criteria. More than 340 panelists reviewed the eligible applications for this round of funding.
Recommendations were then presented to the National Council on the Arts. The council made its recommendations to the NEA Chair, who made the final decision on all grant awards. Learn more about the grant review process or volunteer to be a panelist.
"Our arts agency is grateful to the NEA and our Congressional delegation for their continued support for arts and culture. Our federal delegation continues to be a major champion for arts and culture, and its critical impact on communities in Rhode Island and nationally," said Todd Trebour, Executive Director of RISCA. "These awards will support projects that educate our young people, drive tourism to our cities and towns, and contribute to the economic and civic health of our state."
National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Established by Congress in 1965, the NEA is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the Arts Endowment supports arts learning, affirms and celebrates America's rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community across America. To learn more, visit arts.gov or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.