Nea 2000 First Round Grants - National Endowment for the Arts; includes list of grants - Statistical Data Included

Afterimage, March, 2001

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has announced its first major round of grants for the 2001 fiscal year. Eight hundred and twenty-five new grants were awarded, totaling $20,422,500--constituting 24% of the grant budget for the year. The NEA was allotted a budget of $105 million for the FY 2001--increasing seven million dollars over last year's budget, the NEA's first increase since 1992--$87 million of this total figure allotted as grant monies. Grants will be distributed through two major categories of Grants to Organizations--Creativity and Organizational Capacity and Leadership Initiatives and Literature Fellowships. Creativity awards comprise the largest grant distribution, with 718 grants totaling $16,355,500; 60 Organizational Capacity grants totaling $2,272,000; and seven Leadership Grants totaling $1,045,000. Grants designated as "multi-state" in the project description have a broad reach, impacting audiences in many communities--these projects represent $7,530,500 of the grant funds. All gra nts to organizations must be matched at least dollar for dollar with non-federal funds.

The NEA awards grants to non-profit organizations in the following five areas: Creativity, Organizational Capacity, Access, Education and Heritage/Preservation. Grant awards are based on artistic excellence and merit, the proposed project's impact and the applicant's ability to carry out the project. State and regional art agencies are (by Congressional mandate) allotted 40% of the NEA's grantmaking funds to broaden access to the alt in all states.

What follows are grants that we believe will be of interest to Afterimage readers, culled from the Media Alt, Multidisciplinary, Museums and Visual Alt categories.

MEDIA ARTS

American Museum of the Moving Image, Astoria, NY $25,000

To support three film retrospectives: The Cutter's Way: The Art and Craft of Film Editing; Shadow Play: Early Film and the Avant Garde; and The Lubitsch Touch. Over 100 films will be presented to an estimated audience of over 5000 people.

Ancestral Films, Inc. (Consortium), Houston, TX $5000

To support a consortium project, The Films of Gordon Parks: Retrospective of a Living Legend. This curated series will recognize Parks for his artistic achievements. Project partners are the Museum of Fine Alt Houston and Project Row Houses.

Ann Arbor Film Festival, Ann Arbor, MI $15,000

To support the 39th Ann Arbor Film Festival and its national tour. Over 100 films will be presented to an audience of over 21,000 people in Michigan and the states to which the festival tours. (Multi-state)

Art Institute of Chicago (on behalf of Film Center), Chicago, IL $30,000

To support a curated film series titled Bridging the Culture Gap Through Cinema. This multifaceted project will showcase work by American independent filmmakers and international directors.

Asian CineVision, Inc., New York, NY $20,000

To support the 2001 Asian American International Film Festival and its national tour. After its run in New York, the festival will travel to 10 sites including those in Connecticut, Florida, North Carolina, Texas and Pennsylvania. (Multi-state)

Asian Media Access, Minneapolis, MN $7500

To support the curated film series Generation Y: The Impact of the 1997 Hong Kong-China Reunification on Chinese Youth. Films will be presented to gain insight on what the reunification means to the youth of Hong Kong, Taiwan and China.

Austin Film Society, Austin, TX $30,000

To support the exhibition of films and videos, free of charge, to members of the Austin community. The Free Cinema Project will present these films and videos in a historical and cultural context while fostering an understanding and appreciation for cinema as an art form.

Berks Filmmakers, Inc., Reading, PA $10,000

To support the exhibition of several curated film and video series. Programs will include in-person presentations, avantgarde cinema, documentary and animation work and screenings by artists from the region.

Chicago Filmmakers, Chicago, IL $15,000

To support the curated film series Kino Eye Cinema and the presentation of the Onion City Film Festival. Kino Eye Cinema places special emphasis on documentary and experimental films and videos; the Onion City Film Festival is dedicated to exhibiting experimental work.

Cine Accion, San Francisco, CA $10,000

To support the 2002 Cine Latino Film Festival. The festival attracts over 5000 people and is the only West Coast venue to present work by and about Latinos.

Cinema Arts Centre (New Community Cinema Club, Inc.), Huntington, NY $10,000

To support Cinema of Diversity, three weekend-long film festivals. Each festival will be devoted to a different theme: the International Women's Film and Video Festival, the Festival of Films from the People's Republic of China and the Huntington International Independent Film Festival.

Cleveland Film Society, Cleveland, OH $25,000

To support the 25th annual Cleveland International Film Festival including the 4th annual Midwest Independent Filmmakers Conference. Held in the spring, the event presents current work from around the world and complements it with educational programs to increase the audience's understanding and appreciation for the art form.