(Updated 1:20 p.m. Thursday)
PROVIDENCE – The R.I. Council on the Arts awarded $139,877 in grants in December, bringing the total awards to date to 276 grants totaling more than $1.4 million, the state agency announced in its newsletter Wednesday.
The $139,877 in grants for fiscal year 2015 support the arts in education, as well as in programming for the arts and culture, and provide fellowships for individual artists.
Gov. Gina M. Raimondo applauded the grant recipients, saying, “My team is focused on creating opportunity for all Rhode Islanders through helping them build skills and foster innovation. These grants support the great work and ingenuity happening across our arts community and help us shine a spotlight on our arts economy and our cultural assets.”
Randall Rosenbaum, executive director of the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, said, “We’re particularly pleased with this round of grant awards. Programs in arts education and projects that support the work of artists contribute to the economy and vitality of life in communities throughout our state.”
Across Rhode Island, the council received 227 applications by its Oct. 1 deadline and selected 63 for grants.
Support for the grants comes from an annual appropriation from the R.I. General Assembly and from the federal National Endowment for the Arts.
The April 1 grants and fellowships deadline will be open online Feb. 1.
For a complete list of grants awarded, visit http://www.arts.ri.gov/grants/recent/fy15-cycle2.pdf.