PORTLAND, MAINE – Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) today announced five grants totaling $550,000 for Maine arts organizations economically impacted by the pandemic. The much-needed arts relief was made possible through the American Rescue Plan, passed by Congressional Democrats and signed into law by President Biden last spring.
“Arts organizations put their communities first throughout the pandemic by reducing performance schedules and undertaking costly public health measures. Thanks to the historic American Rescue Plan, cultural organizations across the country and in Maine are getting the crucial assistance they need. With it, they will have the tools necessary to continue enriching our lives and supporting Maine’s economy,” said Congresswoman Pingree, co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional Arts Caucus and Chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and the Environment, which oversees funding for the National Endowment for the Arts. “In Maine, the arts are a $1.5 billion industry – that’s exactly why this relief is so critical to our state’s recovery and why I voted for it in the American Rescue Plan.”
Grant awardees in ME-01 include:
Cultural Resources, Inc. – Camden, Maine
$50,000
Dance Hall – Kittery, Maine
$50,000
Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine – Portland, Maine
$150,000
ROIL Maine Inside Out – Portland, Maine
$150,000
Points North Institute (aka Camden International Film Festival (CIFF) – Rockport, Maine
$150,000
The American Rescue Plan dedicated $135 million for arts agencies to distribute in their communities to eligible recipients to save jobs and to fund operations and facilities, health and safety supplies, and marketing and promotional efforts to encourage attendance and participation. In the first round of funding in April 2021, National Endowment for the Arts distributed 40 percent of its allocated funds to 62 state, jurisdictional, and regional arts organizations for regranting through their respective programs. Today’s announcement marks the third installment of American Rescue Plan funding to arts organizations to support their own operations will be announced in early 2022.
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