NEW ORLEANS (press release) – The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation, the non-profit organization that owns the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival presented by Shell, has announced it is now accepting grant applications in the Community Partnership Grants program for the 2020-2021 grant cycle. Funding supports music and art education programs, cultural events put on by Louisiana arts-based nonprofits, new artistic works that interpret Louisiana culture and other projects that support the Jazz & Heritage Foundation’s mission. This year, the Foundation has increased its financial commitment to over $1 million dollars in funding to Louisiana artists and non-profit organizations.
The Foundation also announced the creation of the Louisiana Cultural Equity Arts Grant. This grant is open to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) creatives and BIPOC-led nonprofit organizations in Louisiana. The creation of this grant category is part of a larger effort by the Foundation to address structural racism within and beyond its walls and to elevate, amplify, and support the art of BIPOC creatives and communities.
The intention behind this grant is to support BIPOC creatives and to strengthen the capacity for arts presenting, producing, programming and instruction at organizations in Louisiana led by BIPOC people. This new grant category is just one way the Foundation is working to increase support for BIPOC artists and the sustainability of BIPOC-led arts organizations.
The deadline to apply is July 27 at 11:00 p.m. Activities funded by these grants must occur between Sept. 1, 2020, and Aug. 31, 2021 and must take place in Louisiana.
Since 1979, the Foundation has invested proceeds from Jazz Fest directly into the community with grants to fund projects that support the Foundation’s mission. Over the last 10 years, more than $8 million dollars have been awarded in Community Partnership Grants.
Executive Director of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation, Don Marshall, said, “We are very proud to continue our role of supporting the efforts of those in our community who create outstanding cultural and educational programming,” Marshall said. “Investing in BIPOC communities is paramount to addressing racial disparities in Louisiana.”
The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation invests proceeds from Jazz Fest and additional funds that is raised for year-round programming in education, economic development and cultural enrichment. Education programs include the Don “Moose” Jamison Heritage School of Music, the Tom Dent Congo Square Lectures, the Class Got Brass competition for school brass bands, a youth audio workshop program, youth vocal workshops, and more. Economic Development initiatives include the Community Partnership Grants, the Catapult Fund accelerator program and Sync Up entertainment industry workshops. Cultural enrichment programs include the Jazz & Heritage Concert Series and annual Foundation Festivals: the Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival, the Congo Square Rhythms Festival, the Tremé Creole Gumbo Festival and the Louisiana Cajun-Zydeco Festival. Importantly, these are free programs that the Jazz and Heritage Foundation has developed over many years to ensure that Jazz Fest dollars go right back into Louisiana communities.
The Foundation also owns radio station WWOZ 90.7-FM and the Jazz & Heritage Archive. In late 2014, the Foundation opened the George and Joyce Wein Jazz & Heritage Center – an education and community facility named for Jazz Fest founder George Wein and his late wife Joyce.
For more about the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation, please visit us online at www.jazzandheritage.org.
To learn more about the 2020-2021 Community Partnership Grants and to apply for a grant , please visit: www.communitypartnershipgrants.org.
