These 3 Memphis arts organizations were awarded grants from the NEA supporting community projects

What’s happening: Three Memphis-based arts organizations are receiving a welcome financial warm-up from the National Endowment of the Arts, it was announced earlier this week. The NEA is sending $45,000 in grants to Memphis, part of a much larger grant round that is awarding a total of $32,223,055 in the form of 1,288 grants to creative community projects in all fifty states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico.

Big news in Binghampton: Two of the three grants heading to Memphis are being awarded to organizations that are based in the Binghampton community.

The Carpenter Art Garden, a local nonprofit that promotes creativity and self-worth in children by way of artistic and educational programs, is receiving $10,000 from the NEA. The grant will support the design and creation of a mural and a kinetic art installation.

And the Center for Transforming Communities (CTC) is receiving a $10,000 grant in support of its Measuring Love Fellowship, an arts research and multidisciplinary storytelling project. The CTC is a community-led community development nonprofit based in Binghampton but also serves the Medical District, Orange Mound, North Memphis, South Memphis, and Whitehaven communities.

And for our more seasoned residents: Creative Aging Memphis, the community-wide nonprofit that enriches the lives of our senior residents with a bevy of arts programming, is receiving a $25,000 NEA grant in support of its studio arts courses for older adults.

Why it’s important: “Whether it’s the creation of new art, opportunities for the public to participate and engage in the arts, or work to better understand the impact of the arts,” reads a statement from NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD, “these grants contribute to the well-being of individuals and communities, help meet the challenges of our time, and build towards a future in which all people can lead artful lives and reach their full potential.”