NATIVE ARTS AND CULTURES FOUNDATION AWARDS GRANTS TO 28 NATIVE ARTISTS AND NATIVE ARTS AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS IN 15 STATES

VANCOUVER, Wash., Jan. 2 – The Native Arts and Cultures Foundation (NACF) – the first national 501(c)(3) charity committed to building a fund dedicated exclusively to foster the revitalization, appreciation and continuity of Native arts and cultures – has awarded its 2011 grants to 28 American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian artists and organizations in 15 states. This year’s grant sizes ranged from $10,000 to $40,000, with a total allocation of $510,000 which is up from $394,319 in 2010. This is the NACF’s second year of grantmaking.

Grants were awarded in three categories: Support for Individual Artists: “2011 Artist Fellowships” (total allocation $100,000); Mobilizing the Community Through the Arts: “2011 Artist Convenings Initiative” (total allocation $110,000) and “2011 Artist and Community Collaboration Initiative” (total allocation $100,000); and “Support for the Field: “2011 Regional Collaboration Pilot Program” (total allocation $200,000).

“Support for this country’s Native arts and cultures is critical to our Foundation’s mission, which is to nurture the creativity of Native artists and organizations through our grantmaking program,” says NACF President/CEO T. Lulani Arquette (Native Hawaiian). “The NACF congratulates all of our 2011 grantees for projects and work that have not only inspired us at the NACF but also raised the visibility of Native arts and cultures in the United States and globally.”

To learn more about the NACF, visit http://www.nativeartsandcultures.org and sign up for the free e-newsletter. Become a fan of the organization on Facebook.

List of 2011 Grantees

Support for Individual Artists: Artistic Innovation

2011 NACF Artist Fellowships

Allen Michelson (Mohawk), New York City – Visual Arts ($20,000)

Bennie Klain (Navajo), Oxford, Ohio – Film ($20,000)

Rulan Tangen, (Métis), Santa Fe, N.M. – Dance ($20,000)

Sherwin Bitsui (Navajo), Albuquerque, N.M. – Literature ($20,000)

Raiatea Helm (Native Hawaiian), Honolulu, Hawaii – Music ($20,000)

Support for Communities: Mobilizing the Community Through the Arts

2011 Artist Networks and Convenings Initiative

Alaska Native Heritage Center, Anchorage, Alaska ($15,000)

Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums, Oklahoma City, Okla. ($15,000)

Hula Preservation Society, Kaneohe, Hawaii ($14,000)

Northwest Indian College, Bellingham, Wash. ($14,000)

New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA), Boston, Mass. ($14,000)

Northwoods NiiJii Enterprise Community, Lac du Flambeau, Wisc. ($14,000)

Seventh Generation Fund, Arcata, Calif. ($12,000)

Kuleana 'Oiwi Press, Honolulu, Hawaii ($12,000)

2011 Artist and Community Collaboration Initiative

American Indian Center Inc., Chicago, Ill. ($10,000)

Hawaii Youth Opera Chorus, Honolulu, Hawaii ($10,000)

Organized Village of Kake, Kake, Alaska ($10,000)

Kahilu Theatre, Kamuela, Hawaii ($10,000)

California Indian Museum and Cultural Center, Santa Rosa, Calif. ($10,000)

Tomaquag Indian Memorial Museum, Exeter, R.I. ($10,000)

University of Georgia, Institute of Native American Studies, Athens, Ga. ($10,000)

Poarch Band of Creek Indians, Atmore, Ala. ($10,000)

Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation, Oakville, Wash. ($10,000)

Center for Multi-Cultural Cooperation, Sacramento, Calif. ($10,000)

Support for the Field, Strengthening the Arts and Cultures Infrastructure:

2011 Regional Collaboration Pilot Program

First Peoples Fund, Rapid City, S.D. ($40,000)

Alaska Native Arts Foundation, Anchorage, Alaska ($40,000)

Longhouse Education and Cultural Center, Olympia, Wash. ($40,000)

Pa'i Foundation, Honolulu, Hawaii ($40,000)

Sundance Institute, Native American and Indigenous Program, Los Angeles, Calif. ($40,000)