Seventy-nine Non-profit organizations across New York City, including dance, theatre and music companies, will receive grants ranging from $65,000 to $250,000 over the next two years. The grants are being distributed to help offset funding cuts from the city and state, as well as dips in individual giving over the past several years. Among the theatre companies receiving grants are the 52nd Street Project, Abrons Arts Center/Henry Street Settlement, Amas Musical Theatre, Atlantic Theater Company, Classic Stage Company, Classical Theater of Harlem, Epic Theatre Ensemble, Fiji Theater, Hip Hop Theater Festival, Irondale Ensemble, MCC Theater, New York Classical Theater, New York Theater Workshop, Paper Bag Players, Pearl Theatre Company, Pregones Theater, Primary Stages, Repertorio Espanol, Society for Educational Arts, Sundog Theater, TADA! Youth Theater, The Kitchen, Vineyard Theatre and Workshop Center, and the Wooster Group.
"This initiative is part of our wide-ranging, ongoing work to address the economic crisis nationwide," said Open Society U.S. Programs executive director Ann Beeson in a statement. "New York City’s nonprofit arts and culture organizations employ more than 160,000 people—three times more than the law firms in the city. We’re not an arts foundation, but we know the central role arts and culture play in economic stability and social change."