State and City official joined cultural institutions to announce cultural enhancement grants at the National Museum of the American Indian on March 8, 2006. (L-R): Tom Finkelpearl, John Haworth, Richard Schwartz, Kate Levin, Stefan Pryor, Sigourney Weaver, John Cahill, John Whitehead, Lisa Phillips, Anita Contini
GOVERNOR & MAYOR: LMDC TO AWARD MORE THAN $27 MILLION FOR CULTURE IN LOWER MANHATTAN
LMDC Board Approves Plan for 63 Cultural Enhancement Fund Grants
Governor George E. Pataki and Mayor Michael Bloomberg recently announced that the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC) will award $27.4 million in cultural enhancement grants to 63 Lower Manhattan arts organizations and projects. The grants are expected to leverage more than $410 million in investments for cultural institutions below Houston Street. The LMDC Board of Directors approved a plan for the grants, which range from $20,000 to $2 million, at its meeting on Thursday, March 9, 2006. In November 2005, the Board adopted guidelines for cultural these enhancement funds. The Board also previously allocated up to $10 million for a new home for the Drawing Center.
Funding allocations are based on criteria established by the LMDC Board, which were released in Guidelines last November, and include: ability of the proposed project to spur long-term Lower Manhattan revitalization; programmatic excellence; capacity to leverage additional investments in culture in Lower Manhattan; organizational and fiscal viability; and durability as an investment. The proposed grants would be used for new construction, renovations, project planning, events and programming. Grant recipients include museums, theaters, and dance and music performance venues. More »
