Senator Elijah Reichlin-Melnick announces over $280,000 in grants for local arts organizations

NANUET, NY - Senator Elijah Reichlin-Melnick announced that seven arts organizations from the 38th Senate District have been awarded over $280,000 in grant funding through the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) designed to help nonprofit arts and culture organizations and artists recover from the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. These grants were approved as part of the 2021 New York State budget. The seven organizations span Rockland and Westchester counties, and include Bethany Arts Community, Children’s Shakespeare Theatre, Hudson Chorale, Inc., the Edward Hopper Landmark Preservation Foundation, Stage Left Children’s Theatre, Strawtown Art & Garden Studio, Inc., and Rivertown Film Society. 

State Senator Elijah Reichlin-Melnick (D-Rockland/Westchester) said, “I proudly advocated on behalf of local arts organizations in this year’s state budget, and am delighted that hundreds of thousands of dollars in state funds are coming to Rockland and Westchester to support the robust arts and cultural programs in our communities. New York without our vibrant arts and cultural organizations wouldn’t be the state we know and love, which is why I’ll always fight for the arts.”

These grants were announced as part of the third round of NYSCA grants for 2021, which awarded a total of $45 million in grant awards to more than 1,000 organizations across New York. NYSCA's fourth and final round of funding, a $20 million Capital Projects opportunity, is currently accepting applications. The application portal will close on January 14, 2022. More information is available at arts.ny.gov.

The Ossining-based Bethany Arts Community organization received three separate grants totaling $84,500 for rehearsal and studio space for performing arts, a NYSCA recovery funds grant, and a NYSCA support for organizations grant. 

Abigail Lewis, Executive Director of Bethany Arts Community, said “We are deeply honored to receive these awards and to be among such a vibrant community of peers. Arts and the artistic process is more important than ever to bring us together and to feed our communities’ renewal. These funds ensure we can provide affordable access while providing artists with the support they need. Thank you Governor Hochul and the State Legislature for your commitment to the arts, especially during these challenging times.” 

The Nyack-based Children’s Shakespeare Theatre received a NYSCA support for organizations grant for $25,000. 

Brady Amoonclark, Artistic Director for Children’s Shakespeare Theatre, said “Children's Shakespeare Theatre is thrilled to accept our first public grant in our twenty-two years of offering quality educational theatre, building a community that enriches the lives of our young actors and their families. We are so thankful to Governor Kathy Hochul and State Senator Elijah Reichlin-Melnick for their work in support of this grant.”

The Council on the Arts preserves and advances the arts and culture that make New York State an exceptional place to live, work and visit. The council upholds the right of all New Yorkers to experience the vital contributions the arts make to our communities, education, economic development, and quality of life. Through its core grantmaking activity, the Council on the Arts will have awarded more than $100 million in FY2022. NYSCA's statewide grants and regrants program supports the visual, literary, media and performing arts and includes dedicated support for arts education and underserved communities.