Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME) at an Event in Portland Last Year..

Indigo Arts Alliance, $30,000;  Portland Museum of Art, $30,000 and Portland Stage Company, $15,000 were the three arts organizations in Portland among the eight recipients in District 1 of a total of $235,000. in Federal grants according to a press release issued by Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D) earlier this week.  In this first round of funding for the 2024 fiscal year, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) awarded grants in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico – for specific arts proposals.  Pingree is Ranking Member of the Appropriations Subcommittee that oversees funding fo the NEA.

The other five arts organizations in District 1 to receive funding because of the advocacy of Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D) are:  Alice James Poerty Cooperative, Inc., $45,000, New Gloucester; Bowdoin International Music Festival, $15,000, Brunswick; Points North Institute, $45,000, Rockport; Salt Bay Chamberfest, $20,000, Damariscotta; and Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts, $35,000, Newcastle.

“Each of the organizations awarded grants today is working to enrich their communities through the arts,” said Congresswoman Pingree.  “Despite being an incredible tool for economic development and community engagement, the arts have been historically underfunded.  Through my role on the Appropriations Committee, I continuously fight to secure the federal funding for the National Endowments of the Arts and Humanities that makes these grant programs possibble.”