Los Angeles Jazz Society receives NEA grant
to support Jazz in Schools Program. 

Van Nuys, Ca — National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Chairman Rocco Landesman announced today that the Los Angeles Jazz Society is one of 153 not-for-profit organizations nationwide to receive an NEA Challenge America Fast-Track grant. The Los Angeles Jazz Society was recommended for a $10,000 grant to support the ‘Jazz in Schools’ program, now entering it’s 25th year.

In this FY 2013 funding round, the NEA received 393 eligible Challenge America Fast-Track applications, requesting a total of $3,930,000.  The NEA will award 153 Challenge America Fast-Track grants totaling $1.53 million awarded to organizations in 41 states, Washington, DC, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. These include 49 first-time Arts Endowment grantees. The Challenge America Fast-Track category offers support primarily to small and mid-sized organizations for projects that extend the reach of the arts to populations whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability.

“We are absolutely thrilled to receive this grant from the NEA.  With recent cutbacks in other funding, It will allow us to continue to offer our Jazz in Schools Program to at least 45 elementary schools in 2013,” reported LAJS President, Mrs. Shelly “Flip” Manne.

“The NEA was founded on the principle that the arts belong to all the people of the United States,” said NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman. “We’re proud that Challenge America Fast-Track grants bring more opportunities for arts engagement to underserved communities.”

See the complete listing of projects recommended for Challenge America Fast-Track grant support at www.arts.gov.