More than 800 grants totaling more than $61 million dollars have been awarded to national, regional, state, and local arts organizations across the country by the National Endowment for the Arts. In its second major grant announcement of FY 2005, the Arts Endowment is sending grants to communities across the country, from $85,000 for the Metropolitan Opera Guild in New York City, NY to $10,000 for the Children's Dance Foundation in Birmingham, AL. This spring round also includes the first grants to be awarded in the Endowment's American Masterpieces program. Eleven grants totaling more than $1.1 million will support visual arts touring of exhibitions from the Phillips Collection in Washington, DC to the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, MA. "The NEA is proud to support and invest in the hundreds of artistic endeavors in cities and towns throughout the country that make the best of America's arts organizations and artists accessible to all Americans," said Dana Gioia, NEA Chairman. "These grants are exemplary illustrations across the artistic disciplines of geographic diversity and artistic excellence. We're especially pleased to embark on our American Masterpieces program with the finest in visual arts presentations." The majority of funding has been allocated to Partnership Agreements that will provide support for state arts agencies' basic state plans to address local priorities, as well as fund arts education, fostering the arts in under-served communities, and local Challenge America initiatives. Regional Partnership Agreements provide basic support for regional arts organizations' regional plans, in addition to regional touring initiatives. In this round, state and regional partnerships will receive 64 grants totaling $40,145,500. For further information, CLICK HERE