Lotus Named One of 12 Indiana Arts Organizations to Receive CARES Act Funding from the NEA

The Lotus Education & Arts Foundation is delighted to announce that Lotus has been recommended for funding by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The NEA recently announced the 855 nonprofit arts organizations that are located in every state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico that will receive a total of $44.5 million in non-matching funds to support staff salaries, fees for artists or contractual personnel, and facilities costs.

“All of us at the National Endowment for the Arts are keenly aware that arts organizations across the country are hurting, struggling, and trying to survive and that our supply of funding does not come close to meeting the demand for assistance,” said Arts Endowment Chairman Mary Anne Carter. “That said, I am enormously proud of the over-and-above efforts of the Arts Endowment staff to swiftly and professionally manage such a large amount of additional work in a relatively short period of time on behalf of the American public.”

The National Endowment for the Arts received more than 3,100 eligible applications for funding from the CARES Act. Lotus could not be more grateful to be named one of the 855 organizations that will receive these sustaining funds.

“Lotus is overjoyed to be a recipient of this CARES Act grant. The work we do of promoting artists’ voices provides a tonic in a difficult time. As we reach out, virtually and in real time, to residents of south-central Indiana, Lotus will be in a stronger position to improve the well-being of households impacted by the pandemic’s restrictions. For this gift, we are extremely grateful.”

Arts organizations across the country and the world have been deeply affected by the cancellation of events, the closing of venue doors, and a decrease in the capacity for sponsors to donate. Lotus recognizes that the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic have been devastating for many people and organizations. It is through initiatives like the CARES Act that our country shows its commitment to sustaining many aspects of the economy. With this NEA grant, the arts are shown to be valued as well, as dollars reach organizations that provide sources of inspiration in our physically distanced world and bring much needed joy into lives challenged by isolation and pain.