The Ford Foundation has launched a 10-year, $100 million initiative to help artists and arts organizations create new spaces and projects around the country.
Under the initiative, the foundation has already awarded a $1 million grant that will turn an abandoned East Harlem high school into artist housing and a hub for community arts.
The Foundation's Supporting Art Spaces Initiative says a strong cultural environmental has a role in revitalizing local economies.
In Seattle, the foundation's support created a permanent home in a renovated historic hotel for the Wing Luke Museum.
The $100 million commitment comes at a time when funding for the arts has been severely curtailed by the financial downturn. The initiative will provide grant funds to support both new projects and the revitalization and expansion of existing arts spaces.
