Friday, February 03, 2006

$2.8 Million Grants for Musicians Affected by Hurricane Katrina

Jazz at Lincoln Center announced today that its Higher Ground Hurricane Relief Fund, administered through the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, has awarded 214 grants totaling $2.8 million for musicians and music industry-related enterprises from the Greater New Orleans area that were affected by Hurricane Katrina.

21 grants of up to $100,000 were awarded to the following nonprofit organizations: Acadiana Arts Council , Arts Council of New Orleans, Contemporary Arts Center, CubaNOLA Collective, Efforts of Grace, Inc., Greater New Orleans Youth Orchestra, Jazz Foundation of America, National Performance Network, New Orleans Arts and Cultural Host, New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, New Orleans Jazz Education Foundation, New Orleans Jazz Orchestra Inc., New Orleans Music Hall of Fame Inc., New Orleans Musicians Clinic, Norman Dixon Sr. Annual Second Line, Ogden Museum of Southern Art, Symphony Chorus of New Orleans, Tipitina's Foundation, Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club Inc., Katrina's Piano Fund Inc.

Grants of up to $15,000 to 193 individuals were also awarded, with priority given to professional jazz musicians who were displaced by the hurricane. Applications for these grants were subject to deadlines. Applications were reviewed by a group of pre-screeners made up of individuals closely involved with the jazz community in New Orleans and by a national panel of jazz experts.

The Higher Ground Hurricane Relief Fund was established following Hurricane Katrina. Funds were raised from ticket sales to a benefit concert produced by Jazz at Lincoln Center that included a live national telethon on PBS/Live From Lincoln Center on September 17. The event included performances by an array of musicians and entertainers and, combined with an online eBay auction, other independent fundraising efforts by individuals and organizations all over the world, raised nearly $3 million for the fund. In addition, proceeds from the Blue Note Records' Higher Ground Concert CD are being directed to the fund.

The Higher Ground Hurricane Relief Fund has received donations from thousands of individuals and organizations from around the world. Some of the broad range of donors include: Jazz All-Stars at New Jersey State Prison; Umbria Jazz Festival, Italy; Guadalajara Jazz Festival, Mexico; festivals throughout Canada; American and Canadian Universities, High Schools, and Elementary Schools; Japanese Embassy; Festival de Jazz de Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain; Rhode Island Hurricane Relief Festival; Turkish Government; Monterey Jazz Festival, California; Twins Jazz Club, Washington, DC; Early Childhood Puppet Theatre, Ltd.

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