Palm Beach Opera Awarded $50,000 from National Endowment for the Arts

Palm Beach Opera is selected as one of Palm Beach County's nonprofit arts organizations to receive $50,000 in Coronavirus relief funding from National Endowment for the Arts.

Funded through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, the NEA grant will help Palm Beach Opera support staff salaries, pay for artist and facilities fees, and offset the lost revenue due to the cancellation of programming during the pandemic.

"Palm Beach Opera has been a member of this community for nearly 60 years, and we are immensely grateful to receive this grant and proud to be recognized as a vital arts organization in Palm Beach County during this critical time of need," said General Director David Walker. "While we are a financially stable organization, with yearly surpluses and supporter growth season after season, the cancellation of our opera in March due to the pandemic presented us with unprecedented financial challenges. This grant from the NEA, matched with the crucial support from our community, will help ensure that Palm Beach Opera's important work will go on."

The NEA's one-time grants are provided directly to nonprofit arts organizations across the country in an effort to curb the financial hardship caused by the Coronavirus pandemic. More than 3,000 applications were submitted for the less than 900 available NEA grants.

Palm Beach Opera is dedicated to producing live opera at an international standard of excellence, to enriching the life of the communities it serves with a diverse offering of educational programs, and to training the next generation of opera stars. Founded in 1961, the fully professional Palm Beach Opera presents main stage performances at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach and is a proud member of OPERA America and the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County.