Long Beach Opera Receives NEA CARES Act Grant

National Endowment for the Arts has approved Long Beach Opera for direct Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding in the amount of $50,000.

Long Beach Opera is one 855 organizations located in every state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico that will receive a total of $44.5 million in nonmatching funds to support staff salaries, fees for artists or contractual personnel, and facilities costs.

This grant will be used to support Long Beach Opera personnel and facilities costs in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The awardees represent the diverse nature of arts organizations around the country. Overall funding is divided nearly evenly between small, medium, and large arts organizations.

Jennifer Rivera, C.E.O. and Executive Director of Long Beach Opera said, "We are pleased for this endorsement from the NEA as we continue our work to present our 2021 Season of Solidarity beginning January 2021 as planned by our Interim Artistic Advisor Yuval Sharon. Creativity, hope and collaboration - including with our federal, state and local governments -- are now more important than ever."

"These funds could not have come at a better time; artists must continue to create, plan, dream and imagine all the creative scenarios that will once again allow audiences and artists to come together. While LBO is moving forward, we will also have to adapt to whatever environment exists in seven months."

The National Endowment for the Arts received more than 3,100 eligible applications requesting $157 million for the $45 million available in direct assistance. Long Beach Opera, along with the other awardees, represent the diverse nature of arts organizations around the country.

Arts and culture are a key component of the U.S. economy that contribute $877.8 billion, or 4.5 percent, to the nation's gross domestic product in 2017 and employ over 5 million wagea??anda??salary workers who collectively earned $405 billion. This funding will help support those jobs and those nonprofit organizations during this time of great need so that arts and culture will persevere as a significant contributor to the American economy.

In April, the National Endowment for the Arts announced the distribution of the required 40 percent of the CARES Act's $75 million appropriation to the state and regional arts agencies for their granting programs. Each agency has its own process and timeline for awarding those funds, however, the Arts Endowment anticipates that together those entities will make between 4,200 and 5,600 awards.

From the beginning, the Arts Endowment has pursued both speed in making awards, and maintaining the agency's reputation for organizational excellence. Just 12 days after President Trump signed the CARES Act legislation, the Arts Endowment posted guidelines for direct funding applicants. In less than three weeks, the agency had announced awards to state arts agencies and regional arts organizations. This press release marks less than 14 weeks since the legislation was made into law.

Long Beach Opera (LBO) is internationally known for its cutting-edge interpretations of unconventional repertoire. LBO creates immediate, inventive, and often boldly avant-garde productions for an adventurous audience and stands apart from most opera companies in the number of world, American, and West Coast premieres the company has staged. Founded in 1979, it is the oldest professional opera company in the Los Angeles/Orange County region with a performance history of more than 110 operas, ranging from the earliest works of the 17th century to operas of the 21st. LBO's evera??growing repertoire has provided stimulus for the subsequent founding of other local opera companies, catapulting Southern California into the spotlight as a major opera epicenter. LBO is a recognized and respected member of the U. S. cultural community, receiving funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, California Arts Council, the County of Los Angeles, and the City of Long Beach, along with generous support from individual donors, local businesses, public corporations, and private foundations.

About the National Endowment for the Arts. Established by Congress in 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the Arts Endowment supports arts learning, affirms and celebrates America's rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community across America. Visit arts.gov to learn more.

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