Ojai Playwrights Conference Receives $10,000 Grant from the NEA

In its first 50 years, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) awarded more than $5 billion in grants to recipients in every state and U.S. jurisdiction, the only arts funder in the nation to do so. Today, the NEA announced awards totaling more than $27.6 million in its first funding round of fiscal year 2016, including an Art Works award of $10,000 to OJAI PLAYWRIGHTS CONFERENCE.

The Art Works category supports the creation of work and presentation of both new and existing work, lifelong learning in the arts, and public engagement with the arts through 13 arts disciplines or fields.

NEA Chairman Jane Chu said, "The arts are part of our everyday lives - no matter who you are or where you live - they have the power to transform individuals, spark economic vibrancy in communities, and transcend the boundaries across diverse sectors of society. Supporting projects like The Ojai Playwrights Conference offers more opportunities to engage in the arts every day."

Comments Ojai Playwrights Conference Artistic Director Robert Egan, "We are extremely grateful to the NEA for this recognition for ongoing excellence in the area of new play development. This grant encourages us to continue to seek out and develop new, diverse theatrical works that speak to the burning social, ethical and political issues of our day - and there are many of them."

To join the Twitter conversation about this announcement, use #NEAFall15. For more information on projects included in the NEA grant announcement, go to arts.gov.