Community Partnership Grants 2021-2022 Announcement

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation Awards $1.2 Million in Community Partnership Grants for 2021-2022

NEW ORLEANS (January 13, 2022) —The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation is pleased to announce the 2021-2022 Community Partnership grant recipients, on view now at communitypartnershipgrants.org

Since 1979, the the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation has invested proceeds from the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival presented by Shell directly into the community with grants to fund projects that support the foundation’s mission. Over the last ten years, more than $10 million has been awarded in Community Partnership Grants.

Arts education programs (in-school and after-school), presenting organizations, and individual artists with media or documentation projects related to the Foundation’s mission have been awarded more than $1.2 million dollars.

“There are so many groups working hard to support the culture of Louisiana, and we are honored to be able to assist them in a direct and meaningful way through our Community Partnership Grants,” said Don Marshall, Executive Director of the Jazz & Heritage Foundation. “These are truly your Jazz Fest dollars at work.” 

For the 2021-2022 grant cycle, grants were awarded in five categories:

• Jazz & Heritage Presenting grants, awarded to Louisiana-based non-profit arts organizations that present festivals and other cultural events and hire local performers 
• Media & Documentation grants, for artists and others who create new artistic works or otherwise document the local culture 
• Education In-School grants for schools providing music and art classes as part of the school day 
• Education After-School grants for non-profits that present after-school and summer educational programs in the arts 
• Louisiana Cultural Equity Arts grants, awarded to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) creatives and BIPOC-led nonprofit organizations in Louisiana

In total, 93% of the grants were funded.

The applications are reviewed and scored by committees made up of members of the Jazz & Heritage Foundation’s Board of Directors and Advisory Council. The applications are then ranked by score. Those with the highest scores are awarded the largest percentage of the amount they requested.

“The Donald Harrison, Sr. Museum is a small community based one. The continuous support of the Jazz & Heritage Festival Foundation has been immeasurable in the museum’s ability to document, preserve, and present the indigenous cultural expressions of New Orleans to diverse audiences,” said Big Queen Cherice Harrison-Nelson, a recipient of a 2021-2022 Community Partnership Grant, “We are most grateful for the funding of projects and programs that serve elders and children. Additionally, the application and reporting process are obviously designed to be inclusive and not burdensome to organizations and individuals who are from and work in communities that birth and nurture the unique cultural expressions that make New Orleans, New Orleans.”

The announcement of the completion for this grant cycle marks two years since the addition of the Foundation’s Louisiana Cultural Equity Arts grant. This grant category is open to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) creatives and BIPOC-led nonprofit organizations in Louisiana. The creation of this grant category is part of a larger effort by the Foundation to address structural and to elevate, amplify, and support the art of BIPOC creatives and communities. 

By investing so much into the community, and making a concerted effort to nurture local artists and organizations, the Foundation is creating an environment in which arts and education projects can succeed over the long term, especially in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida and ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Complete lists of the 2021-2022 grant recipients in each category are online at communitypartnershipgrants.org

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage & Heritage Foundation is the non-profit that owns the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival presented by Shell. The Foundation uses the proceeds from Jazz Fest – and other raised funds – for year-round programs in education, economic development and cultural enrichment. For more on the Foundation’s activities, see jazzandheritage.org