The YMCA of Central New York has been approved for a $15,000 Grants for Arts Projects award to support its Downtown Writers Center program. This project will provide support for all of the Downtown Writers Center’s literary arts activities. The YMCA of Central New York’s project is among the more than 1,100 projects across America totaling nearly $27 million that were selected during this second round of Grants for Arts Projects fiscal year 2021 funding.
“As the country and the arts sector begin to imagine returning to a post-pandemic world, the National Endowment for the Arts is proud to announce funding that will help arts organizations such as the YMCA of Central New York’s Arts Branch to reengage fully with partners and audiences,” said NEA Acting Chairman Ann Eilers. “Although the arts have sustained many during the pandemic, the chance to gather with one another and share arts experiences is its own necessity and pleasure.”
“This award from the NEA is a crucial support to us as we strive to provide the CNY region with strong literary arts programming,” said YMCA Arts Branch Executive Director Phil Memmer. “The Downtown Writers Center has been helping residents of our region tell their stories for 20 years, and these funds will support both our current online programs, and our safe return to in-person programming when that is finally possible. They will also provide direct support for our newest program, Numberless Dreams, an online writing workshop for teens with disabilities.”
Founded in 2001, the YMCA’s Downtown Writers Center’s offers an extensive catalog of creative writing workshops for adults of all experience levels, along with a free series of online readings by acclaimed poets and authors, the annual CNY Book Awards, and writing programs for teens.
For more information on the projects included in the Arts Endowment grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.