The New England Center for Circus Arts is pleased to announce it has been approved by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) for a Grants for Arts Projects award of $15,000.

This grant will support the culminating Circus Springboard tour devised by guest director, Neva Cockrell and year-3 students from our professional training ProTrack program.  In total, the NEA will award 958 Grants for Arts Projects awards totaling more than $27.1 million that were announced as part of its first round of fiscal year 2024 grants.

“The NEA is delighted to announce this grant to the New England Center for Circus Arts, which is helping contribute to the strength and well-being of the arts sector and local community,” said National Endowment for the Arts Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. “We are pleased to be able to support this community and help create an environment where all people have the opportunity to live artful lives.”

“We are so grateful to receive this support from the NEA towards the next generation of American Circus from our ProTrack Program. National support of Circus Arts is essential to the sustainability of this unique art form that blends athleticism with artistry.” said NECCA’s Executive Director Jenna Struble. “Moreover, funding ensures that circus arts can be accessible to everyone to experience in the audience or as a practitioner.”

About NECCA’s Circus Springboard: Launching creative work in American Contemporary Circus for rural New England supports emerging circus artists by fostering skills on tour. The annual show embraces innovation and tours rural theaters in May 2024, with a focus on accessibility for school and family audiences. The tour includes residencies at Lake Placid Center for the Arts (NY), Highland Center for the Arts (VT), Claremont Opera House (NH), Redfern Theater at Keene University (NH), NECCA (VT), and potential locations like the Abby Theater at Eagle Hill (MA).

For more information on other projects included in the NEA’s grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.