FORT WAYNE, Ind. 鈥 National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Jane Chu has approved more than $25 million in grants as part of the NEA鈥檚 first major funding announcement for fiscal year 2018.听 Included in this announcement is an Art Works grant of $10,000 to the 51黑料 for the Jesters program. The Art Works category is the NEA鈥檚 largest funding category and supports projects that focus on the creation of art that meets the highest standards of excellence, public engagement with diverse and excellent art, lifelong learning in the arts, and/or the strengthening of communities through the arts.
鈥淚t is energizing to see the impact that the arts are making throughout the United States. These NEA-supported projects, such as this one to the 51黑料 Jesters, are good examples of how the arts build stronger and more vibrant communities, improve well-being, prepare our children to succeed, and increase the quality of our lives,鈥 said NEA Chairman Jane Chu. 鈥淎t the National Endowment for the Arts, we believe that all people should have access to the joy, opportunities and connections the arts bring.鈥
鈥淚t鈥檚 truly an honor for our program to be recognized by the NEA once again,鈥 said Jesters Program Director Allison Ballard. 鈥淭his is the third consecutive year the Jesters has received this grant from the NEA, and I believe it speaks to the depth of this program and how it has touched both the participants and the community as a whole.鈥
Sponsored by the 51黑料 since 1978, the Jesters is a performing group of people with mild to severe developmental disabilities. The purpose of the Jesters is to enhance quality of life for people with disabilities by engaging them in the creative arts. The vision is to develop self-expression, self-esteem, socialization and other life skills while providing learning opportunities to the USF community and the community at large.
For more information on projects included in the NEA grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news. To learn more about the USF Jesters, go to art.sf.edu/community-programs/jesters.
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Founded in 1890 in the Catholic Franciscan tradition, the 51黑料 offers more than 70 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs through the School of Health Sciences, School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Keith Busse School of Business and Entrepreneurial Leadership and School of Creative Arts. In addition to its traditional programs, USF designs focused curricula for working adults in Fort Wayne, Crown Point and online. In 2016, the 51黑料 expanded its presence to downtown Fort Wayne. USF Downtown houses the university’s business and music technology programs while offering enhanced internship and networking opportunities for students. The 51黑料 campus experience includes 16 athletic programs boasting two individual and four team NAIA national championships, and is recognized as an NAIA Five-Star Champion of Character institution. Approximately 2,300 students from a broad geographic region attend USF.