May 18, 2022 (New York, NY)— The Academy of American Poets is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a $70,000 Grant for Arts Projects in the literature category from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). In total, NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson has approved more than $26.6 million in grants as part of the NEA’s second major funding announcement for fiscal year 2022. The grant will provide critical support to Poets.org, Poem-a-Day, National Poetry Month, and the other free programs and publications the organization produces for poets, readers, and educators in all 50 states.
“The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support arts and cultural organizations throughout the nation with these grants, including the Academy of American Poets, providing opportunities for all of us to live artful lives,” said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. “The arts contribute to our individual well-being, the well-being of our communities, and to our local economies. The arts are also crucial to helping us make sense of our circumstances from different perspectives as we emerge from the pandemic and plan for a shared new normal informed by our examined experience.”
“Literature is a key way we learn about one another and begin to imagine and appreciate our differences. I'm deeply grateful to the National Endowment for the Arts for being one of the largest supporters of literary organizations and writers in our country. This continued support will enable our work to publish, share, and archive poems, making the important work of today's poets available to millions of eager readers," said Jennifer Benka, executive director of the Academy of American Poets.
Last year, Poets.org, Poem-a-Day, and National Poetry Month, which the Academy of American Poets originated in 1996 and continues to organize, reached more than tens of millions of readers, made possible by contributions from individuals and public support.
For more information on this National Endowment for the Arts grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.
About the Academy of American Poets
Founded in 1934, the Academy of American Poets is the nation’s leading champion of poets and poetry with supporters in all fifty states. The organization annually awards more funds to individual poets than any other organization through its prize program, giving a total of $1.25 million to more than 200 poets at various stages of their careers. The organization also produces Poets.org, the world’s largest publicly funded website for poets and poetry; established and organizes National Poetry Month each April; publishes the popular Poem-a-Day series and American Poets magazine; provides award-winning resources to K–12 educators, including the Teach This Poem series; hosts an annual series of poetry readings and special events; and coordinates a national Poetry Coalition working to promote the value poets bring to our culture.