The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has announced $50.2 million in grants to be distributed to 777 agencies, art groups and other organizations nationwide in the final round of fiscal year 2000 funding.

The grants -- going to national, regional, state and local recipients -- also represent the majority of the NEA's planned giving for this year. The agency distributed grants worth nearly $20 million in 820 separate awards earlier this year.

The biggest chunk of money ($33.3 million) went to state and regional arts agencies in the form of partnership agreements to "broaden access to the arts in all states," the NEA reports. Federal mandates require the NEA to provide 40 percent of its grants to these groups.

Access programs will receive $4.4 million in grants, education programs will get $6.2 million, and heritage and preservation efforts will receive a total $3.8 million.

Another $2.5 million will go to "leadership initiatives" for such things as "significant national projects in arts education," the agency reports.

The NEA has given more than 1,600 grants worth more than $73 million this fiscal year, slightly below 1999's level. President Bill Clinton has proposed significantly boosting the agency's funding as part of his proposed fiscal year 2001 budget.

The full version of this release can be found at:
http://www.arts.gov/endownews/news00/Announce4-19.html