City Allocates $7 Million in Funding for The Africa Center's Expansion and Provides Capital Funding for Manhattan Cultural Groups

Yesterday, NYC Cultural Affairs Commissioner Laurie Cumbo joined community and cultural leaders from across Manhattan to announce new capital investments being made in the borough's cultural institutions in the City's Fiscal Year 2024 budget. The announcement was made at The Africa Center, which received $7 million in this year's budget toward its ongoing project to fully build out the Center's headquarters on Fifth Avenue. Opening its entire 25,000 square-foot ground floor space to the public, The Africa Center project will provide permanent infrastructure including HVAC, upgraded elevators, and climate control for spaces that will host exhibitions, performances, conference center, cafe, and other public uses. As part of the last stop on a five-borough tour, Commissioner Cumbo also highlighted new investments for cultural groups across Manhattan, which received support for a wide range of projects as part of the $222 million in citywide cultural capital funding included in this year's City budget. 

“Our investments in cultural institutions are part of a broader strategy to support the people, organizations, and spaces that make New York City thrive,” said Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer. “The cultural infrastructure that this funding will help to create give our residents access to the transformative enrichment and benefits of arts engagement, and foster safer, healthier, more vibrant communities while attracting visitors from around the world. We're proud of our support for The Africa Center and for the many cultural gems that keep Manhattan's cultural community shining brightly.” 

“Culture is at the heart of Manhattan's unparalleled energy and vibrancy, and the City is proud to invest in and partner with arts groups in every corner of the borough to create world-class spaces for programming and community connections,” said Cultural Affairs Commissioner Laurie Cumbo. “With these historic investments from Mayor Adams and our City partners, , we're committed to ensuring that our cultural community can continue to drive our economy, contribute to our overall health and social wellbeing, and provide audiences with access to the greatest arts programming on the globe.” 

"The Africa Center is committed to providing a space for exhibitions, performances, and community gatherings that connect people with the culture of Africa and the diaspora here in New York City," said Uzodinma Iweala, CEO of The Africa Center. "With this new funding from the City, we're so much closer to creating this urgently needed and one-of-a-kind space in the heart of New York, and we're so grateful to Mayor Adams, Commissioner Cumbo, the City Council, and Borough President for investing in our vision." 

This announcement was made as part of the Adams administration's "Working People's Tour" to continue creating accessible opportunities as the city sets a record of 4.7 million jobs and starts a new chapter of its economic recovery. Culture is an essential part of New York's economic vitality, attracting visitors from around the world and creating meaningful jobs for tens of thousands of residents. In 2019, NYC's creative economy generated $110 billion in total econ impact, $30 billion in wages, and employed 300,000 workers. The event at The Africa Center also featured performances by The People's Theatre Project and musicians from the Kaufman Music Center, both of which received new capital funding in the City's FY24 budget. 

The $7 million added for The Africa Center's project in the FY24 budget – including $6.3 million from the Mayor, $400,000 from the City Council, and $250,000 from the Manhattan Borough President - brings the total City investment in the project to date to $11 million and will facilitate the next phase of construction on the organization's Harlem headquarters. The Africa Center is transforming the world's understanding of Africa, its Diaspora, and the role of people of African descent in the world. Serving as the hub for the exchange of ideas related to the continent, and in the spirit of collaboration with individuals and institutions who share our values, The Africa Center inspires enthusiasm, advances thought, and empowers action around Africa's global impact on our collective futures. The Africa Center's physical presence on Fifth Avenue at the intersection of Harlem and the Museum Mile is a location that embodies the dynamism and diversity of Africa and its Diaspora in the heart of New York City. Caples Jefferson Architects was engaged in 2016 to design the facility, responding to The Africa Center's ethos as an experimental, inclusive institution fostering business, policy, and cultural exchange locally and globally. To serve the Center's programming, the New York-based firm designed a receptive, flexible, and expansive structure—its Museum Mile location in East Harlem contextualized architecturally and programmatically. 

In the Fiscal Year 2024 budget adopted this year, the City contributed over $222 million to nearly 80 cultural capital projects across the five boroughs, including $117 million from the Mayor, $79.3 million from the City Council, and $26.5 million from the five borough presidents. These investments in new construction, renovations, equipment purchases, and more will help ensure that NYC will continue to have world-class cultural facilities that are open and accessible to all. A number of projects will also enhance the energy efficiency of cultural facilities, a critical priority as New York City continues to address climate change in NYC with a focus on equity, justice, and public health. The previous stops on DCLA's five-borough tour highlighting FY 2024 capital investments included the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx; the Queens Museum; Sesame Flyers in Brooklyn; and Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden on Staten Island. 

In addition to The Africa Center, Manhattan-based cultural groups that received City capital funding in the FY2024 budget include:

• 9/11 Memorial & Museum for the purchase of a snow melter and forklift; 

• 92nd Street Y for a renovation of their arts center; 

• Afro Latin Jazz Alliance for their new Afro Latin Music and Arts Center in East Harlem. 

• American Ballet Theatre for a lobby expansion and elevator project;

• American Museum of Natural History for a roof restoration project and purchase of AV equipment; 

• Aperture for renovations to its historic landmark building; 

• The Apollo Theater for the comprehensive rehabilitation of its historic building and landmark theater; 

• Dance Theatre of Harlem for an HVAC and boiler upgrade; 

• Downtown Community Television Center for construction of a new screening room; 

• El Museo del Barrio for a renovation project; 

• Kaufman Music Center for an HVAC upgrade; 

• Guggenheim Museum for the renovation of renovation and modernization of the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Peter B. Lewis Theater space; 

• Indiespace for the renovation of a space in Hell's Kitchen into a theater, rehearsal, and co-working space; 

• Irish Arts Center for the next phase of their ongoing renovation project;

• Jazz at Lincoln Center for an intercom upgrade; 

• The Jazz Gallery for the purchase of a Steinway grand piano; 

• The Joyce Theater for their new East Village studio space; 

• Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts for a lighting upgrade to the Revson Fountain; 

• Lucille Lortel Theatre Foundation for lighting equipment and a renovation project to create a new performance and rehearsal studio space;