Kauffman Center To Receive National Endowment For The Arts Grant

National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Jane Chu has approved more than $25 million in grants as part of the NEA's first major funding announcement for fiscal year 2018. Included in this announcement is an Art Works grant of $25,000 to the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. This award is the largest NEA grant awarded to the Kauffman Center in support of Future Stages Festival. The festival is a free community event that provides opportunities for future artists to take center stage at the Kauffman Center. The Art Works category is the NEA's 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.

"It 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 Kauffman Center of Performing Arts, 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," said NEA Chairman Jane Chu. "At the National Endowment for the Arts, we believe that all people should have access to the joy, opportunities and connections the arts bring."

"We deeply appreciate this NEA grant, which provides a stamp of approval for the Kauffman Center's work in our community. The National Endowment for the Arts' support for Future Stages Festival is especially welcome, as it helps us to provide an opportunity for 800 youth to perform on our stages and attracts more than 5,000 audience members to the festival which is free for the community. The event is a true celebration of the performing arts," said Paul Schofer, President and CEO for the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.

The fifth Future Stages Festival will be held at the Kauffman Center from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, June 10, 2018. The free, one-day festival invites youth and families to experience a diverse range of performances and arts activities. Future Stages Festival, an extension of the Kauffman Center's Open Doors Spotlight on Youth program, also provides opportunities for youth and community arts organizations to perform on stage at the Kauffman Center. Since the festival began in 2014, more than 2,500 Kansas City-area youth artists from 60 arts organizations have been featured on Kauffman Center stages.

Presented by Saint Luke's Health System, Future Stages Festival is free and open to the public. Attendees are encouraged to register at kauffmancenter.org/futurestages to receive the latest event updates and schedule for performances and activities.

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

ABOUT THE OPEN DOORS PROGRAM

The Kauffman Center Open Doors program connects young people to the arts through three major components:

The Open Doors Spotlight on Youth program inspires and nurtures the next generation of artists by giving young performers the opportunity to perform on the stages of the Kauffman Center.

The Open Doors Community Ticket Fund offers access to programming at the Kauffman Center for youth and families through reduced price or free tickets.

The Open Doors Transportation Fund offers funding to schools in the metropolitan area so that bringing students to the Kauffman Center for school matinee performances is more affordable.

ABOUT THE KAUFFMAN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts - a major center for music, opera, theater, and dance designed by Moshe Safdie - opened in 2011. Serving as a cultural cornerstone for Kansas City and the region, the Kauffman Center delivers extraordinary and diverse performing arts experiences. Honored as one of the World's 15 Most Beautiful Concert Halls, the Kauffman Center attracts some of the world's most renowned performers and entertainers.

Through educational outreach programs and community enrichment, the Kauffman Center supports Kansas City as a cultural destination. More information on the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts is available at www.kauffmancenter.org.

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