Milagro Receives $25,000 in Grants to Support Original Programming, Community Engagement

Miracle Theatre Group (dba Milagro), the Northwest's premier Latino arts and culture organization, was recently awarded 3 grants totaling $25,000 in support of creative community engagement efforts, 2013-2014 season touring production Cuéntame Coyote, and general operating support and technical assistance.

"What I really enjoy at Miracle Theatre is the experience of immersion in Latino language, culture, and art, the juxtaposition of dramatic art with visual art, music and dance, and meaningful outreach to the entire community." - Ronni Lacroute, Milagro donor & audience member.

The largest award comes from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), which approved a $15,000 grant to support Milagro's production of Ardiente Paciencia, by Chilean playwright Antonio Skarmeta, which interweaves poetry, political history, and the life of Pablo Neruda during the Pinochet military regime. The National Endowment for the Arts was established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. To date, the NEA has awarded more than $4 billion to support artistic excellence, creativity, and innovation for the benefit of individuals and communities. The NEA extends its work through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector. For more information, visit www.arts.gov.

The Ford Family Foundation awarded Milagro a $5,000 grant to support arts education programming and a special production of Cuéntame Coyote, Milagro's 2013-2014 touring play, about two cousins are abandoned in the desert, crossing the border with a "Coyote". The Ford Family Foundation grant supports a bilingual arts education UNIDAD residency in Baker City, Oregon. The Ford Family Foundation funds public charities and governmental entities that predominately benefit small communities in rural Oregon and Siskiyou County, California, with grants that work at many strategic levels in rural communities - from emergency needs to systemic change. Started in 1957, the Foundation now manages large, internal initiatives and makes grants to public charities predominantly benefiting communities in rural Oregon and Siskiyou County, California. For more information, visit www.tfff.org.

Milagro also received a grant in the amount of $5,000 from the Bloomfield Family Foundation to support Milagro's arts education programming. Since the early 2000s, the Bloomfields have run the Bloomfield Family Foundation, which supports artistic and intellectual pursuits in communities that are not traditionally well served, plus innovation in education and breakthroughs in medical research, especially neurological research. For more information, visit http://501c3lookup.org/bloomfield_family_foundation/.

ABOUT MILAGRO: For nearly 30 years, Milagro has been dedicated to bringing the vibrancy of Latino theatre, culture and arts education to audiences in the Pacific Northwest and across the country. We provide a home for artists and audiences seeking authentic, Latino cultural experiences. For more information about Milagro, visit www.milagro.org or call 503-236-7253.

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