State and foundations distribute funds
New York State Council on the Arts
The New York State Council on the Arts recently announced more than $300,000 in grants for arts organizations in the Highlands.
The money is part of $45 million being given to 1,200 organizations and 426 artists, the state said.
Local recipients include the Garrison Art Center ($30,000); Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival ($40,000), Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art in Peekskill ($25,000), Manitoga ($30,000), Paramount Hudson Valley in Peekskill ($59,500), Philipstown Depot Theatre ($40,000), Putnam Arts Council ($37,750) and Storm King Art Center in New Windsor ($49,500).
Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley
The Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley this week announced it has awarded more than $130,000 to nonprofits in Dutchess, Putnam and Ulster counties.
In the Beacon area, the grantees were Common Ground Farm, Fareground Community Kitchen and the Howland Chamber Music Circle. In Philipstown, they were the Ecological Citizen’s Project, Garrison Art Center, Manitoga, Philipstown Behavioral Health Hub and Putnam History Museum.
Foundation for Beacon Schools
The Foundation for Beacon Schools announced a series of grants to benefit educators in the school district.
The projects funded include a visit to the Norwalk Aquarium by earth science students at Beacon High School; a Creative Strings Little Learners pilot project at J.V. Forrestal Elementary; an engineering program at Legoland and a visit to the Hudson River Museum and Planetarium for Sargent Elementary; and Jump Rope Across America!, seining the Hudson River scientific research and a visit to Common Ground Farm and a classroom chef for South Avenue Elementary.
In addition, the foundation awarded a RoseMarie Mastrocola grant for special education, named for the late grandmother of two Beacon elementary school students who was a special education teacher. The grant will be used to create communication boards, which are tools to help nonverbal and neuro-diverse students to communicate with friends, at all four elementary schools.
