FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 1, 2023
Daniel Plagens
Humanitas
(310) 454-8769
press@humanitasprize.org
Humanitas Awarded California Arts Council Statewide and Regional Networks Grant
State funds will support Humanitas Prizes, New Voices Fellowship, College Screenwriting Awards, Industry 101 event series, The Writers Room, and Groceries for Writers
Santa Monica, CA – The California Arts Council has announced a grant award of $42,500 to Humanitas (The Human Family Educational and Cultural Institute) as part of its Statewide and Regional Networks program during its 2023 grant cycle.
With support from the California Arts Council, Humanitas will strengthen and expand its state and regional network which consists of the Humanitas Prizes, New Voices Fellowship, College Screenwriting Awards, and Public Programs including Industry 101 event series, The Writers Room, and Groceries for Writers. The network benefits early-to-mid-career writers and partner organizations. Each year, approximately 6,400 people use this network of programs, events, opportunities, to self-educate and network with others.
“We are honored to receive a grant from the California Arts Council’s Statewide and Regional Networks program,” Said Michelle Franke, Humanitas’s Executive Director. “These funds will allow us to further our work with writers through our network of programs and events. We are eternally grateful for the encouragement and support, and excited to be part of a program involving so many other great organizations that we admire.”
Humanitas was featured as part of a larger announcement from the California Arts Council, with more than 850 grant awards totaling more than $32.75 million in projected funding projected investments for operational and project support to nonprofit organizations and units of government throughout the state of California.
The nearly $33 million in awards for the 2023 grant cycle sets a new record for the state arts agency’s investment in California’s arts and culture workforce via permanent state and federal allocations for local assistance funds, upwards of $2.8 million more than its last record-setting year in 2020.
“In this last year, the California Arts Council has been working diligently to listen to our field, to be responsive to the moment, and to do our best to make our investments strategic and equitable,” said California Arts Council Executive Director Jonathan Moscone. “I am proud that we are able to disperse more than 850 grants throughout the state so that the arts can continue to have a deep and positive impact on the vast and diverse communities of California.”
Organizations were awarded grants across six different program areas designed to benefit the whole of California’s arts and culture ecosystem, with focused considerations for first-time applicants, small and mid-size arts and organizations, folk and traditional art forms, county local arts agencies and arts service organizations, and opportunities with deep investment for both general operating and project-based support.
Read the full announcement by the California Arts Council for more details and to view a complete listing of all 2023 CAC grantees by county, alphabetically by organization, and by program.
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About Humanitas
Since 1974, Humanitas has honored and empowered television and film writers whose work explores the human condition in a nuanced, meaningful way. Humanitas distinguishes itself among other artistic organizations by celebrating stories that explore the human experience, because we believe that the act of acknowledging our common humanity is transformational.
For more information on Humanitas and its suite of programs, connect with Humanitas at www.humanitasprize.org or on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Media Contact:
Daniel Plagens, Humanitas Program Manager
daniel.plagens@humanitasprize.org
press@humanitasprize.org
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CAC Media Inquiries Only:
Kimberly Brown
California Arts Council
Public Affairs Specialist
kimberly.brown@arts.ca.gov
The California Arts Council is a state agency with a mission of strengthening arts, culture, and creative expression as the tools to cultivate a better California for all. It supports local arts infrastructure and programming statewide through grants, initiatives, and services. The California Arts Council envisions a California where all people flourish with universal access to and participation in the arts.
Members of the California Arts Council include: Consuelo Montoya, Chair; Vicki Estrada, Vice Chair; Gerald Clarke; Caleb Duarte; Ellen Gavin; Leah Goodwin; Alex Israel; Phil Mercado; Roxanne Messina Captor; Nicola Miner; and Olivia Raynor. Learn more at www.arts.ca.gov.
The California Arts Council is committed to increasing the accessibility of its online content. For language and accessibility assistance, visit https://arts.ca.gov/about/about-us/language-communications-assistance.