National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Acting Chairman Joan Shigekawa announced today that the International Documentary Association is one of 817 nonprofit organizations nationwide to receive an NEA Art Works grant. The IDA is recommended for a $30,000 grant to support a new distinct online-home for Documentary magazine.
The NEA funds will be used to create a website that contains current issues of the print magazine, as well as an archive of 30 years of back issues. The funding will also help the IDA offer the magazine’s content on mobile and tablet devices, including the iPad.
Acting Chairman Shigekawa said, "The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support these exciting and diverse arts projects that will take place throughout the United States. Whether it is through a focus on education, engagement, or innovation, these projects all contribute to vibrant communities and memorable opportunities for the public to engage with the arts."
"Having an online home for Documentary will allow the IDA to better serve the documentary film community, as well as to preserve 30 years of information that has influenced as well as recorded the history of documentary filmmaking," explains Michael Lumpkin, IDA's Executive Director. "We are extremely honored to be recommended for NEA funding, and beyond thrilled to have the opportunity to better serve our community."
In August 2012, the NEA received 1,547 eligible applications for Art Works grants requesting more than $80 million in funding. Art Works grants support the creation of art that meets the highest standards of excellence, public engagement with diverse and excellent art, lifelong learning in the arts, and the strengthening of communities through the arts. The 817 recommended NEA grants total $26.3 million and span 13 artistic disciplines and fields. Applications were reviewed by panels of outside experts convened by NEA staff and each project was judged on its artistic excellence and artistic merit.
For a complete listing of projects recommended for Art Works grant support, please visit the NEA website at arts.gov.
Documentary magazine has been in print since the IDA was founded in 1982 and delivers up-to-date, relevant content about the documentary film industry. Documentary is the leading authority on all things documentary – with a particular focus on the business of making documentary films. The publication currently prints quarterly with an average readership of over 15,000 for each issue.