NEA Grant List
Generous Grants for Mariachi Programs
Below is a listing of some recent grants by the National Endowment for the Arts to Mariachi programs throughout the nation. For full list of grant recipients and more information on how to apply for grants like these, visit the National Endowment for the Arts Web site. For additional Financial Aid ideas, visit the MENC Web site.
2006 Grant Awards: Access to Artistic Excellence
Folk and Traditional Arts
La Frontera Mariachi Conference, Inc.
Tucson, AZ
$10,000
To support the Tucson International Mariachi Conference. The conference will consist of workshops in mariachi music and ballet folklorico dance, music and dance concerts, and a festival with performances, traditional foods, and traditional arts and crafts.
Radio Bilingue, Inc.
Fresno, CA
$40,000
To support !Viva el Mariachi! Festival. The festival will showcase local, national, and international mariachi groups while also providing workshops with master musicians and "open mic" performance opportunities for youth and community members.
Sprinkle Art, Inc. (aka Kennedy Center Imagination Celebration)
Colorado Springs, CO
$15,000
CATEGORY: Access to Artistic Excellence FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Folk and Traditional Arts
To support the Mariachi Connections Program. Workshops for young people and adults will be taught by mariachi professionals on the history, musical techniques, theory, and cultural relationship of mariachi music.
FY 2006 Grant Awards: Access to Artistic Excellence
Learning in the Arts for Children & Youth
City of San Fernando, California
San Fernando, CA
$40,000
To support the Mariachi Master Apprentice Program. Evening mariachi classes for youth will culminate in a concert performance and mariachi conference. Classes include instruction in violin, guitarrón, vihuela, trumpet, and folk harp playing techniques.
Nogales Unified School District #1
Nogales, AZ
$10,000
To support Mariachi Apache, the Nogales High School Mariachi Program. Local mariachi, Gilbert Velez will teach mariachi classes in three levels of proficiency to students in 9th to 12th grade, and take ensembles to mariachi festivals and community events.
2006 Grant Awards: Access to Artistic Excellence - Theatre
East Los Angeles Classic Theatre (aka ECT)
Los Angeles, CA
$25,000
To support the Literary Engagement Performance Tour. The tour will bring a Shakespeare classic performed in a "Zoot Suit" style or mariachi adaptation to schools and community venues.
FY 2006 Grant Awards: Access to Artistic Excellence
Music
East Texas Symphony Orchestra Association
Tyler, TX
$10,000
CATEGORY: Access to Artistic Excellence FIELD/DISCIPLINE: Music
To support a performance of Pasion Mexicana, a concerto for mariachi and orchestra by composers Jeff Nevin and Jose Hernandez. Educational activities will include a mariachi composition workshop for college students and a mariachi music curriculum for middle school students.
FY 2005 Grant Awards: Access to Artistic Excellence
Folk and Traditional Arts
Kern County Youth Mariachi Foundation
Bakersfield, CA
$20,000
To support the implementation of a Mariachi Appreciation Program. Young people ages 9 to 18 will attend workshops taught by professionals on the theory, musical technique, history, and culture associated with this Mexican musical tradition.
Radio Bilingue, Inc.
Fresno, CA
$35,000
To support the Viva El Mariachi Festival. The festival showcases local, national, and international mariachi groups as well as workshops for youth and community members where mariachi masters can share their musical heritage.
FY 2005 Grant Awards: Access to Artistic Excellence
Learning in the Arts for Children & Youth
City of San Fernando, California
San Fernando, CA
$25,000
To support the Mariachi Master Apprentice Program. Evening mariachi classes for youth will culminate in a concert performance and mariachi conference. Professional mariachi musicians (including National Heritage Fellow Natividad Cano) will serve as instructors and evaluate the progress of the apprentices in violin, guitar, guitarrón, vihuela, trumpet, and folk harp playing techniques.
FY 2005 Grant Awards: Challenge America Fast-Track Review Grants
Birmingham International Festival
Birmingham, AL
$10,000
To support school performances by the Mariachi Tequila Band and the Grupo Folklorico Dancers. Artists will perform and then meet with K-12 students, including those of Mexican descent, to explain traditional instruments, dance, songs, and poetry.