In March 2006, the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation awarded $27.4 million in cultural enhancement grants to 63 Lower Manhattan arts organizations and projects. The grants are expected to leverage more than $410 million in investments for cultural institutions below Houston Street. The Grants were categorized into four categories capital, events, planning and program.

Capital

Capital projects include new construction — both new buildings and new spaces in existing buildings, expansions into adjoining spaces, renovations and improvements, equipment purchases, and site acquisitions. Recipients of Capital grants are listed below.

• Battery Conservancy - received capital grants from the LMDC for $150,000 to rehabilitated and upgrade its rehearsal spaces. Funding will cover cost associated with design, material and contracting services to complete the rehabilitation of the 1,500 sq foot front dance studio, office space, dressing rooms, and restrooms for rehearsal space. For further information visit: www.thebattery.org
• Church Street School for Music and Art, Inc - received a capital grant from the LMDC for $400,000 for the initial build out of space at 72 Warren Street, adjacent to its current facility at 74 Warren Street. Funding will funds will support site preparation and installation of pre-fabricated soundproof modular classrooms in 2,700 square feet of below grade space, which will allow the school to build out the space quickly and efficiently. For further information visit: www.churchstreetschool.org
• Downtown Community Television Center - received a capital grant from the LMDC for $800,000 that will assist Downtown Community Television Center (DCTV) in the build-out of sub-grade space in its current location at 87 Lafayette Street to create a screening room for documentary films and additional program space, including edit suites, classroom and workshop areas. LMDC will fund professional fees (project management, architectural, engineering) and construction costs. For further information visit: www.dctvny.org
• Educational Alliance - received a capital grant from the LMDC for $400,000 for a new art facilities. LMDC funds will be allocated to soft costs, including architecture and owner’s representation. For further information visit: www.edalliance.org
• Eldridge Street Project - received a capital grant from the LMDC for $750,000 that will assist the Eldridge Street Project with the rehabilitation of the Eldridge Street Synagogue, a National Historic Landmark, located on the Lower East Side. Eldridge Street Project is engaged in a multi-year preservation and restoration of its historic structure as a public facility. LMDC funds will help complete three phases of restoration, including improving accessibility, upgrading building systems and restoring the historic interiors. For further information visit: www.eldridgestreet.org
• Flea Theater - received a capital grant from the LMDC for $500,000, the Flea Theater will renovate its two theaters and administrative space, and expand its facility. LMDC funds will support professional fees, including architect, mechanical and structural engineers, code consultant, designers and a project manager for the renovation. For further information visit: www.theflea.org
  
  
  
• Fraunces Tavern Museum - received a capital grant from the LMDC for $55,000 will assist Fraunces Tavern Museum at 54 Pearl Street with planning services related to its HVAC system. LMDC funds will support the hiring of a project manager and a mechanical engineer as well as implementation of short-term HVAC remediation measures. For further information visit: www.frauncestavernmuseum.org
• Judd Foundation - received a capital grant from the LMDC for $250,000 will support the installation of an innovative fire safety system to provide safe public access to 101 Spring Street, a five-story 19th-century landmark building in SoHo’s historic cast-iron district that contains the extensive collection and former studio of 20th-century artist, writer and designer Donald Judd. For further information visit: www.juddfoundation.org
• Lower East Side Tenement Museum - received a capital grant from the LMDC for $1,000,000 will assist the Lower East Side Tenement Museum, at 97 Orchard Street, with planning for three new exhibitions, An Irish Family in America, Schneider’s Saloon and Courtyard. Funds will support staff and consultants to research, plan and design each exhibition, advertising and promotional materials, supplies and equipment, and audit and insurance fees. For further information visit: www.tenement.org
• Manhattan Youth Recreation & Resources - received a capital grant from the LMDC for $400,000 will support the construction of arts and cultural activity spaces in Manhattan Youth’s new 28,000 square foot community center. The community center is currently under construction in the first four floors of a residential development at Warren and West Streets. It will be the first community center in Lower Manhattan when it opens in 2007. For further information visit: www.manhattanyouth.org
  
  
  
• National Museum of the American Indian - received a capital grant from the LMDC for $1,500,000 will assist the National Museum of the American Indian, George Gustav Heye Center, with two major capital projects, including the Diker Pavilion for Native Arts and Culture and the installation of the permanent collection in the Rotunda Gallery. For each of these projects, LMDC funds will assist in the construction and installation of state-of-the-art, permanent casework to house museum artifacts. For further information visit: www.nmai.si.edu/subpage.cfm?subpage=visitor&second=ny&third=hours
• National Parks of New York Harbor Conservancy - received a capital grant from the LMDC for $1,500,000 will assist the National Parks of New York Harbor Conservancy, with the rehabilitation of Federal Hall National Memorial. LMDC funds will support the renovation of parts of the main floor and lower level at Federal Hall for the National Archives Vaults of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) as a public facility. For further information visit: www.nps.gov/feha/
• New York Chinese Cultural Center Inc - received a capital grant from the LMDC for $150,000 will support the renovation and reconfiguration of New York Chinese Cultural Center, Inc.’s (NYCCC) teaching and performing arts space at 390 Broadway in Chinatown. Funding will cover costs associated with materials and contracting services to renovate and reconfigure approximately 1,000 square feet of the 4,500-square-foot arts space located on the 2nd floor of the facility. For further information visit: www.chinesedance.org
  
  
  
• New York City Police Museum - received a capital grant from the LMDC for $300,000 will assist the New York City Police Museum with the rehabilitation of its heating, circulation and cooling systems. LMDC funds will be used to replace the cooling tower. These essential repairs will help provide an appropriate environment for the museum’s collection and visitors. For further information visit: www.nycpolicemuseum.org
• Open Channels NY dba Dixon Place - received a capital grant from the LMDC for $500,000 will enable Open Channels dba Dixon Place to complete the construction and fit out of its new, state-of-the-art theater. The theater will include two flexible performance spaces, a rehearsal studio, a community space, and lounge. For further information visit: www.dixonplace.org
• Pace University Center for Cultural Affairs - received a capital grant from the LMDC for $500,000 will assist Pace University with renovations of the theater at the Schimmel Center for the Arts at 1 Pace Plaza. These renovations will improve public access, including ADA accessibility and assistive listening. For further information visit: appserv.pace.edu/execute/home_culture.cfm
• Society of the Educational Arts - received a capital grant from the LMDC for $200,000 will help support Society of the Educational Arts, Inc. (SEA) in equipping its current theater or—potentially—a larger theater within its current home at the Clemente Soto Velez Educational & Cultural Center on the Lower East Side. Funds will support improved lighting, sound, seats, curtain, ticket booth and other equipment. For further information visit: www.teatrosea.org
• WNYC Radio - received a capital grant from the LMDC for $1,500,000 to support WNYC’s relocation of its office and broadcast facilities to 10 Hudson Square in Soho. The new public space at the WNYC facility will be Lower Manhattan’s only street level broadcasting and community performance space. The 150-seat studio will host live performances and its glass exterior walls will join downtown street life with the events within. For further information visit: www.wnyc.org

Events

Allocations in this area support a variety of festivals and performances that serve Lower Manhattan residents, workers, and visitors. These events are free or low cost and attract diverse audiences. In many cases, the LMDC will provide multi-year support, to secure the role the festivals play in Lower Manhattan revitalization. The LMDC will work with other downtown organizations on the promotion of these festivals as a season of Lower Manhattan festivals.

• Alliance for Downtown NY - received an event grant from the LMDC for $1,000,000. LMDC funds will cover four years (2006-09) of the Downtown Alliance’s River to River Festival‘s “Arts on the Horizon” series, which focuses on cultural institutions receiving LMDC support. This series of free events was founded in 2005 with LMDC funding the Festival to highlight the Joyce Theater Foundation, Signature Theatre Company, and the Drawing Center as they prepare to move to Lower Manhattan. The $1 million CEF grant will provide funding for “Arts on the Horizon” at various levels, from 2006 to 2009. For further information visit: www.downtownny.com
• Bang on a Can - received an event grant from the LMDC for $240,000 will partially support three years (2007-09) of Bang on a Can’s “The Bang on a Can Marathon,” an acclaimed day-long festival of contemporary music that introduces New York and visiting audiences to the work of over fifty artists from around the world each year. For further information visit: www.bangonacan.org
• Battery Park City Parks Conservancy - received an event grant from the LMDC for $42,000 LMDC funds of $42,000 will partially support four years (2006-09) of Battery Park City Parks Conservancy’s Harmony on the Hudson, a free one-day festival of music, art, and food for families held in Battery Park City. The Festival, which takes place each autumn, features an afternoon of performances, games for children, a family art project, face painting, and refreshments from downtown restaurant vendors. For further information visit: www.bpcparks.org
• Tribeca Film Institute - received an event grant from the LMDC for $600,000 for four years of programming, the Tribeca Film Festival will mount its “Drive In” series, free and open to the public. The Tribeca Drive-In will be a three-day event at the World Financial Center’s North Cove behind the Winter Garden. For further information visit: www.tribecafilmfestival.org
• Wall Street Rising Corp - received an event grant from the LMDC for $200,000 would partially support two years (2007 and 2009) of Wall Street Rising’s Music Downtown, a free festival consisting of a week-long concert series for Lower Manhattan workers, residents, and visitors. Set in a major performance venue in Lower Manhattan, Music Downtown features five to seven concerts by major recording artists; five to seven associated activities, including performances in small downtown venues by emerging artists and a promotional program for area restaurants. For further information visit: www.wallstreetrising.org

Planning

The LMDC is supporting a number of cultural organizations seeking a new home in Lower Manhattan as well as several organizations who are in the early stages of a major expansion or full renovation. The LMDC funds will assist these organizations with site search, project management, business plan development, and pre-design activities.

• Architectural League of New York - received a planning grant from the LMDC for $100,000 to assist the Architectural League of New York in re-locating its organizational home to Lower Manhattan. The organization will undertake the initial steps for locating, securing, and renovating approximately 4,000 square feet of program and office space. The Architectural League will use the space to present exhibitions and lecture programs, as well as to administer its overall program. For further information visit: www.archleague.org
• Artists Space - received a planning grant from the LMDC for $100,000 to help the organization plan its relocation in Lower Manhattan. With LMDC funds, Artists Space will hire a consultant project manager to provide strategic planning for the proposed relocation. The consultant will review existing documents and work with staff and the board of trustees to produce several documents including a strategic plan, feasibility study, list of potential partners, property offering guidelines and preliminary space renderings and/or “test fits.” The consultant will also maintain contacts with potential institutional partners, city officials, real estate developers, and real estate agents. For further information visit: www.artistsspace.org
• Asian Americans for Equality - received a planning grant from the LMDC for $140,000 Asian Americans for Equality, Inc. (AAFE) will lead a partnership of organizations in the second phase of planning and pre-design efforts to create a performance and visual arts center in Chinatown with a theater, galleries, rehearsal studios and artistic studios. Phase II of the proposed Chinatown Asian American Arts and Cultural Center will focus on organizational structure; continued site research—including financial and architectural analysis of potential sites; potential site selection; and marketing materials. For further information visit: www.aafe.org
• Children’s Museum of the Arts - received a planning grant from the LMDC for $100,000 will assist the Children’s Museum of the Arts (CMA) in positioning itself to relocate to a new space in Lower Manhattan that would allow for increased visitorship to approximately 100,000. CMA seeks to move from a 4,200 square foot space to a centrally-located 12,000 square foot space in the coming 36 months. This move will allow the respected downtown institution to serve a greater number and broader range of children with its unique programming. For further information visit: www.cmany.org
• City Lore - received a planning grant from the LMDC for $100,000, City Lore will lead a consortium of organizations in a joint capital planning project to create the Center for Art, Tradition, and Cultural Heritage (CATCH), a major new arts center in Lower Manhattan dedicated to New York City’s Living Cultural Heritage. For further information visit: www.citylore.org
• Exhibitions International - received a planning grant from the LMDC for $100,000 to assist Exhibitions International in developing the Museum of Industrial Design in the Financial District. With LMDC funds, Exhibitions International will contract an institutional consultant to develop a strategic plan for the Museum of Industrial Design and provide associated collateral materials. For further information visit: www.ei-ny.org
• Harvestworks - received a planning grant from the LMDC for $220,000 will support phase 2 of planning will comprehensively address the physical property, financial and organizational aspects of the capital project and position the partnership for site selection and a capital campaign. For further information visit: www.harvestworks.org
• International Studio & Curatorial Program - received a planning grant from the LMDC for $173,000 will support planning efforts for a multiple-use artist-centered space, the Downtown Center for the Arts, proposed for Lower Manhattan. Created by a consortium of six nonprofit arts institutions the Downtown Center for the Arts would provide studios, offices, classrooms, library resources and exhibition, performance and showcase space for established and emerging arts groups and arts across multiple disciplines. For further information visit: www.iscp-nyc.org
• Moving Image - received a planning grant from the LMDC for $100,000 will assist with planning efforts related to this new facility, including consultant fees for mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) engineering, code compliance, historic preservation and project management as well as code filing fees. For further information visit: www.filmforum.org
  
  
  
• Museum of Chinese in the Americas - received a planning grant from the LMDC for $200,000 which will assist the Museum of Chinese in the Americas (MoCA) with planning and programming services related to its current capital expansion at 215 Centre Street. LMDC funds will support funding for key permanent staff members and consultants to prepare and sustain MoCA during the transition from its current space to its new home. For further information visit: www.moca-nyc.org
• Roulette Intermedium - received a planning grant from the LMDC for $80,000 to assist the organization in relocating to a new home in Lower Manhattan. Roulette will conduct an extensive study of the programmatic, organizational structure, financial, and physical factors contingent on a planned purchase/lease of a Lower Manhattan site which will allow increased programming, larger audience attendance, and improved services to artists and the public. For further information visit: www.roulette.org
• Soho Repertory Theatre - received a planning grant from the LMDC for $100,000 which will enable the organization to plan for a substantial renovation to its existing theater or to relocate to a new location. With LMDC support, Soho Rep will engage a project manager to evaluate its current facility, analyze whether to renovate or relocate, plan for either activity, select and manage an architect, and select and manage a real estate consultant. In addition, Soho Rep will engage a consultant to work with the organization to expand its board of directors in number and capacity. For further information visit: www.sohorep.org

Program

Program allocations support organizations providing educational programs, presenting exhibitions, and developing promotional materials and initiatives.

• Alliance for the Arts - received a program grant from the LMDC for $200,000, the Alliance for the Arts will create and distribute foreign language versions of its guide on cultural life in Lower Manhattan in print and online. LMDC will fund Spanish, Chinese and Japanese versions of the print guide. Funds will also support online availability of this information in these languages and in English. The guides will contain information about nonprofit cultural organizations, arts-related businesses, special programs and events and major landmarks and historic attractions below Houston Street. For further information visit: www.allianceforarts.org
• Asian American Arts Center - received a program grant from the LMDC for $135,000 will support the Asian American Arts Centre (AAAC) in creating the infrastructure to digitize and increase public access to its Asian American Artist Slide Archive. This digital platform will enable AAAC to broaden its operations from a presentation and exhibition-based organization to a major resource center, broadening its clientele and attracting researchers, curators, students and educators. For further information visit: www.artspiral.org/
• CITYarts - received a program grant from the LMDC for $20,000 which will allow CITYarts to create a mural on the Lower East Side as a community development program. For further information visit: www.cityarts.org
• CultureNOW - received a program grant from the LMDC for $50,000 which will produce an updated version (5th edition) of the DowntownNOW map and website. A vital resource providing updated, in-depth information, the DowntownNOW map has become a snapshot of how the area has been transformed since 9/11. For further information visit: www.culturenow.org
• Exploring the Metropolis - received a program grant from the LMDC for $25,000 will aid in the development and management of the Lower Manhattan portion of the NYC Theater Places website. NYC Theatre Places will be a valuable theater community resource for performing artists and facilities. For further information visit: www.xtmnyc.org
• Project Rebirth - received a program grant from the LMDC for $1,000,000 which will support four years (2006-09) of funding for Project Rebirth’s ongoing effort to document the reconstruction of the World Trade Center site through time-lapse photography and regular filming on site and the experiences of individuals directly affected by the events of September 11th through periodic filmed interviews. For further information visit: www.projectrebirth.org
• Story Corps - received a program grant from the LMDC for $1,000,000 which will support the operations of the StoryCorps-WTC booth for three and a half years. StoryCorps estimates that it will record approximately 1,400 interviews per year in its WTC booth, or 5,625. For further information visit: www.storycorps.net
• Three-Legged Dog - received a program grant from the LMDC for $1,500,000 will support a portion of program and production expenses for three years. These expenses include a portion of staff salaries as these related to program, materials and supplies, and rent. For further information visit: www.3leggeddog.org