The Lotus World Music and Arts Festival. Photo by Darryl Smith

Editor’s note: The following is a press release from the Lotus Education and Arts Foundation. Bloom has republished it here with edits for style and clarity.

The Lotus Education & Arts Foundation has been approved for a $20,000 Grants for Arts Projects award from the National Endowment for the Arts.

The grant funds will contribute to the 2021 Lotus World Music and Arts Festival, supporting free programming that will help Lotus offer diverse multicultural music and arts experiences to underserved and economically disadvantaged groups within the community.

“In the past year, as the pandemic has closed our physical doors, Lotus has been privileged to continue serving our mission, with support from grants such as this one from the National Endowment for the Arts,” says Lotus Executive Director Tamara Loewenthal. “Our focus continues to be sharing global music and art in a broad variety of settings—including virtually—to ensure that our community hears from and is inspired by diverse voices from across the globe.”

The Lotus Education & Arts Foundation is one of 1,073 funded projects across America that were selected during the first 2021 round of funding in the Grants for Arts Projects category. The nationwide awards total nearly $25 million in grants.

“The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support this project from the Lotus Education & Arts Foundation,” says Arts Endowment Acting Chairman Ann Eilers. “Lotus is among the arts organizations across the country that have demonstrated creativity, excellence, and resilience during this very challenging year.”

The 28th festival is scheduled for September 23­–26 in Bloomington.