Emergency Salary Program for Presenting Organizations
ESPPO

ESPPO Grant List

ESPPO was designed to disburse economic stimulus funds received from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The goal of ESPPO is to preserve positions crucial to the artistic mission of presenting organizations that constitute the core infrastructure for performing arts touring across the mid-Atlantic region. Presenters provide dance, music and theater artists with opportunities that help sustain their careers while exposing diverse audiences to the arts of the region, nation and world. Support through ESPPO will help to ensure the vitality of this crucial component of the arts ecology through a difficult economic period.

The program offered grants of up to $30,000 to be used towards salary, either full or partial, for one or more positions that have recently been terminated, are in jeopardy of elimination, or hours have been reduced due to the current economic downturn. Permanent full-time and part-time employees as well as contractual personnel were eligible for support. Positions had to be central to the artistic mission of the organization. Development and/or fundraising positions were not eligible for support. The program is solely focused on job retention and not intended to support the creation of new jobs.