A representative from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) will be in Paducah on March 4 to present a workshop about the availability of federal grants for the arts. Michael Killoren, Director of Local Arts Agencies and Challenge America with the NEA, will conduct the workshop beginning at 9 a.m. at the Commerce Center in the Paducah Bank Room, 300 South 3rd Street.  The Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce and Paducah Convention and Visitors Bureau are sponsoring the workshop. 

At NEA, Killoren is responsible for the grantmaking processes for Local Arts Agencies (LAA's), developing partnerships to advance the LAA field as a whole, and the Challenge America program.  Prior to joining NEA, Killoren had previously served as director of Seattle, Washington’s Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, a cabinet-level position, from 2002 through 2010, where he led the city department's funding and public art programs, developed policy initiatives to increase public access to arts and culture, and established a groundbreaking partnership to restore arts education in Seattle Public Schools. He was Seattle's first director of cultural tourism for Seattle's Convention and Visitors Bureau, where he launched an initiative to promote the region's cultural assets. 

Killoren’s workshop is primarily geared towards the grants for non-profit organizations but anyone or organization interested in learning more is welcome to attend. He will focus on the NEA grants available and the application process. This will be an interactive workshop with time allotted for Q&A. 

This workshop is a result of a meeting held with NEA during the local community leaders trip coordinated by the Paducah Chamber each fall to DC. “The Chamber’s annual DC Fly-In has helped Paducah foster a strong relationship with leaders at the NEA,” said Mary Hammond, Executive Director of the Paducah Convention & Visitors Bureau. “That continuing connection has presented this great opportunity for Paducah’s arts and cultural organizations to pursue more grant applications through NEA to help maximize the impact of the arts on our community.”

US Senator Mitch McConnell’s office was also instrumental in arranging this visit from the NEA to Paducah.  

Advance registration is suggested by contacting the Paducah Chamber at info@paducahchamber.org. For more information, contact the Chamber at 270-443-1746 or the Paducah Convention and Visitors Bureau at (270) 443-8783.