April 4, 2015 — The New England Foundation for the Arts, a Boston nonprofit that provides resources to artists, the public, arts funders, and policymakers, announced that it recently received a $300,000 grant to support a cultural diplomacy initiative.

The New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) said the funding, from the Doris Duke Foundation, will support its Center Stage program, which bring performing arts ensembles from abroad to the United States to help build mutual understanding through cultural expression and people to people connections.

This is the foundation’s second round of support for the program.

"Center Stage has created a human dimension to the exchange of ideas across cultures. In its two seasons the program has fostered opportunities for artists and communities throughout the U.S. and internationally to encounter one another and build relationships of respect and celebration," said NEFA executive director Cathy Edwards. 

“The support of the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art provides critical underwriting and spotlights the value of public-private partnerships to advance access to global connections."

Four to six ensembles from Algeria and Tanzania, to be announced in summer 2015, will embark on month-long tours in the fall of 2016 to communities across the U.S. and will focus on engaging youth and fostering cultural awareness and appreciation.

The first two seasons brought ensembles from Haiti, Indonesia, Morocco, Pakistan, and Vietnam touring a total of 70 communities in 32 states and the District of Columbia.

Founded in 1976, NEFA is one of six regional arts organizations established with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts to strengthen the national arts infrastructure by cultivating the arts on a regional level. NEFA is a grant maker, program initiator, aggregator of resources, and builder of creative partnerships among artists, arts organizations and funders, supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, the New England state arts agencies, foundations, corporations, and individual donors.