Stowe Story Labs to Receive $100,000 American Rescue Plan Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts

Stowe, VT—Stowe Story Labs is pleased to announce they have been approved to receive an American Rescue Plan grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to help the arts and cultural sector recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Stowe Story Labs is recommended to receive $100,000 over the next two years. The NEA American Rescue Plan Grant will allow Stowe to both increase artist mentor honorariums and award more than $50,000 in partial scholarships to participants in Stowe’s labs and retreats in 2022 and in 2023. In total, the NEA will award grants totaling $57,750,000 to 567 arts organizations in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Washington, DC.

“Our nation’s arts sector has been among the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. The National Endowment for the Arts’ American Rescue Plan funding will help arts organizations, such as Stowe Story Labs, rebuild and reopen,” said Dr. Maria Rosario Jackson, chair of the NEA. “The arts are crucial in helping America’s communities heal, unite, and inspire, as well as essential to our nation’s economic recovery.”

“We are honored, proud, and excited to receive this award,” said David Rocchio, Founder and Director of Stowe Story Labs. “Our mission is to help top emerging screenwriters and filmmakers from all backgrounds find their footing in this difficult and complex industry, he said. “This grant directly supports our mission to help deserving artists hone their craft, develop their work, and build a network of peers and mentors in this collaborative business and art,” he said.

Now in their 10th year, Stowe Story Labs is a Vermont-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to bringing top emerging screenwriters, filmmakers, and creative producers from around the world together with seasoned industry professionals to help get film and TV projects made and seen.

The American Rescue Plan was signed into law in March 2021 when the NEA was provided $135 million for the arts sector. The funding for organizations is the third installment providing more than $57.7 million for arts organizations. In April 2021, the NEA announced $52 million (40 percent) in ARP funding would be allocated to 62 state, jurisdictional, and regional arts organizations for regranting through their respective programs. The second installment in November 2021 allocated $20.2 million to 66 local arts agencies for subgranting to local artists and art organizations.

For more information on the NEA’s American Rescue Plan grants, including the full list of arts organizations funded in this announcement, visit www.arts.gov/COVID-19/the-american-rescue-plan.

Stowe’s labs and retreats run from June through November. In addition, Stowe runs online screenplay and teleplay programs throughout the year and an online producers lab in December. Learn about Stowe’s programs at www.stowestorylabs.org.

Stowe’s application season for all 2022 labs, retreats, fellowships, and partial scholarships runs through February. The next application deadline is February 8. You can apply now here.