PROFILES: New England Foundation for the Arts
www.nefa.org

Rebecca Blunk, Executive Director
Mary Kelley, Chair - Cambridge, Massachusetts

Member States
Connecticut
Maine
Massachusetts
New Hampshire
Rhode Island
Vermont

The New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) creatively supports the movement of people, ideas, and resources in the arts within New England and beyond, makes vital connections between artists and communities, and builds the strength, knowledge, and leadership of the region's creative sector.

NEFA has been a significant cultural force since 1976, when it was created as one of six regional arts organizations nationwide to support performing arts touring with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and the New England state arts agencies.  Today's NEFA operates with an annual budget of over $5 million, developing and managing arts initiatives on local, regional, national, and international levels.

NEFA functions as a grantmaker, program initiator, regional laboratory, project coordinator, developer of resources, and builder of creative partnerships among artists, arts organizations, and funders. Each program and project that is brought to life at NEFA is created with the underlying goal of building a stronger and more dynamic infrastructure for the arts.  NEFA celebrates New England and its characteristic values while playing a national role by distributing model programs, supporting international cultural exchange, and advocating access to the arts for everyone.

NEFA's grantmaking programs support the performing arts, public art, and Native American artists, and foster opportunity, excellence, and accessibility for artists, arts organizations, and audiences. 

NEFA’s projects and initiatives, including research and documentation, help to build the intellectual assets of the New England cultural community in order to inform cultural decision-making and program development and to develop public understanding of how the arts contribute to the vitality of communities. 

NEFA is a 501(c)3 public charity that operates with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, the New England state arts agencies, and from corporations, foundations, and individuals.

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