Flint, MI  — Tapology has been approved for a $30,000 Grants for Arts Projects Award from the National Endowment for the Arts to support the Tapology Call & Response Tour.

The Tour is a call to action to heal and uplift youth and American communities through education, community engagement, and performance at sites across America, starting in Flint.

Tapology’s project is among 1,125 projects across the United States – totaling more than $26.6 million – that were selected during this second round of Grants for Arts Projects fiscal year 2022 funding.

“The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support arts and cultural organizations throughout the nation with these grants, including Tapology, providing opportunities for all of us to live artful lives,” said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. “The arts contribute to our individual well-being, the well-being of our communities, and to our local economies. The arts are also crucial to helping us make sense of our circumstances from different perspectives as we emerge from the pandemic and plan for a shared new normal informed by our examined experience.”

“The tradition of call and response in African American culture is deeply connected to the need to release and heal, which is highly necessary during this tumultuous time of socio-economic and political upheaval. The Tour is a call to action, for a response to bring about a positive change in our world through the use of an American artform,” said Tapology CEO Bruce Bradley. “We appreciate the support of the Arts Endowment and we hope this will encourage others to support us in our endeavors.”

The Call & Response Tour is a series of programs, performances, and events that celebrate the culture of Jazz and Tap Dance, while paying homage to the trailblazers and pioneers of a uniquely American art form.

The Tour will engage diverse audiences and youth, through performances and programs that showcase Tap Dance and the evolution of Jazz, Hip Hop and authentic American art forms relative to the African Diaspora. Students will have the opportunity to view and participate in the professional performance and educational programming. 

For more information on other projects included in the Arts Endowment grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.