HOUSTON CINEMA ARTS SOCIETY RECEIVES HUMANITIES TEXAS RELIEF GRANT

Houston Cinema Arts Society (HCAS) is the recipient of a Humanities Texas Relief Grant.

HCAS is dedicated to presenting innovative films, media installations, multimedia performances, and educational initiatives that celebrate the artistic process and enrich Houston’s culture and urban vitality. Since the onset of the pandemic, HCAS has pivoted to virtual programming.
Relief Grant funds provided essential early funding to build out virtual platforms and provide scholars, activists, filmmakers, and artists with honorariums for participating in virtual discussions.

This summer, Humanities Texas awarded over $1.1 million to 198 Texas nonprofits that suffered losses as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Recipients include museums, libraries, preservation organizations and heritage and cultural centers, among many others.

These organizations offer historical and cultural programs that have significant impact within their communities. Humanities Texas aims to help these organizations remain vital in this difficult time.

“We are fortunate to have the opportunity to provide critical support to so many organizations across the state,” said Humanities Texas Executive Director Eric Lupfer. “Looking ahead, we will continue to seek ways to assist Texas cultural and educational institutions in surviving this crisis.”

“The Relief Grant allowed HCAS to move confidently and quickly to a virtual platform and provide much needed honorariums to program participants. HCAS was able to continue to engage audiences from home in a meaningful and interactive way,” said Laurence Unger, Executive Director of HCAS.

Funding for these grants has been provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act economic stabilization plan. n

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Humanities Texas, based in Austin, Texas, is the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Its mission is to advance education through programs that improve the quality of classroom teaching, support libraries and museums and create opportunities for lifelong learning for all Texans.