WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins have announced that the National Endowment for the Arts has awarded Maine $147,000 in funding for artistic endeavors.

“Supporting the arts helps build and enrich communities in Maine,” said Snowe and Collins in a joint statement. “These grants will bring the arts to Mainers who might not have the opportunity to enjoy them otherwise.”

The funding has been awarded to the following: Alice James Poetry Cooperative Inc., Farmington, $25,000; Bates College, Lewiston, $20,000; Portland Stage Company, $22,000; Center for Cultural Exchange, Portland, $20,000; Bala Music and Dance Association Ltd., Portland, $20,000; Eastern Maine Development District Inc., Bangor, $40,000.

Grant money given to the Alice James Poetry Cooperative Inc. will be used to support the publication and promotion of poetry titles selected from two annual competitions and a new and selected poetry collection by Donald Revell. The selected poets will read from their works at venues around the country.

Bates College will use its funding to support extended residency activities in the dance department.

The Portland Stage Company funding will support the production of a play, “Yemaya’s Belly” by Quiara Alegria Hudes.

The grant given to the Center for Cultural Exchange will support a commissioning, production and touring initiative titled “Unintended Consequences.” The director will create a multimedia performance based on the repercussions of Sept. 11, 2001, in the lives of refugee and immigrant communities in Maine.

Money awarded to Bala Music and Dance Association Ltd. will support a concert tour of South Indian bharata natyam music and dance. The tour will feature a dancer of the T. Balasaraswati family, regarded in India and the United States as one of the most distinguished performers of this traditional artistry.

Funding awarded to the Eastern Maine Development District Inc. will be used to support the American Folk Festival. The festival will connect cultural groups to their own heritage while providing rural Maine with access to performances and material culture.

National Endowment for the Arts matching grants help support projects that involve the creation and presentation of artistically excellent work, new and established. Projects include commissions, residencies, rehearsals, workshops, performances, exhibitions, publications, festivals and training programs.