FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, June 21, 2023

SEN. OSTEN WELCOMES $776,000 IN STATE GRANTS FOR NORWICH ARTS & HISTORICAL ORGANIZATIONS, EASTERN PEQUOTS

NORWICH – State Senator Cathy Osten (D-Sprague) today welcomed news that two Norwich organizations will receive more than $355,000 in state grants to improve their facilities and their public outreach.

Artreach, Inc. in Norwich, which is an arts and health agency supporting mental health and wellness through the creative and performing arts, will receive $49,450 to create a trauma-sensitive and accessible space that will continue to serve as a classroom and rehearsal space.

The Norwich Historical Society, founded nearly a quarter-century ago to preserve, protect and promote the rich history of Norwich, will receive $306,053 to partner with the Society of the Founders of Norwich to create a campus where the circa 1675 Leffingwell House Museum will be the museum space, and the Greenleaf house will be the handicapped-accessible multipurpose event space.

“We’ve just finished the state budget, which makes huge investments in the nuts and bolts of everyday life in Connecticut, like education and public safety. But we’ve also taken time in the past to set aside funds to invest in our local arts and historical organizations and all the other types of local nonprofits that really make up the fabric of each community, that everyone recognizes and values. That’s what these grants are all about,” Sen. Osten said. “These are great investments in the fabric of our towns, and I’m pleased to have voted for this program nine years ago and I’m thankful to Governor Lamont and the DECD for recognizing the value of these projects.”

Also announced today, the Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation in North Stonington will receive a $421,050 grant to develop public programs that value their ancestry, traditions, and way of life.

The grants were announced today by Governor Ned Lamont. Connecticut is releasing more than $7 million in state grants to several nonprofit organizations for the purposes of making facility and infrastructure upgrades at 34 cultural and historic sites statewide.

The funds are being released under the state’s Good to Great Grant Program, which is co-administered by the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) and CT Humanities. Good to Great 2.0 grants of up to $500,000 fund capital projects for nonprofit arts, cultural, or history organizations that connect art, history, and tourism to enhance visitors’ experience of an arts or cultural venue and/or historic site. Funded through Public Act 14-98, which Sen. Osten voted for, Good to Great grants are intended for capital projects that not only look beyond basic facilities repair, rehabilitation, or expansion but also

towards new means of sharing and telling the stories of our cultural and historic sites in engaging, meaningful, and relevant ways.

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