Local Cultural Organizations Secure Grants

Four arts organizations in Riverhead and the North Fork will receive more than $36,000 in an effort to keep cultural thriving in downtown and tourist communities.

The East End Arts Council, the , the  and the Perlman Music Program will receive more than $36,000 in grant funding garnered from Suffolk County's hotel/motel tax; the tax is charged for overnight stays to fund organizations that help keep cultural vitality thriving in communities, especially in downtown areas.

Overall, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone and the Suffolk County Legislature will award more than $263,000 to 39 organizations across the county as part of the 2012 operating budget from the hotel/motel room tax fund, which support programs, cultural organizations and other efforts that bolster tourism.

“We can all be proud that Suffolk boasts some of the finest cultural programs and organizations found anywhere in the country,” said Bellone. “From Huntington to the Hamptons, our museums, music venues, theater and dance companies and arts organizations attract visitors to our downtowns generating excitement, energy, economic activity and jobs."

Suffolk County Legislator Ed Romaine thanked Bellone, as well as the Citizen's Advisory Board for the Arts, including board appointee Pat Snyder, executive director of the Riverhead-based East End Arts Council, for their work in awarding the grants. "These great projects will spur tourism, stimulate economic activity on the East End, and help create sorely needed jobs in these tough times,” Romaine said.