Representatives from Chenango County organizations were recognized as winners of the NYS Decentralization Grant (Photo by Catherine Sasso)

NORWICH – The Chenango Council of the Arts held the Decentralization Grant award ceremony in the Martin Kappel Theater last night.

Organizations from Chenango, Broome, and Otsego County submitted applications for funding for projects that follow the mission of the Decentralization Program.

According to the Chenango Arts Council, the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) established the Decentralization Program (DEC) in 1977 to foster the continued development of local cultural resources. DEC serves all of New York’s 62 counties, including areas that are geographically isolated, economically disadvantaged, and ethnically diverse.

As stated in the grant guidelines, DEC grants are designed to support and develop the capacity of individual artists, collectives, and small nonprofit organizations to develop high quality local arts projects and programming and contribute to the Chenango, Broome, and Otsego communities by providing opportunities for the public to experience and engage with the arts.