The National Endowment for the Arts has begun distributing the $50 million it received under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Washington Post reports. Since February, forty percent of the funds have gone in allotments of $25,000 and $50,000 to state and regional arts agencies like Grub Street, Inc. of Boston, Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival, and Richard Hugo House in Seattle. The arts agency in July announced beneficiaries of the competitive round for nonprofit groups. $900,000 went to nineteen DC-area groups, including PEN/Faulkner Foundation, GALA Hispanic Theatre, and the Phillips Collection. AWP was granted $50,000. Acting Executive Director Matt Burriesci said that “the stimulus funding will allow us to create a full time job in our conference department, as well as increase our payments to writers.” Other jobs have been saved, said Stacy Shaw of the Shakespeare Theatre Company. “While this does not change our plans for the staff to take a one-week furlough, the NEA grant will allow us to preserve an important revenue-generating position that will enable the Shakespeare Theatre Company to keep our world-class artists and artisans employed.” A full list of grant recipients can be found at http://www.nea.gov/grants/recent/09grants/arra09.php