Allied Arts of Greater Chattanooga has been awarded $100,000 to preserve jobs within local arts agencies.

The funds are available as a result of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and distributed through the National Endowment for the Arts, according to a news release.

The funds are to be used for the “sole purpose of protecting and preserving jobs in the nonprofit arts sector that are threatened by the current economic downturn,” according to the release.

Chattanooga was one of 16 arts organizations in the country to be awarded the stimulus funds for the purpose of distributing the money at a local level.

“The quality and impact of the arts in our community has never been greater. The economic downturn has affected our arts community just as it has other business sectors,” remarked Nick Decosimo, board chairman of Allied Arts. “This grant will help maintain Chattanooga arts organizations, the foundation of our arts community, at current levels.”

After getting initial approval for the stimulus grant, a community panel met with Allied Arts’ staff to review grants that preserve a total of 52 contract and full-time artistic, administrative and educational positions within eight local arts organizations. Those recommendations were then sent to the NEA for final approval.

“They have been approved and we are actually into the process of spending the money on the approved items right now,” said Allied Arts President Dan Bowers. “We are actually already awarding the money and they (the NEA) will reimburse us likely over the next year.”

Arts organizations receiving funds are Ballet Tennessee, Chattanooga Boys Choir, Chattanooga Girls Choir, Chattanooga Symphony & Opera, Chattanooga Theatre Centre, Choral Arts of Chattanooga, Creative Discovery Museum and Shaking Ray Levi Society.

Robert Lynch, president of Americans for the Arts, a national arts advocacy organization, said Allied Arts has consistently done good things for the arts, which translates into jobs.

“In Chattanooga and across the country, the arts equal jobs,” he said. “I congratulate Allied Arts for their fine work and their ability to effectively re-grant the stimulus funds to meet the needs of their local community.”