Nashville, Tenn. — Urban Green Lab is pleased to announce it has been approved by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) for a Challenge America award of $10,000. This grant will support our Waste Less mural project to grow support for community art and food waste reduction in Nashville. The NEA will award 272 Challenge America awards nationwide totaling $2,720,000 as part of the recent announcement of fiscal year 2025 grants.
“The NEA is proud to continue our nearly 60 years of supporting the efforts of organizations and artists that help to shape our country’s vibrant arts sector and communities of all types across our nation,” said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. “It is inspiring to see the wide range of creative projects taking place, including Urban Green Lab's Waste Less mural project.”
"We are grateful for NEA's support of our Waste Less mural project to increase awareness of food waste reduction strategies through public art inspired by the community," shared Stephanie Roach, Assistant Director of Special Initiatives at Urban Green Lab. "Nashville has such a vibrant mural scene, and we're excited to work with the Arts and Business Council of Greater Nashville to continue adding murals with a message to Music City."
Urban Green Lab, in partnership with NRDC, is commissioning a series of murals across Nashville to continue public education on reducing food waste through the Nashville Food Waste Initiative. The project aims to celebrate the beauty of food and encourage the public to waste less.
For more information on other projects included in the NEA’s grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.
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About Urban Green Lab:
Urban Green Lab (UGL) is a Nashville-based nonprofit founded in 2009 that teaches communities how to live sustainably. It works to ensure everyone has access to sustainable living education. To do that, UGL organizes, trains, and connects people in classrooms, households, and workplaces—places where culture begins. In all these places, UGL incorporates education on two important sustainability topics for Nashville: environmental justice and food waste, connecting everyday decisions to the impact on our neighbors and the planet.