A Pike County organization has been awarded five-thousand dollars as part of a statewide arts funding program.

The Otwell Progress Committee is one of 12 groups selected by the Indiana Arts Commission to receive grants tied to the nation’s 250th anniversary.

The funding is part of the America250 initiative, which will support programs in 2026 marking the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

In Otwell, the grant will fund a July Fourth concert focused on American history and service. The event will feature music by Air Force veteran and composer Jamie Teachenor.

State officials say the program was highly competitive and drew more than 100 applications, with selected projects representing communities across Indiana.

In total, 60-thousand dollars was awarded, with each organization receiving five-thousand dollars for its project.

In southwest Indiana, other grants went to the Bloomington Early Music  for their presentation“Early Music and Early America,” a five-day event featuring concerts, educational talks, a youth performance, and a documentary premiere.

Also receiving a grant was the Sheldon Swope Art Museum in Terre Haute.  The funds will support “The Spirit of Independence:  Revisiting the Kent Bicentennial Portfolio”, an exhibit on the history of the Kent Bicentennial Portfolio, alongside relevant works from the Swope’s permanent collection.