The Handel and Haydn Society has announced that it has been awarded a $19k grant from the League of American Orchestras, which it intends to use to further efforts toward equity, diversity, and inclusion in the arts.

The grant comes as part of the second round of The Catalyst Fund, a grant-making program by the League, made possible by grants from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation.

On this initiative, League president and CEO Jesse Rosen says: “Recent events have underscored the deep racial disparities existing in our country, already amplified by the pandemic’s unequal impact on communities of color. The work orchestras are undertaking with support from the League’s Catalyst Fund highlights the urgency of addressing EDI as orchestras attempt to confront decades of inequity within our field. We must understand and address our personal and organizational roles in systems of inequity.”

The Handel and Haydn Society has expressed that it will use the grant to develop and implement a plan comprised of cultural competency trainings, artist diversification efforts, and company-wide inclusivity programs.