You Helped Us Fill the Gap

In May of 2025, Novi Most’s first National Endowment of the Arts grant was withdrawn as part of the current administration’s desire to control arts and culture in the U.S. and disdain for diverse perspectives. The loss of that $10,000 grant toward the world premiere of An Ocean Away posed a tangible financial hardship—and, more distressing, it illustrated the erosion of the arts and free speech in our country.

We are happy to announce that, with your help, our financial gap was filled. Making up for the NEA loss, we raised $5,000 in community donations throughout the year and received a generous $5,000 from Americans for the Arts' United Arts Funds (UAFs). UAFs are local arts agencies whose main function is to raise money from local individuals, businesses, and foundations to regrant to local arts institutions and provide support to the cultural community.

Your support for Novi Most is a meaningful act of resistance as we collectively navigate ongoing assaults against democracy, decency, and civility. We traffic in theatrical experiences that bridge artistic and cultural barriers. At this moment of widespread division—when “uncertainty” is a common euphemism for a perilously divided economic, political, and social landscape—bridges are crucial.

Against all odds, An Ocean Away premiered October 30 to November 8 at the Center for Performing Arts in Minneapolis and put a spotlight on immigrant stories of the Ukrainian diaspora.

Слава Україні!

Yours in gratitude and hope, 
Lisa Channer and Vladimir Rovinsky, Co-Artistic Directors

Pictured: The cast of An Ocean Away at the Center for Performing Arts. Photo by Dan Norman.