Lincoln Financial Foundation is strengthening art education opportunities and access to the arts for a broad spectrum of Omaha residents through $150,500 in grants to 13 local nonprofit organizations. These grants are a portion of more than $846,000 in charitable funds the foundation has allocated for the area in 2013.

The Joslyn Art Museum will receive $20,000 to support the opening of Legacy: The Emily Fisher Landau Collection in the fall. This exhibition presents a selection from the historic gift that Landau pledged to the Whitney Museum of American Art in May 2010. A preeminent collector of postwar art in the United States, Landau's approach to collecting is rooted in her intense devotion to the art and artists of her own time. Legacy traces many of the ideas that have preoccupied artists in the United States since the 1960s, including questions about the role of painting in the aftermath of Minimalism, debates about representation, the "culture wars" of the 1980s, new approaches to photography, and a revived interest in personal narratives. The exhibition features paintings, works on paper, photographs and sculptures by diverse artists. Also highlighted in Legacy are some of the artists that Landau has collected in depth, which reflect her longstanding, dynamic relationships with some of the most influential artists of the 20th Century as well as her commitment to collecting across their careers. The exhibition will be on display at Joslyn from September 28, 2013 to January 5, 2014.

Other arts grants awarded include:

• $20,000 to Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts for its Community Arts Residency program that enables resident artists to offer writing, music, performance, theater, dance and visual arts classes to Heartland Family Service clients.
• $20,000 to Omaha Symphony for Adventures in Music, a student education program reaching pre-K to 12th grade students, and support for 23 community partnerships that allow youth and adults the opportunity to experience live orchestral music.
• $20,000 to Opera Omaha to support the 2013-2014 student preview performance of Rossini's La Cenerentola (Cinderella) at the Orpheum Theater.
• $15,000 to Omaha Community Playhouse to support after-school programming in drama, improvisation, storytelling and movement to inner-city elementary and middle school students.
• $15,000 to Rose Theatre to support drama and theater classes and programs for disadvantaged youth.
• $10,000 to El Museo Latino to support its 2013 Summer Visual and Performing Arts programs for children in grades K-12, including Latino art, music, dance and theater.
• $7,500 to Film Streams for the 2013 Family and Children's Series of family-friendly films.
• $7,500 to Nebraska Shakespeare for Shakespeare on the Green, which will offer summer performances of two professional Shakespearian plays, Titus Andronicus and Twelfth Night.
• $5,000 to Ballet Nebraska to support two public and two student performances of Alice in Wonderland in the spring.
• $5,000 to Why Arts to provide 45 arts workshops to a variety of organizations that assist underserved populations, including the disabled, seniors, at-risk youth and families, the homeless and preschool children.
• $3,000 to African Culture Connection to teach students in two Omaha public schools African dance, music, visual arts and geography.
• $2,500 to ARTery for Dancing Classrooms, a program that teaches ballroom dancing to students in Omaha's Title I schools.

About Lincoln Financial Foundation

The Lincoln Financial Foundation, established in 1962, is the charitable giving arm of Lincoln Financial Group. Under Lincoln Foundation guidelines, grants are made in the areas of arts, education, human services and workforce/economic development. Lincoln Financial sets aside up to 2% of its pre-tax earnings for charitable causes that support philanthropic endeavors in the communities where its employees work. The Lincoln Foundation awarded $846,000 to support nonprofits in Omaha in 2012. Since 2006, the Lincoln Financial Foundation has contributed nearly $3.65 million to Omaha-area nonprofits.

About Lincoln Financial Group

Lincoln Financial Group has set aside almost $10 million of its pre-tax earnings for charitable causes that support philanthropic endeavors in the communities where its employees work. Lincoln Financial Group is the marketing name for Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) and its affiliates. With headquarters in the Philadelphia region, the companies of Lincoln Financial Group had assets under management of $178 billion as of December 31, 2012. Through its affiliated companies, Lincoln Financial Group offers: annuities; life, group life, disability and dental insurance; 401(k) and 403(b) plans; savings plans; and comprehensive financial planning and advisory services. For more information, including a copy of our most recent SEC reports containing our balance sheets, please visit www.LincolnFinancial.com.