AUSTIN and NEW ORLEANS: Bloomberg Philanthropies has selected 53 cultural organizations in Austin and New Orleans to participate in a two-year Arts Innovation and Management program (AIM). The $43 million initiative bolsters small and midsize organizations by providing general operating support and arts management training. Selected participants in Atlanta, Baltimore, Denver, Pittsburgh, and Washington, D.C., will be announced on a rolling basis this fall.

“The arts inspire people, provide jobs, and strengthen communities,” said Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies, in a statement. “This program is aimed at helping some of the country’s most exciting cultural organizations reach new audiences and expand their impact.”

The theatre organizations selected to participate in Austin include Austin Playhouse, Austin Shakespeare Festival, Fusebox Festival, Penfold Theatre Company, Rude Mechanicals, Salvage Vanguard Theater, the Telling Project, and Vortex Repertory Company.

“In Austin, we aim to ensure that our arts community is as healthy and vibrant as ever because its core to the identity of our city,” said Steve Adler, the mayor of Austin, in a statement. “This investment from Bloomberg Philanthropies will create the capacity for our emerging arts organizations to realize their potential and be better equipped to grow into mature organizations that will serve our community long into the future.”

Selected theatre organizations in New Orleans include ArtSpot Productions, Ashé Cultural Arts Center, Junebug Productions, Le Petit Theatre Du Vieux Carre, Southern Rep, and Uptown Music Theatre.

“In New Orleans, art and culture are central to our identity—specifically, the work of our smaller, ground-level cultural organizations helps to define the creative fabric of our city and serves as a major part of the cultural influence of New Orleans,” said New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell in a statement.

The AIM program has helped more than 500 organizations since 2011.