Two Washtenaw County organizations are among a new batch of grants announced by the National Endowment for the Arts.

The University Musical Society, the nonprofit arts presenter affiliated with the University of Michigan, received $70,000, while the Purple Rose Theatre Co. in Chelsea received $20,000. The awards come under the NEA's "Access to Artistic Excellence" program, which funds a variety of specific projects.

As detailed on the NEA website:

• University Musical Society: $70,000

To support "Changing the Game: Mavericks and Innovators in the Arts." The project will consist of a series of residencies and performances in dance, music, and opera with artists including director Robert Wilson, choreographer Lucinda Childs, NEA Opera Honoree Philip Glass, and the San Francisco Symphony.

• Purple Rose Theatre Company: $20,000

To support the development and world premiere of "White Buffalo" by Don Zolidis. Based on actual events, the play recounts the miracle birth of a white buffalo calf that fulfills a birth prophecy believed by the Sioux to bring peace on earth and unity to all mankind.

In the new announcement, 22 grants went to groups in Michigan.

As stated by the NEA, "Access to Artistic Excellence grants foster and preserve excellence in the arts and provide access to the arts for all Americans. Grants in this round focus on two primary themes: access to the arts and preservation activities. A broad range of activities are funded in the disciplines of dance, design, folk and traditional arts, literature, media arts, museums, music, musical theater, opera, presenting, theater, and visual arts. Projects include outreach, touring, artists' workshops and residencies, technology, preservation, recordings, and conferences and symposia. In addition, this round of funding includes grants to local arts agencies. Through the Access to Artistic Excellence category, 789 grants out of 1,415 eligible applications are recommended for funding for a total of $24.9 million."

In November, three other Washtenaw County groups received NEA grants.