The National Endowment for the Arts has once again bestowed grants to arts organizations around the country, and Dallas-Fort Worth groups were even more fortunate this year, receiving nine grants for a cumulative total of more than $300,000.

Big Thought scored the single highest amount given to any area group — $100,000 — to support its Dallas City of Learning project, which aims to increase access to quality out-of-schooltime arts programs.

Other area grants include the following:

• $60,000 to Nasher Sculpture Center to support the presentation of "Melvin Edwards: Five Decades," which opens on January 31, 2015
• $50,000 to Dallas Opera to support its world premiere of Everest, which debuts on January 30, 2015
• $25,000 to the University of North Texas to support "INSTRUMENT: One Antarctic Night," an interactive multidisciplinary artwork and art-science installation
• $20,000 to Dallas Symphony Orchestra to support a residency and commission by composer and pianist Conrad Tao
• $20,000 to Fort Worth Opera to support the regional premiere of Dog Days
• $20,000 to Children's Chorus of Greater Dallas to support the Downtown Chorus Training and Performance Program
• $12,000 to Pegasus Musical Society to support a new production of the opera Iphigenia en Tracia​
• $10,000 to Kitchen Dog Theater to support the development and production of new plays in the New Works Festival 2015

Nationwide, the NEA doled out 1,115 grants, totaling $29.1 million. Grants were given in three categories: Art Works, Challenge America and NEA Literature Fellowships in Creative Writing. All Dallas-Fort Worth area grants were in the Art Works category.