Arts Groups Use Twitter to Compete for Grant

Blame hard times, the spread of social media or the incentives created by a competition, but things have gotten ugly in an online contest among cultural organizations to win a $200,000 grant from American Express.

On Thursday night Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, one of nine nonprofit groups competing for the grant, posted a Twitter message saying: “I know we’ve asked before, but we really need to beat StoryCorps. We NEED your HELP. Show some love & vote for the arts.”