The Yard, the Chilmark-based center dedicated to the art of dance, announced this week it has received a total of $980,000 in grants from the Barr Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The largest grant, $950,000 over three years, comes from the Barr Foundation, and “marks a significant step in The Yard’s path toward becoming at truly year-round island organization,” Deborah Sale, president of the Yard’s board of directors, said in a press release Thursday. The grant from the NEA, for $30,000 will support various summer residences, performances and community activities that both on the Yard’s campus and at the Martha’s Vineyard Performing Arts Center.

The press release noted that the NEA grant is notable in part because the criteria for funding focuses on the caliber of artists presented, the quality of artist support provided and the degree of community engagement.