Gov. Nathan Deal has announced the state Department of Economic Development has awarded more than $178,000 in grants to 13 agencies promoting fine arts and tourism throughout the state.

Deal said Wednesday the Georgia Council for the Arts is distributing the funding as part of the state's Tourism Product Development Agreement program. The program was designed to promote work being done in local communities to boost tourism and fine arts.

The Augusta Canal Authority, the City of Dublin, Atlanta's Downtown Development Authority and the Fulton County Arts Council were among the recipients.

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