March 23, 2021
The SBA has launched a notification system for the forthcoming Shuttered Venue Operators Grant portal, which is now scheduled to open on Thursday, April 8. You are encouraged to review the latest FAQs (released 3-22-2021), and if you think you are going to apply take these next steps immediately:
 
 
In addition, register now for the SBA’s national webinar on SVOG that will take place on Tues., March 30, 2021 @ 2:30 – 4:00pm ET. You can also reference the recent webinar by Americans for the Arts and the Arts Action Fund covering major components of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021,  including SVOG, PPP, and more.

Payroll Protection Program (PPP) Updates & Forms:
The SBA has updated all their PPP Loan Forms now to accommodate the Self-employed Schedule C filers as well as updated the certification language regarding SVOG on all PPP loan applications. It will take a few days for lenders to catch up with the update while SBA notifies them and updates their own lender portal over the weekend, but be reminded that the deadline for PPP applications is Wednesday, March 31st.
Hear Dr. Anthony Fauci this afternoon! Reopening the Arts

How arts organization can reopen their venues in 2021 is the topic of a webinar presented by the National Endowment for the Arts with special guest Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Fauci will provide opening remarks at this free event that will be held on Tuesday, March 23, 2021 from 3:00-4:00 pm ET.

Register here.
Reminders Regarding 
Upcoming VCA Deadlines

April 1:

All applications and reports are due by 5 PM (EST) on their due date. Only online submissions are accepted.
Poetry Foundation Emergency Grants

One-time emergency grants will be awarded in the range of $5,000–$20,000, determined by organizations’ annual budgets and requested funds. The application period closes on March 31, 2021, with two awarding dates: January 31, 2021 and March 31, 2021.
English: Need vaccine? Learn how to get your shot at Vaccinate.Virginia.gov or call 1-877-VAX-IN VA.
Language translation and TTY services available

Spanish: ¿Necesita vacunarse? Infórmese de cómo obtener su vacuna visitando Vaccinate.Virginia.gov o llamando 1-877-829-4682.
Servicios de traducción y teléfonos de texto (TTY) están disponibles.
NEA Research Awards

The National Endowment for the Arts invites applicants to engage with the agency’s five-year research agenda through two funding opportunities for research projects:

  • Research Grants in the Arts funds research studies that investigate the value and/or impact of the arts, either as individual components of the U.S. arts ecology or as they interact with each other and/or with other domains of American life. Matching/cost share grants of $10,000 to $100,000 will be awarded.

  • NEA Research Labs funds transdisciplinary research teams grounded in the social and behavioral sciences, yielding empirical insights about the arts for the benefit of arts and non-arts sectors alike. Topic areas of interest include the intersections of the arts and 1) entrepreneurship and innovation; 2) creativity, cognition, and learning; and 3) health and social/emotional well-being. Matching/cost share cooperative agreements of up to $150,000 will be awarded.
Virginia Commission for the Arts | arts.virginia.gov