March 15, 2021
On Wednesday March 10, the House of Representatives passed a $1.9 trillion relief package, providing another round of emergency aid for communities and individuals impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. A signature component of the President's agenda during his first 100 days, the bill provides important provisions for the arts.

These include $135 million for the National Endowment for the Arts (and explicit support for the federal-state partnership) and $1.35 billion more for the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program, as well as significant non-arts-specific support, including providing stimulus checks to many individuals and families, an extension of Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, and $350 billion in aid to state and local governments.

The National Endowment for the Arts is in the process of determining funding categories for their component of the American Rescue Plan (ARP). We anticipate that the guidelines and application will be available in late April.

If you have questions about the direct Arts Endowment ARP grants, please review the FAQs

PPP Formula Changes Specifically to Help Self-Employed Workers 

The Biden Administration also announced four additional changes to prioritize the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) to support as many underserved small businesses and self-employed workers as possible, effective 3-3-21. The first change detailed below is the real game-changer and only applies to self-employed individuals (sole proprietors, gig workers and 1099s) who have not been approved for a new (1st or 2nd draw) PPP loan yet in 2021.

SBA will now allow eligible self-employed individuals (sole proprietors, gig workers, 1099s) to qualify for a larger PPP loan by revising the “payroll expenses” formula for these applicants only. Self-Employed applicants can now qualify by using their “Gross Income” on Line 7 of their Schedule C for either 2019 or 2020. This new PPP formula is more equitable to self-employed individuals and it will yield significantly more forgivable loan funds than ever before! Learn more, here.
Shuttered Venue Operators Grant Updates

The SBA posted the updated FAQs and other informational documents for the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG). It provides an extensive checklist of materials to begin preparing for an application and a clear table of eligibility requirements based on the type of venue operator/producer/talent representative entity. SBA also added a few changes to the SVOG’s new FAQs (the added FAQs begin with an * asterisk), as well as a new video tutorial for museums.
Upcoming VCA 
Grant/Report Deadlines

April 1:

All applications and reports are due by 5 PM (EST) on their due date. Only online submissions are accepted.
NEA Webinar Explores Best Practices for Reopening Arts Venues

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.

Those interested in attending should register here.
National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures 2021 Actos de Confianza

NALAC will distribute $2,500 grants to Latinx artists and cultural workers and $5,000 grants to Latinx arts organizations facing critical financial emergencies due to the impact of COVID-19.

Grant Amounts:
  • $2,500 for Latinx artists and cultural workers.
  • $5,000 for Latinx arts organizations

The call opens March 3, 2021 for artists living in the eastern US and Puerto Rico.
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.
NEA Grants for Arts Projects

These grants support arts projects that use the arts to unite and heal in response to current events; celebrate our creativity and cultural heritage; invite mutual respect for differing beliefs and values; and enrich humanity.

Applicants may request cost share/matching grants ranging from $10,000 to $100,000. Designated local arts agencies eligible to subgrant may request from $10,000 to $150,000 for subgranting programs in the Local Arts Agencies discipline. A minimum cost share/match equal to the grant amount is required.
Virginia Commission for the Arts | arts.virginia.gov