At its meeting last Thursday, October 7, the Commission Board approved the final Guidelines for Funding of the VCA - American Rescue Plan (ARP) for FY@@GOS Grantees, and the VCA Arts Recovery Grant. The VCA - ARP for GOS Grantees is available to all current FY22 GOS Grantees, who will be receiving direct communications via email/Foundant regarding the application process. Applications are open today (October 12) and will remain open until October 29, 2021. For more information, see the VCA - ARP for GOS Grantees Guidelines for Funding.

The VCA - ARP Arts Recovery Grant will open to all current FY22 Artists in Education (AIE) and Project grantees, and 501 (c)(3) arts-focused organizations NEW to VCA funding, or arts-focused organizations who have not received VCA funding in recent years. Applications for the VCA - ARP Arts Recovery Grant program open on November 1, 2021 and close on December 1, 2021, at 5 PM (EST). For more information, see the VCA - ARP Arts Recovery Grant Guidelines for Funding.

Earlier this month, Governor Northam signed a proclamation recognizing National Arts and Humanities Month. Established by Congress in 1993, Arts and Humanities Month has been observed nationwide (and statewide) with four goals in mind: focusing on equitable access to the arts at local, state, and national levels; encouraging individuals, organizations, and diverse communities to participate in the arts; allowing governments and businesses to show their support of the arts; and raising public awareness about the role the arts and humanities play in our communities and lives. Many communities across the Commonwealth continue to celebrate with special initiatives, including Roanoke's Bingo!, Richmond's Artober and ArtsHuntRVA, and Fairfax's Annual Arts Awards (presented by ARTSFAIRFAX). Post your NAHM moments to @VirginiaArts. Celebrate the arts during this National Arts & Humanities Month across the Commonwealth!

Reminder that Poetry Out Loud Registration Deadline is November 5

The words of great poets literally come to life in Poetry Out Loud, a literary arts program created by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Poetry Foundation. The Virginia Commission for the Arts (VCA) supports students across the Commonwealth enriched by this arts education program that encourages memorization, performance and public speaking skills. Since 2005, nearly 4.7 million students have participated in the program and committed at least one poem to memory. In Virginia, approximately 100,000 students have participated since the program’s inception.

Artists Sunday Artists Sunday always falls on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. We are less than 65 days away and wanted to share the latest.

Artists Sunday Event or Promotion Listing: https://artistssunday.com/orglisting/

To see what received media attention last year go here.

Last week, Americans for the Arts' (AFTA) Nina Ozlu Tunceli released an update on the Shuttered Venues Operator Grant (SVOG). To date, more than $11 billion out of a total of $16.2 billion has been awarded to 12,175 arts-related organizations and companies, and over 98% of all applications have now been processed.  Nina also shared the following: 

Supplemental grant awards have begun rolling out, but we are aware there have been some SBA calculation errors. You are advised to accept the award amount offered in order to guarantee your right to request “Reconsideration of the Supplemental Award Amount.” Send an email describing the discrepancy along with screenshots to svogrant@sba.gov with this subject line: "Attn: SVOG High Level Review Team." Additionally, the SBA is planning on rolling out decisions on Appeals to declined applications during the week of October 11, 2021. Please know that there are sufficient SVOG funds still available to cover all initial awards, supplemental awards, reconsiderations for higher amount awards, and successfully appealed awards as well as their supplemental awards.

We are happy to see so many more of our historic and current grantees listed in the latest SVOG Awards Report (as of 10-04-2021). If you have other questions or concerns, consider signing up for continued Office Hours with Nina, scheduled weekly via Zoom, on Fridays at 11 AM.

The proposed FY2023 Guidelines for Funding are open for Public Comment. The Guidelines may be found here, and will be open for Public Comment until Monday, November 22, 2021. Comments may be emailed to Executive Director Janet Starke.

New Study Published by National League of Cities: Creativity Sparks Economic Renewal

The National League of Cities has just published Creativity Sparks Economic Renewal. This article offers a concise summary of economic recovery research commissioned by NASAA and conducted in partnership with Indiana University and the Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF). Through examples from communities small and large, this new article connects the dots between the arts and jobs, bustling businesses, tourism and rural vitality as well as community resilience.