More Than $1 Million Available for Virginia Arts and Humanities Organizations
Struggling Due to COVID-19
Virginia’s state-wide arts and humanities councils will receive more than $1 million in federal funds designated for emergency relief to arts and cultural organizations affected bythe COVID-19 health crisis, according to a joint statement by Virginia Humanities and Virginia Commission for the Arts.
The funds are part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) passed by Congress in March. The $2 trillion aid package includes $75 million each for the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), a portion of which will be sent to state and territorial arts and humanities councils to redistribute to nonprofit organizations in need.
Application information and eligibility requirements are now available on VirginiaHumanities.org and Arts.Virginia.gov. The deadline for museums, historic sites, and educational and cultural institutions to apply to Virginia Humanities is April 30 and the deadline for arts agencies to apply to the Virginia Commission for the Arts is May 8.
Virginia arts and cultural organizations can also apply directly to the NEH and NEA for aid of up to $300,000 (NEH) and $50,000 (NEA).
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act recognizes that the nonprofit arts industry is an important sector of America’s economy. Virginia Commission for the Arts (VCA), with support from the National Endowment for the Arts, has developed a program to expedite funds to help save jobs in the arts sector and keep the doors open to organizations that add value to Virginia's economy and bolster the creative and cultural vitality of our communities.
The Virginia CARES grant program will be carried out through one-time grants to eligible non-profit arts organizations. These funds are to be used for three main purposes:
Salary support (full or partial) for one or more individuals
Fees for artists and/or contractual personnel
Facility costs, such as rent and utilities
How to Apply
To apply, visit the Virginia Commission for the Arts' Online Grants System, here: https://www.grantinterface.com/Home/Logon?urlkey=vca. Enter your organization's email and password. Once on your “Dashboard”, scroll down to the Virginia CARES grant opportunity and click APPLY. The application will be available from April 23, 2020 - May 8, 2020 (5PM EST).
CARES Act Funding for the Arts and Humanities in Virginia Information Session Webinar
Presented by Janet Starke, Executive Director of the Virginia Commission for the Arts, and Matthew Gibson, Executive Director of Virginia Humanities, this webinar focuses on the current CARES Act funding available to support Virginia’s culture and arts non-profits.
National impact of COVID-19 on the arts is $4.8 billion... and rising! According to a study by Americans for the Arts (AFTA),
the economic impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) on the arts and culture sector is significant, with over 42.3 million lost attendance and close to 27,000 people furloughed or laid off from jobs with cultural organizations.
In Virginia 175 cultural organizations responded to the AFTA Economic Impact survey. They reported over $4 million in financial impact to date, with over 628,801 in lost attendance. 98% of respondees say they have cancelled events, and over 78 cultural workers have been laid off as a result of the crisis.
Check out AFTA website for more information, and to fill out the survey.