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MONTPELIER, VT—At a time when Vermont's artists and cultural organizations are still struggling to recover from the impact of Covid-19, a philanthropic partnership between the Vermont Arts Council and the Vermont Community Foundation has made all the difference, helping to sustain Vermont’s vibrant creative sector.
Established in 2020, the partnership aims to strengthen Vermont's cultural landscape by not only providing immediate Covid-19 aid when and where it’s most needed, but also by building the long-term sustainability of Vermont’s arts and culture sector.
In addition to this ongoing partnership, Vermont artists and cultural nonprofits have benefited from the unexpected generosity of individual donors who contributed to the Arts Council through donor-advised funds at the Community Foundation.
For individual artists, the pandemic has profoundly affected creative practices and career paths for many. Surviving the pandemic has often meant developing an online presence for the first time or exploring entirely new creative skills. Thanks to the partnership with the Foundation, the Council was able to provide essential support to help artists weather the pandemic’s impact and put their creative businesses on firmer financial footing.
For Artist Development Grants, the Council raised the maximum award from $1,000 to $2,000 and provided support to 96 artists in FY22. An award of $15,000 to the Clemmons Family Farm provided career assistance to individual artists in its Vermont African-American/African Diaspora Artists Network. The funds are expected to support at least 20 artists in the network. In addition, the Council was able to increase its investment in Creation Grants, the most prestigious and competitive grant for Vermont artists, supporting the creation of new work.
For cultural organizations, adapting to the pandemic has strained the economic viability of the museums, theaters, galleries, studios, performing arts venues, and other gathering places that knit Vermont’s rural communities together. Increased funding from the Community Foundation supported unrestricted operating grants to 42 cultural nonprofits, covering the costs of equipment, staff training, and other resources needed to adapt to Covid-19. Grants also helped organizations transform their arts programming in creative ways—for many, that has meant transitioning to online or outdoor performances. Additional funding also helped to support a new initiative last summer, Stages in the Sun, which brought over 100 arts performances to outdoor spaces in 2021, helping to protect audiences from Covid-19.
Vital anchors for many of Vermont’s communities, arts, culture, and other creative enterprises are also key economic drivers. In 2019, arts and culture alone contributed $1.1 billion to the Vermont economy.
Yet Vermont’s museums, galleries, and performing arts venues have reported staggering losses from canceled concerts, festivals, theatrical performances, and other events due to the pandemic, and have had to invent new ways to reach audiences shy of returning to in-person events.
According to an early study of the pandemic’s impact from the Brookings Institution, between April and July 2020, Vermont’s creative sector lost over 8,000 jobs and sales of over $216 million. For Vermont arts and cultural organizations who applied for the Council’s most recent cultural relief grants, 197 organizations reported $36 million in lost revenue from April 2020 to mid-2021.
Since April 2020, aid from the Vermont Arts Council to Vermont artists and cultural organizations has totaled more than $7 million. Information about the Council’s relief efforts can be found at https://www.vermontartscouncil.org/covid-19. Information about the Foundation’s relief efforts can be found at vermontcf.org/impactstories.
“The COVID crisis inspired us all to dig deeper, and as funders to do better at delivering aid quickly, and where it was needed the most,” said Vermont Arts Council Executive Director Karen Mittelman. “Our partnership with the Community Foundation has enabled us to substantially increase our investment in the cultural organizations that anchor Vermont communities and to support the creative practice of hundreds of Vermont artists through the pandemic.”
“Our strong partnership with the Vermont Arts Council allows us to put resources to work quickly and effectively,” said Dan Smith, president and CEO of the Vermont Community Foundation. “The pandemic reminded us how essential community connections are to well-being. Arts and cultural activities offer a shared experience from which connections can be built. We are thrilled that our work with the Arts Council created such positive ripple effects across Vermont communities.”
About the Vermont Arts Council
The Vermont Arts Council envisions a Vermont where all people have access to the arts and creativity in their lives, education, and communities. Engagement with the arts transforms individuals, connects us more deeply to each other, energizes the economy, and sustains the vibrant cultural landscape that makes Vermont a great place to live. Since 1965, the Council has been the state's primary provider of funding, advocacy, and information for the arts in Vermont. Learn more at vermontartscouncil.org
About the Vermont Community Foundation
The Vermont Community Foundation inspires giving and brings people and resources together to make a difference in Vermont. A family of hundreds of funds and foundations, we provide the advice, investment vehicles, and back-office expertise that make it easy for the people who care about Vermont to find and fund the causes they love.
The heart of the Community Foundation’s work is closing the opportunity gap—the divide that leaves too many Vermonters struggling to get ahead, no matter how hard they work. We are aligning our time, energy, and discretionary resources on efforts that provide access to early care and learning, pathways to college and career training, support for youth and families, and community and economic vitality. We envision Vermont at its best—where everyone has the opportunity to build a bright, secure future. Visit vermontcf.org or call 802-388-3355 for more information.
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