Hello/Hola, here’s the latest news…

NOTE: Items marked with a * will be added to the Resource Center. If you see interesting or helpful items or have a resource to share, please email us at services@artsusa.org. We are updating the Resource Center daily, Monday through Friday.

FYI: While we continue to monitor the situation over the weekend, we will not send an update on Saturday or Sunday, but will be back to it on Monday. Please continue to send over items as you find them.

AFTA PROGRAMMING/NEWS/UPDATES

EXTENDED! Office Hours with Nina. Based on popular demand and the upcoming infusion of $310 billion additional dollars to the PPP SBA program, Nina is extending her daily office hours to May 15th! She will be available to help you navigate the complex web of funding opportunities, federal regulations, and deadlines related to the federal aid package in the CARES Act.

CARES Act Table of Federal Arts Funding Opportunities – This helpful table breaks down the CARES Act so you can determine which funding opportunities apply to you, whether you represent a nonprofit organization, a governmental agency, a commercial arts company, a self-employed gig worker, or just a taxpayer. The table is regularly updated and links to helpful FAQs are listed on the last page.

April 27-May 1: National Arts Action Summit

With Congress scheduled to return in May for further COVID-19 relief legislation and the annual federal budget, advocating for the arts is more important now than ever. Along with over 85 National Partners, we're excited to present over a dozen plenary and issue-specific breakout session webinars live from April 27 – May 1, 2020. You can register for the entire Digital Summit, or for individual sessions based on your preference. Designed to bring advocates the latest updates in federal arts policy, compelling up-to-the-minute data, and successful advocacy techniques, the National Arts Action Digital Summit is the best way to prepare yourself to make key asks of your federal elected officials and to learn how to be the best arts advocate you can be—all from the comfort and safety of your home.

May 4, 2:00p EDT: SAVE THE DATE! Americans for the Arts and the Arts Action Fund will be hosting a webinar (registration details to come) to cover the local success stories and best practices on securing CARES Act funding, findings from the three active surveys that we're currently conducting on the impact of COVID-19 on the arts and a customized walk-through of the incredibly comprehensive and soon-to-go-live updated web pages of the Americans for the Arts Coronavirus Resource and Response Center 2.0.
May 4, 4:00p EDT: “Membership Coffee Hour for Emerging Leaders” is open to any Americans for the Arts member who identifies as an emerging leader. Join us and share your work from home successes, challenges, and tips! Connect with your fellow Americans for the Arts emerging leaders during a casual coffee hour! Registration for coffee hour is limited with a cap of 20 participants per coffee hour to help foster more personal connections.

FIELD PROGRAMMING

April 28, 1:00p EDT: “Ask An Expert: Tech Tips and Tricks for Successful Livestreaming” hosted by Folk Alliance International.

Join a panel of experts as they discuss and outline how to make your livestreams look and sound as professional as possible. Whether you are a novice who wants to learn the basics, or a seasoned presenter seeking to improve your online offerings, this informative webinar will provide you with advice, insight, and the tools you need to take your livestream to the next level.

April 29, 2:00p EDT: “Artists in the Time of Coronavirus” hosted by the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council.

Many artists pursue their career through a combination of freelance jobs, independent contractor assignments and gig work. They are especially hard-hit by the shutdown of the arts as they have lost essential income from commissions and jobs they worked hard to line up. Federal and state emergency relief now includes assistance for freelance workers, independent contractors, and gig workers. Learn how you can survive these challenging times and access the federal and state relief recently passed.

April 30, 12p EDT: “Stories of Resilience: A Conversation with Brené Brown” hosted by Salesforce.

How do you cultivate braver, more daring leaders and embed the value of courage in your company culture? Learn more in a live conversation with #1 New York Times bestselling author Brené Brown and Salesforce SVP of SMB Marketing Marie Rosecrans. Whether you’re running a small business or leading a large team, here’s your opportunity to explore resiliency strategies.

May 14, 2:00p EDT: “Transforming Your Event into a Virtual Experience” hosted by Catchafire.

How do you bring your donors and constituents together when in-person events are not a possibility? You cancelled your event due to public safety concerns, but you can’t cancel your need to fundraise. Join us to learn the best ways to successfully transform your event into a virtual gathering supporting your organization. Learn how to leverage alternative event types that reflect your mission and vision, without breaking the bank. We’ll give you the tools you need to make this shift and take advantage of the opportunities virtual events have to offer your organization.

May 28, 2:00p EDT: “Building a Case for Support | Key Trends & Fundraising FYIs” hosted by Catchafire.

Join us to learn how to develop your case for support and leverage your volunteers to ensure your organization doesn’t lose focus or funding in a noisy year. Donors have a limited amount of funds and attention to give in a year - but what do you do at a time where the world feels smaller than ever, and you’re worried about your message being drowned out by the noise of everything else going on? You need to establish a solid case for support to set your organization apart. By reframing how you communicate your mission and the importance of your work, your organization’s narrative can be heard through all the noise - whether it’s COVID-19 breaking news, election campaigns, environmental emergencies, or competing causes.

On-demand: “Cashflow Planning” and “Scenario Planning” hosted by the Nonprofit Finance Fund.

To help nonprofits that are dealing with the effects of COVID-19, these core financial planning webinars are available, free of charge

FIELD NEWS/COMMUNICATIONS

PBS News Hour: “Why pandemic represents ‘existential crisis’ for performing artists”
NYTimes: “Artists Are Hunkered Down, but Still Nurturing Their Inner Visions”
NYTimes: “The Virus Won’t Revive F.D.R.’s Arts Jobs Program. Here’s Why.” The Federal Art Project, part of Roosevelt’s sweeping employment plan, gave work to thousands of artists, but politics and society were different then.
International Arts + Mind Lab. COVID-19 NeuroArts Field Guide, In response to many requests about ways the arts can help us during the pandemic, IAM Lab has created the COVID-19 NeuroArts Field Guide. It offers weekly easy-to-do art activities and simple explanations about the science behind them.
NYTimes: “Keep Calm and Draw Together” With assists from Shepard Fairey and Maira Kalman, graphic designers and illustrators are creating striking visual messages of safety and gratitude.
Funding opportunities

Bob Woodruff Foundation released a paper entitled, “Veterans and COVID-19: Projecting the Economic, Social, and Mental Health Needs of America’s Veterans.” In response to the findings outlined in the paper, they are conducting an expedited grant cycle to fund programs providing direct support to the military/veteran population during the COVID-19 pandemic. DEADLINE: April 30
Indiana Humanities. Applications are now open for Indiana Humanities CARES Grants, which are designed to distribute funding relief to nonprofit organizations that provide public humanities programming and have faced financial hardship during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

*Resource Pages

The NAMM Foundation. Teaching and learning music can continue and even thrive through the remarkable tools, resources and people that are engaging in music online.

*Relief Funds

Arts + Business Council of Greater Nashville. The Fund will be open to all artists at all levels of their careers, in a broad variety of disciplines, and will supply money help self-employed artists and artists employed/contracted by nonprofit arts and culture organizations in Greater Nashville recover from lost income due to the cancellation of scheduled gigs or opportunities (such as a commission, performance, contract, etc.), or due to layoff or furlough due to the March 3 tornados and/or COVID-19 precautionary measures. Artists may request up to $500 to compensate for work that was scheduled or contracted and cancelled. At this time the Fund is not available to compensate for potential future loss of business or income. Applications for funding will open at 9:00 AM Central Time on Monday, April 27.

GENERAL NEWS

Blavity: “New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell Says She 'Will Not Be Bullied' Into Reopening The City”
NYTimes “COVID-19 Arrived in Seattle. Where It Went From There Stunned the Scientists.”
The Washington Post: “States rushing to reopen are likely making a deadly error, coronavirus models and experts warn”
The Wall Street Journal: “The Coronavirus Economic Reopening Will Be Fragile, Partial and Slow”
Quartz: “Face masks are excluding the deaf and hard of hearing community”
NBC4: “Las Vegas workers push back after mayor's call to reopen casinos and hotels”

ON THE LIGHTER SIDE

Associations Now: “AVOID ONLINE MEETING MADNESS”
USO: “38 Free, Fun and Educational Things for Military Kids To Do at Home During COVID-19 Quarantines”
Hyperallergic: “From Shoebox to White Cube: A Roundup of Homemade Pet Museums”
Pocket-Lint: “How to turn yourself into a potato (and other things) for Zoom meetings, Teams calls and more”

____________________

Ruby Lopez Harper

Senior Director of Local Arts Advancement

Americans for the Arts

1000 Vermont Ave NW 6^th Floor

Washington, DC 20005-4940

202.371.2830 x2079

202.789.2830 fax

www.AmericansForTheArts.org

Follow me: Twitter

Pronouns: she/her/hers