Hello/hola, here’s the latest Coronavirus (COVID-19) news…

If you see interesting or helpful items or have a resource to share, please email me at rharper@artsusa.org. We will continue to update the Resource Center on a regular basis.

A reminder that we are circulating this news digest on Monday/Wednesday/Friday.

AFTA NEWS/UPDATES

Please complete our revised COVID-19 survey for organizations. It still collects the critical up-to-date estimates that we need for our collective advocacy efforts. However, we’ve removed less relevant questions and added short sections on re-opening plans and the impact of the racial equity movement. You can keep up with the survey results by visiting the project dashboard as well as by downloading a handy 1-page summary of all our COVID-19 impact research.

Link to Revised Survey: https://surveys.americansforthearts.org/s3/CoronavirusImpactSurvey

EXTENDED THROUGH JULY 29! Office Hours with Nina. Nina is extending her daily office hours through July 29 on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays excluding holidays (June 19, July 3) from 11am - noon ET! 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.
Book Nina for your next local, state, or national webinar related to CARES Act funding for the arts and/or ArtsVote 2020 legislative and political activities. Free for members.

OnDemand: COVID-19 Federal Relief Funds for the Arts 101 Series

In this FREE on-demand video series, we will explore the federal relief programs available to artists and arts organizations during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Sample plans for reopening: AFTA is collecting and sharing reopening plans. Some communities are closer than others to restarting businesses and allowing the public back into museums and cultural sites. As we receive examples of plans to reopen (please send them to services@artsusa.org), we will be sharing them on the resource center.

Jul 16, 3:00p EDT: ENGAGING YOUR AUDIENCE DURING AND AFTER COVID-19

This webinar will tackle these questions and more. We will review the tenets of strong audience development we can lean on that haven’t changed; explore approaches and frameworks to help us think about and understand our audiences in ways that can guide our programming and/or communication; and check-in with the most recent data for big-picture clues that can help inform our planning.

FIELD PROGRAMMING

(UPDATE: We will feature new offerings here – free to low-cost opportunities. Previous listings have been moved down to below the signature)

OnDemand: APAP BREAK/ROOM Conversations is a unique series of virtual dialogues with leaders across our field---artists, presenters, producers, agents, managers, funders and other cultural workers---launched in response to the current crisis.
Jun 24, 2:00p EDT: Maximizing Value on Every Public Dollar During & After COVID-19

Presented by National Association of Counties. The National Association of Counties, NACo Financial Services Corporation, and Three + One will be hosting a webinar on Wednesday, June 24 at 2:00 PM ET to show counties how to use liquidity analyses and data to maximize the value on current tax dollars and any CARES Act funding received. New opportunities exist to increase the value on public funds during a time it’s needed most, this webinar will highlight ways to look under every stone for taxpayer benefit.

Jun 26, 1:00p EDT: Local Response to COVID-19: How Counties are Investing CARES Act Coronavirus Relief Fund Dollars

Presented by National Association of Counties. On March 27, Congress passed and the president signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which established a new $150 billion Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) for state, county and municipal governments with populations of over 500,000 people to address necessary expenditures incurred due to the COVID-19 public health emergency. Now that the U.S. Treasury has distributed CRF payments, eligible counties are now tasked with distributing these funds in the best way possible to support our nation’s residents and communities. Join NACo for a webinar to hear from county leaders about their process for developing and implementing their CRF plans to address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

FIELD NEWS

Philadelphia Inquirer: City Council puts money for the arts back into budget, but the Philadelphia Cultural Fund remains cut drastically
NPR: Barcelona Opera Reopens With An Audience Of Plants
Chicago Tribune: Commentary: Chicago’s theaters won’t survive without relief
CONTEMPORARY DANCE THEATER And MAMLUFT&CO. DANCE are joining to make a somewhat new, somewhat familiar, and certainly exciting organization.
Vox: Artists helped lift America out of the Great Depression. Could that happen again? As unemployment soars, the WPA’s emphasis on artists shows a path toward recovery.

GENERAL NEWS

Nonprofit Quarterly: Giving USA 2020: What Are the Implications for You?
Stanford Social Innovation Review: A Better World Ahead Means Shaping Emerging Narratives Now. The groups that set the narratives about what happened during the COVID-19 crisis, what to do now, and what’s next will have outsized influence on who we hold responsible, who gets help, and what we do moving forward.
Washington Post: Over 700 cash-strapped cities halt plans to repair roads, water systems or make other key investments
Fast Company: Coronavirus cases are rising again. When will Wall Street wake up? The world is full of risk, but we refuse to act like it. Parag Khanna and Karan Khemka explain why America Inc. needs to get serious if it wants to survive.
Cruise Radio.net: Carnival Cruise Line Cancels Sailings Until September 30
Washington Post: Small businesses turned to technology to survive the pandemic. But it may not be enough. After their doors shut, small businesses have had to figure out ways to get online and stay competitive during the pandemic.
Nonprofit Quarterly: Nonprofits Struggle to Stay Alive amid COVID-19
Medium: CC + COVID-19: Re-calibrating Cities for a Secure Future
REOPENING

NPR: Amid Confusion About Reopening, An Expert Explains How To Assess COVID-19 Risk
NYTimes: New Yorkers Can Now Go Back to Offices, but Many Won’t As the city entered Phase 2 of reopening, subway cars and sidewalks were relatively empty as many companies kept workers home.
Washington Post: What to know about the coronavirus and summertime activities
NPR: Why Reopening Isn't Enough To Save The Economy
Washington Post: Going back to the office? What public health experts say about using the elevator.

EQUITY/MENTAL HEALTH

Fast Company: The pandemic made the racial wealth gap worse: These 8 policies could fix it From postal banking to Medicare for All to baby bonds, this series of proposals to build our way out of the recession would also help build generational wealth in communities that have been shut out of opportunities.
Brookings Institute: Race gaps in COVID-19 deaths are even bigger than they appear
Associations Now: SLEEP GROUPS PROMOTE SOLUTIONS FOR INSOMNIA
Washington Post: Income emerges as a major predictor of coronavirus infections, along with race

ON THE LIGHTER SIDE

Washington Post: Here’s how to use your sourdough discard in everyday baking

Thanks for reading. We hope you find this news digest to be a helpful tool to navigate this very complex situation, and welcome feedback at services@artsusa.org. If you were forwarded this and want to sign up for the Local Arts Network listserv to receive it daily, click here.

____________________

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: Facebook

Pronouns: she/her/hers

FIELD PROGRAMMING

Jun 25, 11:30a EDT: What's Working Now? Fundraising in the Midst of COVID-19 presented by Prosper Strategies

In this webinar, we'll talk with leaders from three of those extraordinary organizations to learn what they're doing differently, and get their take on what's working now in fundraising. You'll find out how they have spent the first part of this year engaging their donors in new ways online, matching their past in-person gala fundraising results with a virtual gala, raising $1.7M and attracting over 1,000 new donors on a single giving day, and more.

Jun 26, 1:00p EDT: How to Plan to Return to Work hosted by the Houston Arts Alliance

As COVID-19 becomes part of our day to day lives, Houston’s arts organizations are putting together plans for how to survive in the new world. Some organizations are implementing new health screening guidelines and opening their doors, while others are finding ways to move their work to the digital space. We have invited leaders of arts organizations across Houston to talk about how they are “getting back to work” and what that means to them.

July 23, 2:00p EDT: “Digital-first events are the new normal. Are you prepared?” hosted by ON24

Join us for VIRTUALIZED, a special live online event designed to prepare you for our digital-first future. Kicking off with a special live keynote webinar featuring leading experts in webinar and experiential marketing, it’s followed by a 5-part on-demand webinar certification course that will teach you how to build amazing digital experiences for your audience that engage across the entire customer journey.

NEW Webinar Series on Health Equity and Social Solidarity in the Time of Pandemic: Strategies for COVID-19 Response and Recovery presented by the National Association of Counties.

NACo is happy to highlight a new webinar series, Health Equity and Social Solidarity in the Time of Pandemic: Strategies for COVID-19 Response and Recovery, from our partner County Health Rankings and Roadmaps. The series highlights the challenges communities are facing as they respond to COVID-19 and its impacts and serves as an opportunity for community leaders across the nation to learn from lead researchers, policymakers and each other.