Hi PAN Iistserv,

Here’s the latest Coronavirus (COVID-19) news…  

A reminder that we are circulating this news digest weekly on Tuesday. We are continuing to update the Resource Center on a regular basis. If you see interesting or helpful items or have a resource to share, please email me at jejenkins@artsusa.org.  

We invite you to share this news roundup with your networks and colleagues.   

AFTA NEWS/UPDATES

• American Rescue Plan State & Local Block Grant Arts Tracker - Help us document your success and inspire other arts organizations by example! If you are working with your state or local city, county, or tribe governments to secure ARP block grants for economic relief and recovery for the arts, please take a few minutes to fill out the Americans for the Arts Tracker Google Form, so we can share your examples.
• Check out the new Creative Workers.net! This site now houses the Put Creative Workers to Work policy platform, talking points, coalition and endorsers list, and action steps.   
• We urge all arts and cultural organizations to complete the new COVID-19 Impact Survey for Organizations. This revised survey enables Americans for the Arts to continue tracking the human and financial impacts of COVID-19 on arts organizations as well as understand the challenges with recovery and re-opening. All types of arts and cultural organizations should participate. Please share the link with other organizations and businesses in your community. 
• Americans for the Arts and Artist Relief, with support from the Ford Foundation, have launched a new COVID-19 Impact Survey for Artists. This revised survey enables the partners to gauge what is happening to our creative economy and address what is needed to provide relief and spur recovery. All types of creative workers should participate practicing artists, culture bearers, educators and teaching artists, creative entrepreneurs, and hobby artists). Please share this link with your artist networks. 
• Research Findings (August 10, 2021): COVID-19’s Impact on The Arts— The coronavirus has had a devastating impact on America’s arts sector. Even as arts organizations begin to reopen, artists and creative workers remain among the most severely affected segment of the nation’s workforce. Nationally, financial losses to nonprofit arts and culture organizations are an estimated $17.8 billion. As of July 1, 40% of organizations with in-person programming remain closed to the public. The vast majority, however, expect to return to in-person activities in 2021.
• Book Randy Cohen, VP of Research to speak to your community’s arts leaders and decision makers about the pandemic’s impact and the vital role the arts can play in rebuilding your community.  
• On behalf of Americans for the Arts and Arts Action Fund members, Nina Ozlu Tunceli participates in Daily Briefings with the SBA’s Shuttered Venue team to ask your questions, provide problem case examples, and learn the latest. Get Nina’s up-to-the-minute takeaways with her SBA Daily Updates posted at https://www.artsactionfund.org/news and social media. You can also follow Nina on Twitter @Nina4arts for daily tweets.
• OFFICE HOURS! Extended through 2021 on Fridays (excluding holidays) from 11:00a to 12:00p EDT. Join Nina Ozlu Tunceli with the Americans for the Arts Action Fund to get answers to your most pressing questions about navigating the CARES Act, Economic Aid Act, and American Rescue Plan. Check the link for any additional dates or occasional blackout dates.    
• For our latest breaking news, legislative updates, and technical assistance on COVID 19 Federal Resources, please visit www.ArtsActionFund.org/COVID19Resources
• 2021 COVID-19 Arts Resources Table – The table provides information on all of the new and expanded federal resources for artists and arts organizations as a result of the economic aid package enacted on December 27, 2020. 
• Book Nina for your next local, state, or national webinar related to federal economic opportunities for the arts such as the CARES Act, Economic Aid Act, and American Rescue Plan. Free for members.   

FIELD PROGRAMMING

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

FIELD NEWS

• Park Record.com: Park City arts fest says coronavirus safety measures at ‘forefront’ of plans
• County of San Mateo: Arts and Culture: Keys to Community Recovery Out of the Pandemic
• UVA Today: Arts Education in a Post-Pandemic World
• VTdigger.com: Federal grants provide a lifeline to struggling Vermont performing arts organizations

MUSEUMS & GALLERIES

• Pennsylvania Pressroom: Wolf Administration Visits Carnegie Museum of Natural History to Discuss COVID-19 Safety Tips For Children Not Yet Eligible to Receive COVID-19 Vaccine And Their Families
• American Alliance of Museums: Same Storm, Different Boats

THEATRE, DANCE & MUSIC

• Empire State Development: New York City Musical and Theatrical Production Tax Credit

RELIEF FUNDS & GRANTS 

• RJE Sprout Fund Invites Proposals From Artists Working With Underserved Communities: Awards will continue to be administered throughout the calendar year on an ongoing basis. All artists – whether formally trained, self-taught, or whose creative work falls outside traditional art forms – are encouraged to apply. Artists are also encouraged to apply for funds for projects that involve their communities (e.g., art classes, art therapy, outreach, and non-traditional projects). Deadline: Rolling.
• Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC) Manhattan Arts Grants: Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s grant opportunities provide funding for public projects and presentations in 2022. The grants are often among the first awards an artist or group receives and can help recipients to leverage additional support from other sources. Recommendations for awards are made through a juried selection process comprising artists and arts leaders whose expertise reflects the cultural and creative diversity of Manhattan. Deadline: September 14.

GENERAL NEWS

• WLOX Mississippi: ‘A horrific situation’: High number of COVID-19 cases straining hospitals throughout Mississippi

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 directly, click here.

____________________

Equity and Local Arts Engagement Team

Americans for the Arts

FIELD PROGRAMMING

• Aug. 19, 1:00p ET: Workplace Mental Health: Is your Nonprofit Ready for Post-COVID Challenges?

What post Covid-19 life will look like remains speculative. Will there be a long-term impact on health and wellbeing, social relations, and work life?  After more than a year of living under restrictions, people have struggled with uncertainty, anxiety, and depression, while also discovering new joys and opportunities for growth. Organizations have likewise responded to changing work conditions in different ways, some for the better and some not so well. In this webinar, we will discuss how you and your organization can meet the post-COVID challenge by using your pandemic learnings to evaluate change and develop strategies to find a new path forward.

Best,

Jerelle Jenkins

Local Arts Services Coordinator

Americans for the Arts

202.371.2830 x2086

Pronouns: she/her