“The mythology is that we receive so much money in donations and philanthropic funds,” said Garrett, but in truth, the numbers of foundations and affluent theater fans are limited.
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The bipartisan provision, dubbed SOS for “Save Our Stages,” was written by U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, and John Cornyn, a Texas Republican. It provides grants that could reimburse venues for 45% of their losses, or $10 million, whichever is less. It covers theaters, music clubs and non-profit museums.
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Proposed actions include an expansion of existing workforce hiring programs to include artists and creative workers, launching a program of federal arts commissions, developing an ArtistCorps within AmeriCorps, continuing CARES Act policies that extended benefits to the self-employed, and the creation of a new leadership position to coordinate federal arts policy.
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California recently announced a $500 million Small Business Covid-19 Relief Grant program for eligible small business owners, nonprofits, and cultural institutions who have been impacted by COVID-19 and the health and safety restrictions. Grants up to $25,000 will be given to eligible small businesses and nonprofits to help cover expenses during the pandemic.
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There is significant relief for the arts contained in the bill including an extension of Federal Pandemic Unemployment programs (with an additional $300 to all weekly benefits), $284 billion for forgivable Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans (allowing many apply for a second loan), and $15 billion in relief grants for entities and individuals operating live performance venues, performing arts organizations, museums, independent movie theaters, and talent agencies plus an increase of $5.2 million each in funding for the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities ($167.5 million each in FY2021)
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Gov. Gavin Newsom recently announced a $500 million grant program for small businesses, specifically singling out cultural organizations. Baker said the funds will be a good start, but she also called on legislators to fund a one-time budget increase for the California Arts Council, the state’s arts agency.
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We believe that the current statewide funding level of $26M should be augmented with a one- time infusion of $15M, which would help augment California’s underfunded arts organization particularly serving communities of color and in rural areas that lack access to private funders to address emergency-related needs.
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The $1,000 grants are for artists working in craft disciplines who are facing dire circumstances due to food, housing, and/or medical insecurities as a result of the ongoing pandemic.
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In addition to the usual opportunities that qualified under our CALI Accelerator guidelines prior to April 16, 2020, applications with proposed activities that will enable emerging arts leaders to shape or pivot to an unprecedented new reality for their organizations post-COVID-19 will now be accepted.
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The Administering Organization (AO) will be responsible for the planning and implementation of the rapid relief grant program, including but not limited to: development of program components and timeline; implementing statewide and culturally specific engagement strategies to priority communities and trusted culture bearers; regular reporting to and collaborating with the CAC on expanded outreach to ensure diverse statewide representation of applicants; management of the application processes for artists through implementation, screening applications, award management, and regular reporting to CAC.
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Impact Projects grants support arts organizations for collaborations between local artist(s) and community members to develop and express their own creative and artistic goals and address a community-defined need. Collaborative projects will utilize various creative practices to impact social issues affecting their communities, including but not limited to systemic/structural racism, education, poverty, health disparities, housing insecurity, violence, food insecurity, cultural/social justice, intergenerational learning, environmental sustainability, and the digital divide.
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This grant supports the well-being of California’s cultural vitality by helping sustain a robust and diverse arts workforce and infrastructure. Funds may be used to support any eligible expenses associated with the general operations of an arts or cultural organization, including but not limited to rent, utilities, and staff salaries.
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Humanities for All is a grant program that supports locally-initiated public humanities projects. This program responds to the needs and interests of Californians, encourages greater public participation in humanities programming, particularly by new and/or underserved audiences. It aims to promote understanding and empathy among all our state’s peoples in order to cultivate a thriving democracy.
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U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., chairman of the Subcommittee on Manufacturing, Trade, and Consumer Protection, will convene a hearing titled, “Examining the Impact of COVID-19 on the Live Event Entertainment Industry,” at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, December 15, 2020. The hearing will examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the live event entertainment industry and the challenges faced by artists and venues, as well as supporting industries such as lighting and transportation. The hearing will also examine proposals for legislative relief, unemployment compensation, and healthcare subsidies.
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Senator Amy Klobuchar referenced NIVA chief Dayna Frank, who runs Minneapolis’ legendary First Avenue, and the mural of Prince outside the venue. “He and so many others across the country could not get his start without venues,” she said, “So many of these venues are the heart of their community — we do not want to be the Congress that lets the music die.”
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One criticism has come from arts presenters who feel that the performing arts have been unfairly left out of California’s reopening efforts. Before the current upswing of COVID-19 cases that landed most of California in the purple tier, indicating unmitigated spread, San Francisco moved to allow indoor dining at 25% capacity of up to 100 people; outdoor religious services with up to 200 people were also allowed. But there was no official pathway for outdoor, masked and socially distanced performing arts events—even though the city didn’t stop thousands of people from partying on Ocean Beach during Burning Man weekend.
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The majority of our sector relies on events and admissions to earn revenue and since performing arts centers, theaters and venues were the first to close and will likely be the last to reopen, the ability to access relief funds is critical to the survival of California’s arts ecosystem. As your administration develops the criteria for accessing these important grant funds, we respectfully urge you to avoid any structural impediment to artists, arts and cultural organizations, venues, performing arts centers.
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The budget for 2021 allocates funding to preserve Berlin museum buildings, renovate the Bayreuth Festival theatre, boost provenance research and grant free admission to the Jewish Museum Berlin
State and local guidelines still need to be established for these concerts, and Phillips says the Segerstrom Center is working with the Californians for the Arts organization to advocate for live performance guidelines to be given. Right now, Phillips says, classical concerts are in the same category as rock concerts and stadium events, which he feels is ridiculous.
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“People can say nothing will happen until 2022, but I’m not willing to go there,” said Rosenthal, who is the vice chair of California Presenters, a coalition of more than 130 nonprofit live-events arts groups in the state.
“I am part of Californians for the Arts’ re-opening task force. We are working on the best ways to inform our state officials about how different, as arts groups, we all are — and to get ourselves to the table to talk about reopening as quickly and safely as possible.”
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