State offers rescue grants to assist arts organizations
The application period is now open for nonprofit arts groups affected by COVID-19 to apply for the Arkansas Arts Council American Rescue Plan Grant, the Division of Arkansas Heritage recently announced.
The grant will aid 501(c)(3) arts groups based in Arkansas that have experienced financial hardships or loss of program capacity due to lost revenue during the pandemic, a news release said.
“Arts organizations have been definitely impacted by COVID. So this is the second round of federal funding that has come through the Arkansas Arts Council and made available to arts organizations in Arkansas. It’s similar to the CARES (Act) grant that we did in 2020,” Stacy Hurst, secretary of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism told The Sentinel-Record.
Funding for the grant comes from the $784,000 the Arkansas Arts Council received from the National Endowment for the Arts in the ARP. Eligible arts organizations may request up to $15,000. This is a one-timeonly grant and may not be extended or renewed.
“Arts organizations play an important role in their local economies and contribute substantially to the quality of life in our state,” Hurst said in the release.
The agency recognizes this as an opportunity for the sector not just to reestablish old ways of operating, but to rebuild in a way that works better for all arts organizations, the release said.
The applications opened Monday, “and we’re going to leave them open for about four weeks,” Hurst said. “So by mid-October, organizations should have their grant requests submitted. And these do have to go over to the Legislature for review. We’re hoping that we can get that in front of the legislature in November and distribute the money in late November.”
The grant money “can be used pretty broadly,” Hurst said. “Salary support, contracting with artists for arts programs, any sort of marketing or communications cost. So, it’s a pretty broad grant and easy to use for arts organizations.”
According to the release, to qualify for the ARP grant, organizations will be considered on the following:
• The quality of the arts organizations, based on artistic excellence and artistic merit.
• The potential of the proposal to have a significant and immediate impact on the arts workforce.
• The proposal’s significance to the arts mission and core work of the organizations.
• The organization’s ability to carry out an arts proposal, including the appropriateness of the budget, resources involved and personnel.
• The extent to which the arts organization aids underserved populations whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography, ethnicity, economics or disability.
The Arkansas Arts Council ARP grant can be used for the following administrative costs:
• Salary support, full or partial, for one or more staff positions.
• Fees or stipends for contractual personnel to support the services they provide for specific activities. Jobs or positions supported through ARP may be existing or new.
• Facility costs such as rent and utilities such as electric, phone and gas bills. Not to include upgrades to HVAC/ventilation systems and costs related to home offices are not allowed.
• Costs associated with health and safety supplies for staff or visitors and audiences, including personal protective equipment, cleaning supplies, and hand sanitizer.
• Costs associated with marketing, promotion and applicant or grantee technical assistance.
To apply for the ARP grant, go to https://bit.ly/2XnbWU4. New users will have to create an account to apply. The deadline to apply is Oct. 15.
For more information or assistance, email Jess Anthony, grant programs manager, at jess. anthony@arkansas.gov or call 501-324-9768.