GIA Blog

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker announced recently a new relief program to provide financial assistance to the city’s creative scene and cultural organizations impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, The Chicago Sun Times reported.

In Denver, a fund at the city’s public funding agency - IMAGINE 2020 Artist Assistance Fund – was modified for a state-wide partnership to offer relief for artists across the state of Colorado, and, in the process, nearly tripled in amount available to individual artists, according to a press release.

   Download this letter as a .pdf (90Kb)

Dear colleagues,

I’m sending this letter now to rally the arts funding community during this difficult moment to not only react to crisis but also to be sure we treat this as moment to create our desired future. I write this letter as a follow up to the Grantmakers in the Arts webinar, COVID19 and the arts ecosystem and a pre-amble to ongoing programming throughout the year that will highlight examples of inspiring work that is happening now and of the future we can all create together.

The "literally overnight evaporation of gigs, commissions and sales": that is what the coronavirus crisis, as Next City puts it, has meant for many of America’s nearly 5 million cultural workers.

For the month of April, GIA’s photo banner features work supported by Center for Cultural Innovation.

The Personal Emergency Relief Fund, a program of Springboard for the Arts, an economic and community development organization for artists and by artists based in Fergus Falls and Saint Paul, Minnesota, has added language to specifically address COVID19-related cancellations.

As you may know from one of GIA’s previous webinars, “New Horizons in Arts Education: The Student Support and Academic Enrichment program,” the Student Support and Academic Enrichment (SSAE) program provides key federal resources that can be used by States, school districts, and schools to provide access to and courses in the arts for our nation’s public school students.

Congress gave final approval on Friday, March 27, to a $2 trillion measure that will deliver "direct payments and jobless benefits for individuals, money for states, and a huge bailout fund for businesses" battered by coronavirus crisis, as The New York Times reported.

Arts philanthropy, while not leaving legacy gifts behind, is shifting toward "impact and engagement and making a difference,” says Anders Petterson, founder of ArtTactic and author of the report TEFAF Art Market Report: Art Patronage in the 21st Century, Barron's reports.

London N. Breed, San Francisco mayor, announced an Arts Relief Program to invest in working artists and arts and cultural organizations financially impacted by COVID-19.