The National Endowment for the Arts has announced guidelines to distribute funding to nonprofit arts organizations from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to preserve jobs and help support organizations forced to close operations due to the spread of COVID-19.

 

With the $75 million appropriated to the National Endowment for the Arts through the CARES Act, the Arts Endowment has awarded 40 percent of the funds directly to state and regional arts agencies to distribute through their own funding programs. Sixty percent of the funds are designated for direct grants to nonprofit arts organizations all across the United States.

 

The more than 3,700 organizations that have received National Endowment for the Arts awards in the past four years are eligible to apply for a direct grant through the Arts Endowment's program. Funds can be used for staff salary support, fees for artists or contractual personnel, and facilities costs. The direct grants will not require a cost share or match and will be for a fixed amount of $50,000. Designated local arts agencies eligible to subgrant may request $100,000 or $250,000 for subgranting programs. The deadline to apply is April 22, 2020 with the earliest announcement of grant award or rejection by June, 30 . Please see the Arts Endowment’s website for  program description , eligibility requirements , application review , and FAQs .

 

In May, Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation will announce its program of support made possible through the Arts Endowment CARES Act funding. Guidelines will be announced via email, newsletter, and social media.

In the meantime, we have compiled a list of resources for artists, organizations, creatives, and administrators that can be found here: https://www.midatlanticarts.org/covid-19-coronavirus-resources/ . The list is ever evolving - so check back frequently. We also encourage everyone to take a look at their state government page for information on small business, non-profit, and individual relief programs. 

MAAF has extended the deadline to book roster artists through Performing Arts Global Exchange (PAGE) —a new grant program through which U.S. presenters receive fee-subsidy grants when they book international artists from a curated roster. No complicated application involved! You now have until May 31 to engage PAGE artists to perform and connect with your community during the 2020 – 2021 season. Scheduling flexibility due to COVID-19 is available; please reach out to the respective artist's agent to discuss your needs.

 

About PAGE

Performing Arts Global Exchange (PAGE)  is a new MAAF grant program for performing arts presenters nationwide in cooperation with the National Endowment for the Arts. PAGE brings exemplary international music, dance, and theater to audiences across the United States. Fee-support grants are available to nonprofit presenting venues and units of government based anywhere in the U.S. or its territories who book artists from a curated roster for both performance and community-engagement activities. Artists on the roster have not widely toured in the U.S. and reside in a selected region, with the inaugural year’s roster featuring artists from neighbors Canada and Mexico. See the full 2020 – 2021 roster here . Eligible presenters can receive more than one grant for booking more than one roster artist each year. 

Questions? Contact robyn@midatlanticarts.org.

Photo: PAGE roster artist Vox Sambou. Credit: Courtesy of the artist.

Typically marked with celebratory concerts, award ceremonies, and jam sessions, this April, the COVID-19 pandemic has put a dramatic halt to the traditional public and communal aspects of jazz. In the face of these challenges, the jazz community continues to improvise and face this unexpected crisis with collective resilience. Across the mid-Atlantic region jazz service organizations, advocates, and artists are coming together to support each other and keep the music going. Artists have turned to online platforms to bring live music to their audiences, to jam with their peers, and to conduct wellness checks on fellow musicians.

Many musicians are using this time to reconnect with their music. Eric Spelsberg of the West Virginia Jazz Society says “times like these generate a flood of creativity, so we anxiously await the wonderful stuff being conceived and developed right now.” In anticipation, WV Jazz Society is dreaming up special kick-off events for when the industry is back in full swing while others are finding ways to celebrate the music now.

Jazz Philadelphia has partnered with local organizations to launch VJAM Philly, a virtual celebration of Jazz Appreciation Month. President, Gerald Veasley talks about the mission, “VJAM Philly helps jazz lovers remember the artists behind the music.” Executive Director, Heather Blakeslee says, "The strength of the VJAM Philly program is that it includes our entire community: musicians, jazz presenters, jazz radio stations, arts advocacy organizations, jazz educators, and others. We'll all in this together sharing information, resources, and support so that we can come through this stronger and more resilient."

This sentiment is being seen in efforts across the region. In the US Virgin Islands, Dion and Nicole Parson of the United Jazz Foundation have shifted to virtual lessons for private students and the UVI Youth Ensemble and are in the process of launching a new jazz radio series to stay connected with community members with limited online access. 

The Capital Hill Jazz Foundation in Washington D.C. has been hosting weekly stakeholder calls that host, Aaron Myers finds “have helped to bolster each other’s goals, ensuring our response through this pandemic is intentional and precise.”

These are just a few highlights. Countless individuals and organizations across our region are creating new ways to celebrate Jazz Appreciation month and support the industry. As Veasley says, “our stages may be silent but artists’ music needs to be heard and their stories need to be told.” The spirit of jazz and Jazz Appreciation Month is alive and well in the mid-Atlantic region.

To learn more about any of the initiatives mentioned here or to get connected to a local organization, contact MAAF Program Officer, Performing Arts, Jess Porter, jess@midatlanticarts.org

Article by Jess Porter. Photo: United Jazz Foundation's Dion Parson teaches a virtual class. Credit: Nicole Parson.