Arts and humanities organizations in Vermont facing hardship due to the Covid-19 pandemic can now apply for emergency relief funding through a new partnership between the Vermont Arts Council and Vermont Humanities.
The new Covid-19 Cultural Relief Grant Program is seeded with more than $700,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020.
Grant awards are based on organization size:
Annual operating budgets of up to $200,000: $5,000.
Annual operating budgets between $200,000 and $750,000: $7,500
Annual operating budget larger than $750,000: $10,000
Awards may be made by the Vermont Arts Council, Vermont Humanities, or both. The grants do not require a match.
Applications will be evaluated based on demonstrated need rather than on a polished application. A diverse range of organizations of different disciplines, geographic locations, and backgrounds are encouraged to apply.
The CARES Act funding to the NEA and NEH was secured through the leadership efforts of Senator Patrick Leahy and Congressman Peter Welch.
“Our congressional delegation is a great champion for Vermont’s creative economy and cultural landscape,” said Vermont Humanities Executive Director Christopher Kaufman Ilstrup. “They know that Vermont’s artists and cultural workers are deeply embedded in and essential to our state’s fabric. We are proud to be working with them to help Vermont’s cultural sector weather this storm.”
Vermont’s arts and culture sector provides more than 40,000 jobs annually and comprises 9.3% of all employment in Vermont, higher than the national average.
Applications will be accepted until May 31 or until all available funds have been distributed. The application takes about 30 minutes.
For more information visit vermontartscouncil.org/culturalrelief or vermonthumanities.org/c19-grants.
