Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont has announced a grant program that will support the state's arts community amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Lamont said the state will be providing up to $9 million in grants to certain nonprofit arts organizations. The grants are designed to help them recover quicker from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to state officials, the state Dept. of Economic and Community Development's Office will administer the COVID Relief Fund for the Arts Program using federal CARES Act funding from Connecticut's Coronavirus Relief Fund.
The COVID Relief Fund for the Arts program has a goal of supporting arts nonprofits where grants will make a difference for survival and rehiring or arts nonprofits that have had to curtail operations for a period of time due to COVID-19 and have had limited ability to reopen and/or have had to pivot their delivery service due to COVID-19, Lamont's office said.
Organizations that qualify will receive a base grant of $5,000. The program will also offer a supplemental match of 50 percent of contributed income for organizations that raise money between March 10 and November 20, state officials said. The maximum award for any organization is $750,000.
“The ongoing, global COVID-19 pandemic has impacted so many aspects of our lives, and many of our state’s nonprofit arts organizations are struggling to recover from its impact. This program will provide some support so that these groups can continue providing the services in our state that so many depend on," Lamont said in part in a statement.
Arts organizations that are eligible for funding include:
- Performing Arts Centers
Performing arts centers includes multi-purpose facilities for arts programming including theaters that present live performances and/or live classes.
- Performing Groups
Performing groups are groups of artists who perform works of arts including orchestra, theater or dance groups. In order to qualify, the organization must own the venue where it performs and/or must spend more than 20 percent of its annual operating budget on rental space used to perform, according to state officials.
- Schools of the Arts
Schools of the Arts are organizations that have arts education as its primary educational mission. An example is a community arts school.
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The state Office of the Arts ill be accepting applications between October 23 and November 3, Lamont's office said. All contracts must be executed by December 30.
For more information on the application process, click here.
