Arts Council Gives Out $392,250 in Cares Act Funds to State Arts Groups
The Nevada Arts Council has issued $392,250 in federal funds to 79 arts organizations through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $10,000, based on each group’s total annual revenue.
“The Nevada Arts Council is honored to be able to provide operational relief support to Nevada’s nonprofit arts organizations through these CARES Act funds,” Tony Manfredi, Nevada Arts Council executive director, said. “As of July 6, 96% of these organizations have had to cancel events, they have experienced a loss in attendance of 676,627 patrons and have seen a total financial loss of $4,733,292.
“These funds come at a time when these organizations need it most and will allow the creativity, innovation, and inspiration of the arts community to continue to uplift us while contributing to the economic stability of our state,” Manfredi added.
Among the recipients is Artown, the month-long festival currently happening in Reno.
“The benefit to us and all of the arts organizations is tremendous,” Beth MacMillan, Artown executive director, said. “We’ve all had to pivot,” MacMillan said. “We’re all getting creative with how we’re moving forward.”
CARES Act funds were awarded to non-profit organizations throughout the state including the Western Folklife Center in Elko, the Neon Museum in Las Vegas, and the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival in Incline Village. For a complete list of grantees, click here.
As part of the $2 trillion federal CARES Act passed in March by Congress, $75 million was allocated to the National Endowment of the Arts to assist arts and cultural organizations. Of that $75 million, 40 percent was divided nationally among state arts agencies — including the NAC — for distribution within those states. In total, the NAC received $442,000 of those funds. Approximately $49,750 will be utilized by the NAC. The remaining $392,250 was sub-granted to the state’s nonprofit arts organizations through amendments to current grands and new applications from organizations that are not current grantees.
The Nevada Arts Council is part of the Nevada Division of Tourism and Cultural Affairs. Its mission is to to enrich the cultural life of the state through leadership that preserves, supports, strengthens and makes accessible excellence in the arts for all Nevadans.