American Rescue Plan

Arts Relief in the $1.9 Trillion American Rescue Plan

 

NOW is the time to take action in your community to secure American Rescue Plan funding for the arts and culture sector in your city, town or county.  ARP is particularly relevant for the arts and culture sector as a primary requirement for seeking funding is your ability to show "negative economic impact" due to the pandemic.

Since so many of these funds are distributed on a local level, it is incredibly important that local advocates approach their local governing entities and make their voices heard to ensure the arts receive funding from this historic relief effort. 

Please read the linked resources below to learn more and find out how you can start advocating for ARP funds today. If you have questions and/or would like further assistance on how to seek resources from ARP from your community, email Texans for the Arts at [email protected]

 

ARP Overview:

On March 11th, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan into law. The American Rescue Plan includes an extension of federal unemployment programs, more funding, and flexibility for the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG), an expansion of the Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC) through the end of 2021, $135 million in arts relief through the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), $350 billion in relief to state, county, and municipal governments that could be used for additional relief for the arts sector, and much more. Texans for the Arts is proud to see so much of the relief we have been advocating for, with our peers at the national level, provided for in this package.

What is Texans for the Arts Doing?

FAQ

Fact Sheet

Texas Municipal League: Impact on Texas Counties and Cities 

Useful ARP resources from our colleagues at South Carolina Arts Alliance:

ARP State/Local Funding Guidance Overview

Deep Dive: State/Local ARP Funding

 

Simplified Breakdown of Key Provisions:

$350 Billion in Aid to State and Local Government

Extension & Tax Exemption of Federal Unemployment Benefits

Arts Relief through National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)

 

How to Take Action:

Take Action NOW!

Memo from Art-Train on using ARP funds for creative response and recovery

 

Shareable Presentations & Webinars to Understand the ARP and ARP-Related Advocacy:

TFA General ARP PowerPoint (5/26/21)

TFA General ARP PowerPoint (04/15/21) (or download here)

TFA ARP Webinar

TFA ARP Webinar PowerPoint (or download here)

Americans for the Arts Action Fund Webinar on ARP

 

How Much Money Will Your Area Get from the ARP?:

Click here for how much States/counties/cities will receive from ARP.

Click here for how much counties will receive from ARP.

Click here for how much cities will receive from ARP.

Click here for ARP Federal Funds to States - Where all the funds are going in Texas from the Texas Comptroller.

 

Supporting Your Request:

McKinsey Report on Small Business Recovery analysis

Texas Comptroller's "Weathering the Pandemic: Texas Industries and COVID-19 Texas Industries Most Affected by COVID-19"

2020 Hotel Occupancy Tax data by municipality 2018-2020.

Texas Cultural Trust's State of the Arts Report

Why the Arts Matter in Texas

10 Reasons to Support the Arts in 2021

 

Current Texas ARP Advocacy Campaigns:

General - 

TFA Sample Advocacy Letter 

Austin - 

Austin Shakespeare

The Contemporary Austin

Texas Folklife

Houston - 

Arts Accountability Houston

San Antonio - 

Creativity Counts

Fort Worth-

ARP Appeal Fort Worth Template

ARP Appeal Tarrant County Template

 

COVID Pandemic Economic Impact Surveys
Please find attached links to surveys pertaining to the impact of COVID-19 closures on Lubbock’s arts organizations and artists. We ask your participation in one or both of these brief surveys in hopes that the results may influence the possibility of some funding for our local arts and artists. Thank you for your willingness to help us demonstrate the impact of the pandemic.

 

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Resources for Arts & Cultural Community:

 

Grants and Additional Artist Resources:

 

Public health is our priority.

As arts leaders, we are also keenly aware of the decimating effect COVID-19 is having on our arts organizations and individual artists across the state.  Working with local, state and national partners we are gathering and sharing information to try to help you in-the-field find the available resources and to be ready to advocate for additional funding in the coming days and weeks.

Here's a list of important resources surrounding the COVID-19 crisis with additional information about what we can be doing in the arts community to combat the situation:*****
 
Public Health:   

 

Arts Organization Impact Survey: Please Take Now!

Americans for the Arts, in partnership with arts organizations across the US, is fielding a national survey to capture ongoing economic loss associated with COVID-19 and subsequent social distancing advisories which have shuttered theaters and museums, caused the cancellations of 1,000s of arts events and negatively impacted not just the arts communities, but ALL of our communities.

Americans for the Arts Logo

This survey and online dashboard - with data available state by state - are critical tools to make the case to state and federal decision-makers to include the arts and culture sector in COVID-19 relief legislation and additional future economic relief packages.

Americans for the Arts has already received over 10,442 responses nationally with a negative economic impact of $3.7 billion - and we need to hear from all of you!

These are unprecedented times. We believe in the power of the arts and humanities to help us pull through. The one thing that we know for certain, is that whatever challenges we face in the future, we will be stronger if we face them together.

 

Additional Texas Resources: 

 

Fresh Arts Houston Logo

Houston non-profit Fresh Arts is holding a series of online conversations related to how artists can work through economic downturns. Topics will include crisis communication, emergency grants available to artists, applying for SBA loans, unemployment eligibility for freelancers, healthcare for artists, etc. Check in on their Facebook page for upcoming webinars, or head to their website for postings on artist opportunities.

 

Houston Arts Alliance Logo

Houston Arts Alliance is compiling resources to help the arts & cultural community remain resilient in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. One approach is to develop a way to make events digitally accessible to your audience. Below you will find some tools, articles, and examples to help with this. 

 

For more up to date information on the arts and COVID-19 be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

Please stay safe and wash your hands!



Illustration: Amiri Geuka Farris