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?
Texas Municipal League: Impact on Texas Counties and Cities
NEA/ARP Webinar for Organizations
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:
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 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
2020 Hotel Occupancy Tax data by municipality 2018-2020.
Texas Cultural Trust's State of the Arts Report
10 Reasons to Support the Arts in 2021
Current Texas ARP Advocacy Campaigns:
General -
Austin -
Houston -
City of Houston Cultural Sector ARP Proposal
San Antonio -
Fort Worth-
ARP Appeal Fort Worth Template
ARP Appeal Tarrant County Template
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Resources for Arts & Cultural Community:
- National Endowment for the Arts: The Road Forward A document with helpful guidance from the NEA on reopening arts and culture centers
- Art Became the Oxygen: An Artist Response Guide
- ArtsReady: an online emergency preparedness service providing a wealth of resources to arts and cultural nonprofit leaders stewarding their organizations through crises
- Artsopolis: transitioning live programs to an online format
- Association of Performing Arts Professionals: reopening resources, as well as webinars, and resources for both artists and arts organizations
- CERF+: a grassroots nonprofit that creates safety nets for artists
- COVID-19 Freelance Artists Resources
- Creative Capital: dedicated to supporting the creative sector and includes a list of resources available for artists, performers, writers, freelancers, and more
- The National Coalition for Arts' Preparedness and Emergency Response
- NonProfit Quarterly: How Nonprofits can Utilize the New Federal Laws Dealing with COVID-19
- SMU DataArts- In It for the Long Haul: white paper on how arts and culture organizations are being affected, and how they can adapt
Grants and Additional Artist Resources:
- Texas Folklife: Artist Relief Fund
- City of Houston: Office of Cultural Affairs announces $3 Million in Artist Opportunities
- Actor’s Fund: emergency grants for those across the entertainment industry (actors, dancers, comedians, IATSE, crew, etc.)
- Composer’s Site: job postings, contests, and resources for composers
- Creative Capital: artist opportunities with upcoming deadlines in May and June
- Dramatists Guild: emergency relief grants for writers
- Foundation for Contemporary Arts: fund for emergency grants for experimental artists impacted by covid cancellations
- Freelance Artist Resources: list of resources, opportunities, and relief options
- Institute of Museum and Library Services: covid resources, webinars, and grants
- Momentum Fund: Established to help nonprofits impacted by Covid-19, specifically geared towards those led by BIPOC
- Musicares Grant: The Recording Academy and Musicares have established a relief fund for those in the music industry
- Sweet Relief: emergency relief grants available for musicians and those in the music industry
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.
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. |
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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:
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 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.
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ArtSteps - Create Virtual Exhibitions
- ArtSteps offers digital tools to create virtual reality engagements of your physical space.
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Facebook Live
- This site offers tips and instructions for optimizing Facebook Live to broadcast performances, share exhibition talks, and more.
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Video Live Streams as an Engagement Tool for Museums
- This article outlines how-to’s and examples of live streaming museum engagement opportunities.
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Live Streaming – Engaging the Widest Possible Audience
- This is a case study. Keen to reach the widest possible audience, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery experimented with live streaming to overcome barriers and reach new target groups
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