NEA Approves Phoenix Organizations For CARES Act Funding

Press release from the City of Phoenix:

July 2, 2020

Arts and CultureA+C NEA Approves Phoenix Organizations for CARES Act Funding July 2, 2020 11:00 AM The National Endowment for the Arts announced the nonprofit arts organizations recommended for direct funding through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The NEA funded 855 organizations, $50,000 are offered to 846 organizations, including four in the city of Phoenix to support staff salaries, fees for artists or contractual personnel, and facilities costs. Nine local arts agencies across the country, including the City of Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture will receive $250,000 each to regrant to arts organizations in their communities.

Direct CARES Act Grantees in Phoenix

• Arizona Opera
• Ballet Arizona
• Phoenix Conservatory of Music
• The Phoenix Theatre Company

The Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF), a regional nonprofit arts service organization representing 13 western states also announced the recipients of its CARES Relief Fund for Organizations grants. Supported by the NEA, this competitive grant program was established to provide general operating support to arts and cultural organizations in the West that have been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Four Arizona organizations were selected for funding, including Phoenix's Black Theatre Troupe.

The NEA received more than 3,100 eligible applications requesting $157 million for the $45 million available in direct assistance. To review the applications, the agency used more than 200 application readers and panelists to review and score each application using the published review criteria. In April, the agency announced the distribution of the required 40 percent of the CARES Act's total $75 million appropriation to the state and regional arts agencies for their granting programs. Each agency has its own process and timeline for awarding those funds, however, the Arts Endowment anticipates that together those entities will make between 4,200 and 5,600 awards.

“All of us at the National Endowment for the Arts are keenly aware that arts organizations across the country are hurting, struggling, and trying to survive and that our supply of funding does not come close to meeting the demand for assistance," said Arts Endowment Chairman Mary Anne Carter. “That said, I am enormously proud of the over-and-above efforts of the Arts Endowment staff to swiftly and professionally manage such a large amount of additional work in a relatively short period of time on behalf of the American public.

"Established by Congress in 1965, the NEA is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the Arts Endowment supports arts learning, affirms and celebrates America's rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community across America. Visit Arts.gov to learn more.

Related Social Media Hashtags and Handles: #arts #CARES #funding @phxarts_culture Keywords: arts, culture, funding, CARES, relief

This press release was produced by the City of Phoenix. The views expressed here are the author’s own.