The application process is currently closed. The first round of grants will be announced soon!
To review guidelines, visit the COVID-19 Arts & Culture Relief Fund.
About the COVID-19 Arts & Culture Relief Fund:
As Denver arts & culture organizations are hit with an unprecedented loss in revenue due to the coronavirus pandemic, Bonfils-Stanton Foundation and The Denver Foundation teamed up to create the emergency fund aimed at helping metro Denver small and mid-sized arts & culture organizations survive this crisis.
Bonfils-Stanton Foundation has committed $1 million toward the COVID-19 Arts & Culture Relief Fund and The Denver Foundation, which will also administer the fund, will donate $50,000. Other early donors to the fund are Denver Arts & Venues at $205,000, Gates Family Foundation at $100,000 and PNC at $10,000. The fund also has commitments from individual donors, including Hal and Ann Logan and Jeremy and Susan Shamos, and seeks additional contributions from foundations, corporations, and individuals.
“The cultural sector is critical to our quality of life, to our humanity, to our community vibrancy and diversity, and touches all of us in so many ways,” says Gary Steuer, Bonfils-Stanton Foundation President and CEO. “We must ensure that when we come through this crisis, the diverse cultural ecosystem that makes our community so special is still there to enrich our lives.”
According to national research gathered by Americans for the Arts (AFTA), the median loss for nonprofit arts organization in the country was $38,000 as of April 7, so clearly it is already much greater than that. With about 450 organizations in Colorado, that equates to a $17 million hit to the arts and culture sector across the state, the bulk of it in the Denver metro area. The losses will only continue to mount as arts performances and gatherings and fundraising galas are canceled and sales tax revenues decline as this pandemic continues into the summer.
“The impact of this public health crisis on the arts and cultural sector has been acute. The COVID-19 Arts & Culture Relief Fund will offer financial relief to organizations that are an essential part of the fabric of our city,” explains Tariana Navas-Nieves, Director of Cultural Affairs, Denver Arts & Venues. “Through this cultural investment partnership, the City is proud to support arts and cultural groups that provide important resources for community engagement, arts learning, and social good, which will be crucial as we get through this crisis.””
Grant awards will range between $5,000 to $50,000 per organization, with the goal of injecting much-needed revenue to keep organizations afloat. Application details will be announced soon, but partners hope to open applications in early June with a deadline at the end of June. Decisions will be made by a panel in July with award distribution in August. With robust donations, a second application cycle could be opened in the fall.
“The Denver Foundation is pleased to partner with Bonfils-Stanton Foundation on this important and timely project,” says Javier Alberto Soto, President & CEO of The Denver Foundation. “We have a long history of supporting the arts including through our Community Grantmaking Program; many of our donors support the arts through donor-advised funds. We know that artists and the creative industries will play an important role in helping our community recover from the COVID-19 crisis. This Fund will help ensure they can continue to make Metro Denver better for everyone.”
CARES ACT 2020 RESOURCES
- US Department of the Treasury
- CARES Act: Small business opportunities
- National Council of Nonprofits: CARES Act loan options
- IRS: Filing tax information
LOCAL RESOURCES
- RedLine’s COVID Relief Arts Fund
- Denver Arts Venues: IMAGINE 2020 Artist Assistance Fund
- COVID-19 CO Creatives Relief Grant
- Colorado Nonprofit Association: CARES Act
- Denver Small Business Emergency Relief Program
- Colorado Attorneys for the Arts
- Colorado Artist Database for Support
- CPR: Musician resource guide
- 303 Magazine’s resource guide
- Colorado businesses looking to hire artists
- Denver Metro Area Artist COVID-19 Relief Fund
- Martha Kate Thomas Fund for Artists Grant – Boulder County
- MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund
NATIONAL
- US Small Business Administration: Paycheck Protection Program
- League of American Orchestras: Federal relief resources
- Internet Essentials from Comcast: Applying for free internet
- Springboard for the Arts – Principles for Ethical Cancellation
- Creative Capital arts resources during COVID-19 outbreak
- Foundation for Contemporary Arts: Emergency COVID-19 grants
- New York Foundation for the Arts: Rauschenberg Emergency Grants
- CERFPLUS emergency grants and other resources for artists
- AGMA Relief Fund for members
- Sweet Relief Musicians Fund for musicians and industry workers
- The Adolph & Esther Gottlieb Emergency Grant
- Musicians Foundations Aid
- Joan Mitchell Foundation Emergency Grant
- Artists Relief Tree
- Equal Sound Corona Relief Fund
NEWS/MEDIA
ADDITIONAL ARTICLES WORTH READING
- US Department of Arts and Agriculture: Community Care in the Time of Coronavirus
- AudioAssemble.com put together a list of online remote opportunities for US-based musicians
- Special data: How COVID-19 is impacting intentions to visit cultural entities via colleendilen.com
- DeVos Institute of Arts Management: A letter to American arts organizations
- 14 ways that you can help the coronavirus pandemic via Fast Company
- Submit your work: Black Actors Guild and We Are Denver are assembling an online video library of work by artists, musicians and creatives stuck at home
- Americans for the Arts – Arts and Culture Sector Can Prepare for the Coronavirus in the United States
- Americans for the Arts – Coronavirus (Covid-19) Resource and Response Center
- CERF+ The Artists Safety Net Responds to Coronavirus (COVID-19)