COVID-19 Resources for the Arts

20 Mar COVID-19 Resources for the Arts

Posted at 14:59h in News, Opportunities by MaChere Minter

Our City, State, Regional, and National Leadership have posted many excellent resources for the arts in this time of COVID-19 crisis. We will re-post information on this page, and in our weekly e-Newsletter. If you don’t currently receive our newsletter, you can sign up for our weekly newsletter!

First – basic rules to follow: Wash hands constantly. Stay home if you can. Stay 6 feet from other people if you cannot stay home. Cough into your elbow. Sneeze into a tissue and immediately throw it away, then wash hands. Don’t touch your face. Wash your hands thoroughly. Here’s an awesome washing hands video from Vietnam to help you with that.

Second – Follow the CDC for accurate information.

City of Augusta general resources:

Augusta University Online Screenings to Get Tested for COVID-19

AU General Information and COVID-19 HOTLINE: 706-721-1852

City of Augusta COVID-19 Alerts

State of Georgia resources:

Georgia Council for the Arts, list of resources for individual artists

Georgia Council for the Arts, list of resources for arts organizations

of note:

Nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply for SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL). Eligible entities may qualify for loans up to $2 million. Loans up to $24,999 do not require collateral. The interest rate is 2.75 percent for nonprofit organizations with terms up to 30 years. Eligibility for these working capital loans are based on the size (must be a small business) and type of business and its financial resources. These working capital loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other bills that could have been paid had the disaster not occurred. The loans are not intended to replace lost sales or profits or for expansion.

Both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate have passed and President Trump has signed into law the “Families First Coronavirus Response Act.” This relief package has implications for nonprofit arts organizations, staff members and individual artists including (but not limited to):

Mandated emergency paid leave for employees for qualified sick leave, family and medical leave, and to care for a child whose school has closed
Refundable payroll tax credits for required emergency paid leave provided by employers with fewer than 500 employees (nonprofits are eligible for relief)
Emergency funding to states for unemployment compensation
Refundable individual tax credits for leave taken by self-employed workers for qualified sick leave, caring for a family member, or caring for a child whose school has closed

National resources:

CDC Coronavirus information page

Arts Ready

A Comprehensive List of Tips, Tools, and Examples for Event Organizers During the Coronavirus Outbreak

Americans for the Arts

Cerf+ resources for studio artists

Performing Arts Readiness

NCAPER/National Coalition for Arts’ Preparedness and Emergency Response

Tech Soup Resources for Nonprofit Organizations

Three Important Calls to Action

Ensure that the arts are part of economic relief packages

As Congress and the White House determine the economic relief packages that will be distributed across the country, it is vital that due consideration is given to the arts and cultural sector.

In coordination with our colleagues at the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, we ask that you consider contacting your members of Congress today. Urge that they support letters currently being circulated in both chambers asking for $4 billion in funding for the National Endowment for the Arts. You can review the information collected by the Arts Action Fund.

Complete the Americans for the Arts Survey

Our friends at Americans for the Arts are collecting valuable data regarding how the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting the arts and cultural community.

Please take a few moments to complete their complete their 5-Minute Survey: The Economic Impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) on the Arts and Cultural Sector. The survey collects information about the financial and human impacts that the spread of the coronavirus have had on arts and cultural organizations. The survey also collects basic information about the participating organizations so that the data can be parsed by specific geographic regions, artistic disciplines, and budget categories.

Complete the CERF+ Survey for Studio Artists

CERF+ has a survey they are asking studio artists to complete to measure the economic impact of COVID-19. This is from their Executive Director:

CERF+ is conducting a national survey of studio based artists to understand the challenges they are facing in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The data gathered will help us advocate for artists and inform how we can address immediate and long-term needs.

We need your help distributing this survey as widely as possible. If you are a studio-based artist, please share it with others and complete the survey yourself. Your identity will be kept confidential and it should take no more than five minutes to complete. If you are a business or an organization, please share it with the artists in your community.

Take the Survey

Thank you for your help with this important project.

Tags:

COVID-19, resources