Covid-19 Response and Resources OLD
Covid Aid
$7,042,725
Cultural Orgs + Artists
934
*219 individual organizations & 517 individual artists
Across Vermont, hundreds of museums, theaters, community arts centers, galleries, and dance studios remain among the hardest hit and face an uncertain economic future due to the continuing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and its variants. From loss of admissions revenue through ticket sales and memberships, income loss through gift shop and gallery sales to unexpected new expenditures with new cleaning and disinfecting protocols and the rapid adoption of new technologies – all have taken a huge toll.
In an early study of the pandemic’s impact, Vermont’s creative sector lost over 8,000 jobs and sales of over $216 million between April and July of 2020, according to a Brookings Institution report. In our most recent grant program, the Covid-19 Cultural Recovery Grant Program, we surveyed the 197 Vermont cultural organizations that applied – they reported $36 million in lost revenue from April 2020 to mid-2021.
Increased funding through new partnerships and private donations has been vital to help support Vermont’s vibrant arts and humanities sector. Since April 2020, direct aid to 219 cultural organizations and 517 individual artists has totaled more than $7 million. Grants have been awarded through partnerships with Vermont Humanities, the Agency of Commerce and Community Development, and with CARES Act and American Rescue Plan Act funds distributed through the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Support for individual artists was also made possible through new philanthropic partnerships with the Vermont Community Foundation and the New England Foundation for the Arts, and by generous contributions from Higher Ground and other donors.
The Council’s Covid-19 relief programs to date include Rapid Response Artist Relief Grants, Cultural Relief Grants and Cultural Recovery Grants for organizations, and sponsorships for outdoor arts events through Stages in the Sun.
Full list of COVID-19 grantees.
Reporting
In March 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic hit Vermont, the Vermont Arts Council and Vermont Humanities together developed the Cultural Relief Grant Program to deliver urgently needed economic aid to struggling cultural organizations. The final report, our “Cares Act Report to the Community,” tells the story about this joint program that brought $781,000 in a matter of weeks to 123 cultural organizations across Vermont in all 14 counties.
Read the CARES Act Report to the Community.
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In the Press: Covid-19 and Vermont's Creative Sector
- Vermont Creative Network Seeks $17.5 Million From Legislature | Seven Days, Nov. 3, 2021
- Vermont Congressman Meets With Constituent Groups To Discuss COVID Relief Bill | WAMC/Northeast Public Radio, March 9, 2021
- For the creative economy, dual tracks of recovery and resilience | The Commons, Feb. 17, 2021
- Vermont Arts Council is helping artists and arts organizations survive Covid | VTDigger, Feb. 14, 2021
- What has the COVID-19 pandemic cost Vermont's creative sector? We've got the numbers. | Burlington Free Press | November 25
- 'Art Excursions in the Time of COVID': Regional tours to enjoy the arts of Vermont | Times Argus, October 31
- $76M available in third-round of small business grants | WCAX, October 20
- Can Rural Arts Orgs Weather The Pandemic | Vermont Public Radio, August 19
- The South End Art Hop Is On—Just Differently | Seven Days, August 5
- Weston, Dorset win $50K each in arts relief funds | Bennington Banner, July 19
- Hit hard by pandemic, Vermont Youth Orchestra receives grant | Saint Albans Messenger, July 16
- Vermont arts and cultural groups get boost from feds, state | Seven Days, July 8
- Weston Playhouse Theatre Company Awarded Grant From the National Endowment for the Arts | Broadway World, July 8
- Arts and Culture Nonprofits to Receive $5 Million in State Relief Grants | Seven Days, July 7
- Vermont Arts and Culture Organizations Awarded $600,000 in Relief Funding | Seven Days, July 3
- New Vt. Venue Allows for Live Concerts Again—Drive-in Style | NECN, June 11
- The Lowe Down: Where are our arts? | Times Argus, June 6
- The state allowed museums to reopen June 1. But how many are welcoming visitors? | Burlington Free Press, June 4
- Our opinion: Saving the arts a worthy use of federal funds | Brattleboro Reformer, June 3
- Arts Organizations Grapple With Funding Issues | Caledonian Record, May 28
- Rapid relief reaches artists in communities across Vermont | Vermont Business Magazine, May 27
- The art of family quarantine: Mom, dad, kids reenact paintings at home | Brattleboro Reformer, May 27
- Museums and Historical Societies Await Reopening Guidelines | Seven Days, May 27
- Vermont Arts Organizations Face Economic Fallout in the Pandemic | Seven Days, May 20
- Camp Conundrum: COVID-19 Complicates a Rite of Summer | Seven Days, May 20
- First to close, last to open: Performing arts venues face dire conditions | Seven Days, May 13
- What will the post-pandemic arts scene look like? | Bennington Banner, May 9
- Virtual Ventures 3: Shelburne Museum, Wildflowers and Artist Relief | Seven Days, May 6
- Molly S. Burke and Sara Coffey: The importance of the creative economy in Vermont's recovery | Brattleboro Reformer, May 6
- Disaster Preparedness Network Helps Vermont Arts Sector | Seven Days, May 6
- Dance Studios, Students and Artists Improvise and Keep Moving | Seven Days, April 29
- Vermont Humanities and Vermont Arts Council to aid organizations with COVID-19 relief | Vermont Business Magazine, April 26
- Local Musicians Unite For Vermont Foodbank Compilation | Seven Days, May 4
- Yellow Barn Brings Music On The Road To Ease COVID Stress | Vermont Public Radio, May 4
- Music is essential: Vermont musicians bring solace to their communities | Times Argus, May 2
- Vermont Arts Council: The arts are struggling, but hardly giving up | Rutland Herald, April 25
- In a Pandemic, Vermont Radio Programs Keep Us Tuned In | Seven Days, April 22
- Emergency Relief Grants Help Artists in Time of Isolation | Seven Days, April 22
- Arts organizations close their doors, cancel events amid pandemic | VTDigger, April 22
- A Roundup of Virtual Ventures from Vermont's Creative Sector | Seven Days, April 22
- Nonprofits feeling the pinch after economic uncertainty | WCAX, April 17
- Stuck in Vermont: Communities Come Together During the Pandemic (Video) | Seven Days, April 9
- Major Jackson and Other Vermont Poets Bring Verse to the Socially Distant | Seven Days, April 8
- Arts, culture organizations make adjustments | Bennington Banner, April 3
- More Artists Invent Creative Ways to Reach Viewers Online | Seven Days, April 1
- Vermont Art Online Brings Exhibits to Stuck-at-Home Viewers | Seven Days, March 25
- Major venues optimistic they can survive shutdown | Times Argus, March 21
- The Flynn Has Laid Off or Furloughed 12 Employees | Seven Days, March 20
- When there's no audience... Coping with rapid change organizations do their best | Brattleboro Reformer, March 20
- How Local Performing Arts Venues Are Reacting to COVID-19 | Seven Days, March 18