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As the coronavirus continues to spread and its impacts change our daily lives, Grantmakers in the Arts has provided and compiled resources to support arts and culture funders as we navigate recovery and response. From webinars and podcasts to zoom calls and calls to action, responses from GIA, our members, and our fellow PSOs aim to provide guidance during this time.

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Dear colleagues,

I’m sending this letter now to rally the arts funding community during this difficult moment to not only react to crisis but also to be sure we treat this as moment to create our desired future. I write this letter as a follow up to the Grantmakers in the Arts webinar, COVID19 and the arts ecosystem and a pre-amble to ongoing programming throughout the year that will highlight examples of inspiring work that is happening now and of the future we can all create together.

The "literally overnight evaporation of gigs, commissions and sales": that is what the coronavirus crisis, as Next City puts it, has meant for many of America’s nearly 5 million cultural workers.

For the month of April, GIA’s photo banner features work supported by Center for Cultural Innovation.

The Personal Emergency Relief Fund, a program of Springboard for the Arts, an economic and community development organization for artists and by artists based in Fergus Falls and Saint Paul, Minnesota, has added language to specifically address COVID19-related cancellations.

Congress gave final approval on Friday, March 27, to a $2 trillion measure that will deliver "direct payments and jobless benefits for individuals, money for states, and a huge bailout fund for businesses" battered by coronavirus crisis, as The New York Times reported.

Both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate passed the “Families First Coronavirus Response Act” a bill that "has strong implications for the artist residency network," as the Alliance of Artists Communities noted recently.

In moments when the COVID-19 virus is part of our daily conversations, The Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, in partnership with the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA), launched recently a new program for emergency medical grants, artnet reported.

Grantmakers in the Arts is sharing resources and guidance on COVID-19 (coronavirus disease) and encouraging grantmakers to support their grantees by treating their funding flexibly in these difficult and rapidly shifting circumstances.

Many of us working in arts philanthropy believe deeply in the power of art and culture to create shared experience and connection, and to contribute to strong, healthy, and resilient communities. We spend a lot of time making the case for the value of the arts to our colleagues in other fields, to our public officials, and those in other sectors. Over the past several years, there has been a noticeable and significant increase in interest among folks outside of the arts in how arts, culture, and creativity can play a role in equitable community development.