The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic run deep.
With the statewide shutdown of non-essential businesses, any number of small business types come to mind. From bars and restaurants to arts and crafts stores, entrepreneurs and employees alike have been hit hard.
Perhaps lost in the shuffle, however, are Michigan-based non-profit organizations. They, too, have budgets and revenue streams, and many of them gutted due to the coronavirus.
Enter the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs.
The Michigan Economic Development Corporation has announced that the MCACA has launched a new program providing more than $500,000 in grants to the state’s nonprofit arts and culture organizations.
"With the outbreak of COVID-19, many of our state’s arts and culture organizations are faced with serious economic impacts, including challenges with cash flow and resources to support their workforce," says MCACA director Alison Watson.
"The Emergency Relief Funds program will provide assistance to these organizations that add so much value to Michigan’s economy and bolster the creative life of our communities."
A total of $502,400 has been made available as part of the program, the money provided by the National Endowment for the Arts through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
A maximum of $5,000 is available to 501(c)(3) non-profit arts and cultural organizations that are incorporated and physically located in Michigan. Money received can be used toward full or partial salary support, artist and contractual personnel fees, and facility costs.
"While we recognize that these funds will in no way meet the full needs or demands of the arts and cultural community, we hope they will provide some immediate relief and we will continue to leverage other resources as they become available," Watson says.
Visit the MEDC online for more information about the Emergency Relief Funds program. Applications are due by 5 p.m. on Friday, May 1.
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.