SVCREATES Arts Relief & Recovery Fund
Funding Solutions to Address Immediate Challenges
The COVID-19 pandemic is devastating the nonprofit arts sector because “bringing communities together in shared settings – at performances, exhibitions, and classes” is central to the sector’s community-serving mission. And the earned revenue from these offerings is an integral part of the sector’s business model.
Silicon Valley’s arts sector is characterized by a high number of small multicultural organizations operating on razor-thin margins and working with a vast network of self-employed artists cobbling together livelihoods through performance gigs and independent teaching opportunities. Beginning in March, cancellations and closures have piled up one on top of another grinding the sector to a halt. Without emergency financial assistance, many of our arts organizations may not survive this crisis, and the livelihoods and services provided to employees, artists, students, and the wider community will be in jeopardy.
SVCREATES and partner funders have established the SVCREATES Arts Relief & Recovery Fund to provide immediate relief grants for artists and arts organizations in SVCREATES‘ grant portfolio who have been particularly negatively impacted by COVID-19, and to help arts organizations maintain essential functions, pay artists, retain core staff, and continue engagement with primary audiences and the community throughout the current public health crisis. These funds are designed to augment and bridge the timing of support from government resources and will give priority to arts organizations with limited reserves, fundraising capacity, or access to other external resources.
The County of Santa Clara, under the leadership of Cindy Chavez, is challenging the community to match the County’s $650,000 investment in the arts by contributing to the fund. We are hoping to raise over $2M for the recovery and stabilization of our cultural sector.
As of April 30, we have provided nearly $200K to over 100 individual artists. Additional investments will be made to arts organizations as funds are raised.
Our deepest appreciation to funders who have partnered with us on this effort:
- Castellano Family Foundation
- Morgan Family Foundation
- Anne & Mark’s Art Party
- Anonymous Individual Donors
