COVID-19 Relief Fund grants support 176 arts and cultural organizations

COVID-19 Relief Fund grants support 176 arts and cultural organizations

LANSING — The Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs (MCACA) has awarded Emergency Relief Fund grants to 176 nonprofit arts and cultural organizations around the state. 

A total of $502,400 in one-time grants will be given to provide relief from the negative impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak, according to an announcement from the Michigan Economic Development Corp.  

“Today’s Emergency Relief Fund grants are providing immediate support to our state’s arts and cultural organizations as they work to economically recover from the COVID-19 virus,” MCACA Director Alison Watson said in a statement. 

MCACA also leveraged $83,834 in funds from Arts Midwest, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit regional arts organization, to award grants to an additional 28 arts nonprofits within the state. 

“We’re thankful for the support from our partners at Arts Midwest in assisting these organizations that add so much value to Michigan’s economy and bolster the creative life of our communities,” Watson said. “It is vital that we do everything we can to restore economic prosperity for all Michiganders to not only recover economically but to thrive.”

MCACA established the Emergency Relief Fund last month from money provided by the National Endowment for the Arts. The funds are intended to support salaries for employees of arts institutions, fees for artists and facility costs such as rent and utilities.  

The Blissfest Music Organization in Petoskey is among the recipients of the funding and will receive a $3,000 grant. 

“All operational support is vital now, so the grant has a tremendous impact for us,” Cindy McSurely, the organization’s executive director, said in a statement. “With these funds, we will be able to keep the contractual personnel who we rely on to help develop and book a variety of outreach and performance opportunities that we present for our community.” 

Other nonprofit organizations that will receive grants from the fund include ArtPrize, Grand Rapids Symphony, Grand Rapids Art Museum, Grand Rapids Children’s Museum, Civic Theatre, John Ball Zoo, Muskegon Museum of Art, Grand Rapids African American Museum and Archives, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, LowellArts, Saugatuck Center for the Arts, Binder Park Zoo, Community Circle Theatre, Interlochen Center for the Arts and the West Michigan Center for Arts and Technology. Most of the organizations were awarded $3,000. 

A full list of recipients organized by county can be found here.