Pandemic Relief Fund: Completed
The COVID-19 pandemic devastated 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 2020, cancellations and closures piled up, grinding the sector to a halt.
SVCREATES and partner funders established the SVCREATES Pandemic Relief and Recovery Fund for the Arts 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 were designed to augment and bridge the timing of support from government resources and to give priority to arts organizations with limited reserves, fundraising capacity, or access to other external resources.
In 2020, we provided over $400K to over 100 individual artists and dozens of arts organizations.
Our deepest appreciation to funders who partnered with us on this effort: