PROVIDENCE – Approximately $968,000 in COVID-19 recovery grants are being made available by the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities to local culture, humanities and arts nonprofits.
The R.I. State Council on the Arts and the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities announced Monday that the grants, called the RI Culture, Humanities and Arts Recovery Grants – or RI CHARG – are designed to help nonprofits with general operating support to prevent, prepare, respond and recover from hardships incurred from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The councils said applications are open to all eligible nonprofits, regardless if they previously received federal financial assistance, and also encouraged participation from first-time applicants. Additionally, in keeping with the federal agencies’ focus on equity and inclusion, Black, Indigenous and people of color-centered organizations with annual budgets of less than $500,000 will be prioritized for the grant program, the councils said.
R.I. Council for the Humanities Executive Director Elizabeth Francis and RISCA Executive Director Randall Rosenbaum said jointly Monday in a statement that this partnership is a departure from traditional emergency funds and expands access to some of Rhode Island’s most vulnerable and hard-hit culture and arts organizations.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has taken its toll on Rhode Island’s world class culture and arts scene, but the American Rescue Plan Act is helping our incredible nonprofit sector recover,” said U.S. Rep. Jim Langevin, D-R.I., in a statement. “I’m thrilled that this federal grant funding will help our arts and humanities communities respond to the worst impacts of the pandemic and continue growing our economy and enriching the lives of so many Rhode Islanders.”
Gov. Daniel J. McKee said in a statement that the arts, culture and humanities communities are an important economic driver for the state. These funds from the American Rescue Plan, through the National Endowments for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, “deliver critical investments in this sector supporting its recovery and full return,” he said.
The councils said they will be offering joint virtual workshops on July 16 and July 21 about the program. The workshops will have support sessions and other resources available to those who are new to the grant process. Interested organizations can register for the workshops online.
Additional information about the grant program can be found on RISCA’s and the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities’ websites.
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
