PROVIDENCE – Two statewide arts and humanities agencies are receiving a financial boost from the federal government.
Both the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts and the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities jointly announced April 24 that they will receive $840,600 in funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act to provide support for arts and cultural organizations impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The amount is Rhode Island’s share of the $150 million allocated to the federal cultural organizations via the CARES Act, the organizations said.
RISCA will receive $424,300 while the humanities council will receive $416,300, and the funds will be delivered to local nonprofit organizations. Nonprofits can apply for the grant funding by visiting the Council for the Humanity’s website. The first deadline is Friday and the second deadline is May 15.
RISCA Executive Director Randall Rosenbaum said in a statement that the state’s arts and cultural organizations have been “deeply affected” by the coronavirus crisis and the livelihood of the sector that contributes more than $1 billion to Rhode Island’s economy is “being threatened.”
Rhode Island Council for the Humanities Executive Director Elizabeth Francis said in a statement that both RISCA and the humanities council will help Rhode Islanders “understand and weather this crisis.”
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.
