July 9, 2020

M-AAA CARES Grants Total $591,900

CARES Act funding from the National Endowment for the Arts totals $591,900 grants in the region

With support from the National Endowment for the Arts made possible by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed by Congress, M-AAA is pleased to announce the recipients of the region’s CARES Act funding grants for nonprofit organizations that dedicate the majority of their programming budgets in support of artists and arts organization networks. For the purposes of this grant, art service organizations are organizations that do not deliver artworks or arts presentations directly to the general public; rather, they cultivate arts communities by providing policy development, advocacy, and/or professional services in support of artists or arts organizations.

“We are grateful to the National Endowment for the Arts for providing these important relief funds and for the collaborative partnership with the six state arts agencies within our region who were indispensable in the determination of prioritizing arts service organizations,” said Todd Stein, President and CEO of Mid-America Arts Alliance. “We recognize that arts service organizations are essential to the arts ecosystem, even as they have the potential to be overlooked in the recovery funding landscape.”

Grants were made in all six M-AAA states of Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas, and amounts totaled between $10,000 and $25,000. Fresh Arts in Houston, Texas, has programs that empower local artists and artist-led organizations by complementing their artistic practices with skill-building, resource sharing, and artist-centered community programs. Starting in March, they began livestreaming an ongoing series of free workshops for recovery and readiness, with videos of the workshops available on their website for on-demand access. Over 20,000 people have tuned in to watch these videos since the series began. “We are so grateful that M-AAA has chosen to support arts service organizations via their CARES grant,” says Fresh Arts Executive Director Marci Dallas. “Fresh Arts’ work is frequently behind-the-scenes to develop resources that respond to the unique needs of artists and artist-led organizations in the Greater Houston area. We are committed to building a network of partners invested in the artistic and cultural enrichment of our community and we are grateful to call M-AAA one of our partners.”

Here are the Mid-America Arts Alliance CARES Act funding grant recipients.

Allied Arts of Oklahoma, Inc., Oklahoma City, OK; $25,000

Amplify Arts, Omaha, NE; $25,000

Arkansans for the Arts, Little Rock, AR; $25,000

Art Spark Texas, Austin, TX; $25,000

Arts and Humanities Council of Tulsa Inc, Tulsa, OK; $10,000

ARTSConnect Inc, Topeka, KS; $25,000

Arts Council of Johnson County, Overland Park, KS; $25,000

Arts Alliance Tulsa, Tulsa, OK; $25,000

Austin Film Society, Austin, TX; $20,000

Black Liberated Arts Center, Oklahoma City, OK; $25,000

Dance Council, Dallas, TX; $11,460