Today, October 19, Governor Ned Lamont announced a grant program has been put in place to help support Connecticut's arts community. This program will be providing relief to some nonprofit art organizations in our state in the form of grants; up to $9 million to be exact.

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Funding was obtained through the federal CARES Act from the state’s Coronavirus Relief Fund with the intention to support:

  • Nonprofit arts programs who depend on grants to remain open and hire/re-hire employees
  • Nonprofit arts programs who had to cease operation for some time due to the COVID-19 quarantine and now have difficulty reopening amidst re-opening restrictions
  • Nonprofit arts programs who are having difficulty reopening due to a restructuring of their program to comply with regulations amid the pandemic

Connecticut's arts community has been deeply impacted since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a recent press release from the Governor's office, "Connecticut’s arts and culture sector represents five percent of the state’s economy, generating $9 billion annually and supporting 57,000 jobs."

Governor Lamont commented:

“Connecticut’s arts community provides an incredible amount of good for our state and supports thousands of jobs. The ongoing, global COVID-19 pandemic has impacted so many aspects of our lives, and many of our state’s nonprofit arts organizations are struggling to recover from its impact. This program will provide some support so that these groups can continue providing the services in our state that so many depend on.”

Arts organizations which qualify for these grants can expect the following:

  • A base grant for all qualified in the amount of $5,000
  • 50 percent supplemental match of all funds raised between March 10 and November 1, 2020
  • Maximum expected for any organization is capped at $750,000

To find out of you qualify, and to submit an application, please visit the Department of Economic and Community Development’s (DECD) website. The Connecticut Office of the Arts will be accepting these applications from October 23 to November 3, and all contracts must be finalized by December 30 to receive funding.

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