COVID-19 Impact on Arts Nonprofits & the Allied Arts Response
Allied Arts Community Development Block Grant Partnership (CDBG) with the City of Oklahoma City
Allied Arts was awarded $300,000 in partnership with the City of Oklahoma City to provide COVID-related grants to nonprofit cultural organizations in Oklahoma City. In October, Allied Arts announced the distribution of grants to 22 organizations to help them mitigate the devastating financial impact of the pandemic as well as support the delivery of programming in new, innovative ways.
CDBG grants are being utilized to procure protective supplies to ensure the safety of staff, patrons and students; to purchase equipment to deliver programming remotely; to keep staff, artists and teaching artists employed; and to expand existing services.
Allied Arts CDBG Award Distributions
Allied Arts Emergency Relief Fund
In response to the financial impact of COVID-19 on central Oklahoma’s cultural community, Allied Arts launched the Central Oklahoma Arts Relief Fund in April to help arts nonprofits navigate short- and long-term challenges. Allied Arts seeded the fund with $100,000 and has raised more than $53,000 to date. In four grant cycles, Allied Arts has awarded more than $153,000 in funding to 28 cultural nonprofits. Grant applications for the Central Oklahoma Arts Relief Fund have closed and will remain closed until additional funds can be raised.
It is imperative that we continue to raise dollars for the relief fund as the financial impact increases. In addition to the lost revenue due to cancelled spring and summer break camps and the closure of museums and performing art facilities, fall seasons have been cancelled or re-imagined with fewer ticket inventory to maintain social distancing and safety; and fundraising events rescheduled for later in the year have been postponed again.
For questions regarding the relief fund or CDBG program, please contact Jennifer Bryan at (405) 278-8944 or jennifer.bryan@alliedartsokc.com.
Thank you for standing with central Oklahoma’s arts and cultural community.
