Salt Lake City —The Salt Lake City Arts Council has been selected to receive a $500,000 American Rescue Plan grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to aid the arts and cultural sector recovery from the COVID-19 global pandemic. The Salt Lake City Arts Council was among 66 local arts agencies nationwide to receive this award, and the only organization in the State of Utah.
“During the past two years, we have seen many crises unfold in our city. For so many Salt Lakers and visitors to our city, we turned to art to reflect, rebuild, and heal through these times,” said Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall. “Many artists encountered hardships in sustaining their livelihoods during this time. I am excited to see how the Salt Lake City Arts Council can distribute these funds, helping our local creative economy recover for the benefit of our local individual artists, nonprofit organizations, and residents alike.”
“The NEA’s significant investment in local arts agencies, including the Salt Lake City Arts Council, is a key element in helping the arts and culture sector recover and reopen, while ensuring that the American Rescue Plan funding is distributed equitably,” said Ann Eilers, the NEA’s acting chair. “These grants recognize the vital role of local arts agencies and will allow them to help rebuild local economies and contribute to the well-being of our communities.”
The Salt Lake City Arts Council awards funds to organizations and individual artists each year through the City Arts Grants Program. This year alone, approximately 100 grants have been awarded totaling approximately $350,000. The additional funds from the NEA will increase the total number of artists and organizations the City Arts Grants Program is able to support with the goal of equitable recovery from the pandemic. The grant program guidelines are currently being drafted and the applications will be open in early spring. Interested applicants are encouraged to subscribe to our newsletter at https://saltlakearts.org/news/ to stay updated on current information regarding our City Arts Grants Program and all other programs.
Felicia Baca, Executive Director of the Salt Lake City Arts Council said, “We are honored to be entrusted with these federal funds to support the arts & culture sector, which has been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. We hope these funds will aid in stability, facilitate change, and enliven our communities.”
For more information on the Salt Lake City Arts Council City Arts Grants Program, please contact Taylor Knuth at Taylor.Knuth@slcgov.com or visit https://saltlakearts.org/grants/.