The Nevada Arts Council has issued $392,250 in federal funds to 79 arts organizations through the CARES Act, in amounts ranging from $1,000 to $10,000, based on each group’s total annual revenue.
“The Nevada Arts Council is honored to be able to provide operational relief support to Nevada’s nonprofit arts organizations through these CARES Act funds,” said Tony Manfredi, executive director of the Nevada Arts Council. “As of July 6, 96% of these organizations have had to cancel events, they have experienced a loss in attendance of 676,627 patrons and have seen a total financial loss of $4,733,292.
“These funds come at a time when these organizations need it most and will allow the creativity, innovation and inspiration of the arts community to continue to uplift us while contributing to the economic stability of our state.”
Among the recipients is Artown, the month-long festival currently happening in Reno.
“The benefit to us and all of the arts organizations is tremendous,” Artown Executive Director Beth MacMillan said. “We’ve all had to pivot. We’re all getting creative with how we’re moving forward.”
CARES Act funds were awarded to nonprofit organizations throughout the state, including the Western Folklife Center in Elko, the Neon Museum in Las Vegas and the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival in Incline Village.
As part of the $2 trillion federal CARES Act passed in March by Congress, $75 million was allocated to the National Endowment of the Arts to assist arts and cultural organizations. Of that $75 million, 40 percent was divided nationally among state arts agencies for distribution within those states.
In total, the Nevada Arts Council received $442,000 of those funds. Approximately $49,750 will be utilized by the council.