COVID-19 Resources

Nevada Arts Council Program and Grant Updates

Office Access and Staffing Patterns

Staff is currently operating in Work-from-Home-Status rotating time in both Carson City and Las Vegas offices as needed. Fiscal operations remain an essential function and program areas are continuing their work and service daily. Return to office scenarios are being formulated. Travel restrictions are in place until further notice

Program Activities

The Nevada Arts Council is closely monitoring COVID-19 and its effect on the arts community and our constituents. Some events have been canceled or postponed and the agency will be making more decisions in the coming days and weeks. Following is a list of Nevada Arts Council produced events or activities with their current status.

Grants

Update as of July 1, 2020: The Nevada Arts Council’s CARES Act Grant is currently closed, and all CARES Act funds have been awarded.

As part of the $2 trillion federal CARES Act passed by Congress to provide economic relief to the nation during the coronavirus pandemic, $75 million was allocated to the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to assist organizations operating within the arts and cultural sector. Of the $75 million allocated to the NEA, 40% is designated to be divided nationally among state arts agencies, like the Nevada Arts Council, for distribution in their respective states. The NAC has received $442,000 of these funds. On May 13, 2020 the Governor’s Finance Office and the Interim Finance Committee of the Nevada State Legislature approved the work program to bring in this additional funding to the Nevada Arts Council. Approximately $49,750 will be utilized by the agency and the remaining $392,250 was allocated to be subgranted to many of the state’s non-profit arts organizations. In a May 1, 2020 meeting of the NAC Board, grant funding distribution was approved with $291,500 in relief funds ready to be amended to the fifty (50) operational grant recipients. The remaining $100,750 was allocated to be awarded to our other arts organizations who are not currently operational grant recipients. On May 18, The Nevada Arts Council informed all FY20 Operational Support Grantees of their CARES Act Grant Awards. On June 1 at 9:00 am, the Nevada Arts Council opened the remaining CARES Act Grants. As of July 1, 2020, all CARES Act funding was awarded.

The previously announced FY21 NAC grants have been suspended. The Nevada Arts Council incurred significant budget reductions in FY21 from both the State General Fund appropriation and the revenue allocated from the Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs. To date, the council’s funding has been reduced by $660,797. Due to these reductions, our available grant funding for FY21 has been significantly reduced, and we are unable to award our FY21 grant applications at the appropriate level they deserve. Therefore, the Nevada Arts Council has made the difficult decision to suspend our previously announced FY21 grant programs and withdraw all submitted applications. This decision includes the following grants:

The Nevada Arts Council will move forward with funding our current 2-year grantees for the Operating Support Grant, Community Impact Grant, and Fellowship Project Grant. These 2-year grants were awarded in Fiscal Year 2020 by the Nevada Arts Council Board, and the agency is obligated to honor the previous financial commitment to these grantees.

After funding for the grants listed above has been distributed, we anticipate a limited amount of grant dollars will remain for FY21. Nevada Arts Council staff and board are currently working to create responsive grant opportunities for FY21 that will address the most pressing needs of our constituents. Options being discussed include individual artist relief grants and additional operational support grants for organizations. We anticipate announcing these grant programs this fall.

Stay Informed

We encourage you to stay up to date to help your organization prepare for a potential impact from COVID-19. Below are some resources:

Financial Assistance

Share How COVID-19 is Impacting You/Your Organization

The data from this survey will provide Nevada specific information to quantify the effect of the outbreak on operations through cancelled events, lost wages, and additional expenses and help us determine the impact COVID-19 is having on our arts and culture industry.