On March 11, 2021, Congress passed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan (ARP) initiative introduced by the Biden Administration. A major feature of this legislation is $350 billion in state and local block grants for Coronavirus fiscal recovery. Last week, the U.S. Department of Treasury released guidelines for state and local governments to use to help turn the tide on the pandemic, address its economic fallout, and lay the foundation for a strong and equitable recovery. The guidelines have four broad categories, which includes the specific use of funds for assistance to small businesses, nonprofits, and hard-hit industries like tourism, travel, and hospitality:

Support urgent COVID-19 response efforts to continue to decrease spread of the virus and bring the pandemic under control
Replace lost revenue for eligible state, local, territorial, and Tribal governments to strengthen support for vital public services and help retain jobs
Support immediate economic stabilization for households and businesses
Address systemic public health and economic challenges that have contributed to the inequal impact of the pandemic
This webinar will help demonstrate how the arts and culture fit into these guidelines and include examples of governments already committing funds to support the arts and culture. We are pleased that the panel will explore both perspectives, not only from the arts side, but also from city/county/state government side.

Participants in this webinar will:

Get insight into the federal guidelines and how the monies can be accessed and used on the state and local level.
Hear from national, state, and local leaders on the importance on this funding and how states and localities are thinking about these funds.
Learn how arts agencies are already moving ahead to gain access to these funds for the arts in their communities.
Speakers include:

Tad McGalliard, Director, Research and Development at ICMA, the City/County Managers Association; Washington, DC
Alecia Kintner, President & CEO at ArtsWave; Cincinnati, OH
Jenni Petersen-Brant, Arts & Cultural Affairs Coordinator, City of Dubuque
Jeff Hawthorn, Board Member, Cultural Advocacy Coalition of Oregon and City Arts Program Manager, Portland, OR
Joe Smoke, Director of Grant Programs at City of Los Angeles Dept. of Cultural Affairs; Los Angeles, CA
Nate McGaha, Executive Director, Arts North Carolina; Raleigh, NC
IA Additional speakers to be confirmed
Moderator, Jay Dick, Senior Director of State and Local Government Affairs, Americans for the Arts; Washington, DC
Q&A Facilitator, Nina Ozlu Tunceli, Executive Director, Arts Action Fund; Washington, DC