The $30,000 grant helps us serve our diverse audiences, enrich the lives of our local communities, and provide access to the arts for all.
In June 2020, WESTAF announced its partnership with the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation on a new relief grant to support arts organizations in the 13-state western region. The $10 million Regional Arts Resilience Fund is a first-of-its-kind relief and recovery grant that was awarded to each of the six U.S. Regional Arts Organizations.
The fund was designed to help mitigate the financial threat to the sector caused by the COVID-19 pandemic by supporting small- and mid-sized arts organizations of all artistic disciplines in rural and urban areas that are regarded by their peers as having statewide, regional, or national impact.
With the help of 20 arts and culture leaders from across the 13-state region who served as advisors/panelists, WESTAF adjudicated the 81 applications from organizations that were invited to apply between August 19 and September 8, 2020.
From the 464 initial nominations received in August, WESTAF funded the following 39 organizations with grants in the range of $30,000 to $74,000. Applications were assessed on the commitment to equity; exceptional artistic impact; visionary leadership; and engagement and impact locally, regionally, and nationally.
Eligible organizations included 501(c)(3) nonprofits, units of state or local government, nonprofit institutions of higher education, and federally recognized Indian tribal governments. Awards are being made to organizations across the West, with a minimum of one grant awarded to each state in the region, which includes the states of Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawai‘i, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.
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