FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact:
Leah Horn
303.629.1166
leah.horn@westaf.org

WESTAF Now Accepting Nominations for the United States Regional Arts Resilience Fund

New fund supports the relief and recovery of under-resourced arts and culture organizations in the West

DENVER, CO, July 15, 2020—The Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF) is proud to partner with The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation on a new relief and recovery grant to support arts organizations in the West. The US Regional Arts Resilience Fund was created as an urgent response to the impact of COVID-19 on the nation’s arts organizations. WESTAF will administer the re-granting of over $1.7 million in the fall of 2020 through approximately 30-40 awards ranging from $30,000 to $75,000, with a few exceptional $100,000 grants.

Eligibility
The WESTAF Regional Arts Resilience Fund will prioritize those organizations that are most at risk during this crisis, including historically under-resourced organizations, as well as those serving under-resourced populations, communities, and/or art forms. WESTAF seeks to support organizations led by and/or predominantly serving individuals from historically marginalized communities that identify as: Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC); low-income; people with disabilities; LGBTQIA+; and/or rural/remote areas (communities that have a population under 50,000 and are isolated from metropolitan areas).

Two-Step Process: Nomination and Application
Nominations for arts organizations that meet the eligibility criteria and operate in the 13-state western region (Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming) will be accepted online though this form. Deadline for nominations is Friday, July 31, 2020 at 5:00 p.m. Mountain Time. 

Anyone can submit a nomination on behalf of an organization. In addition to fielding self- and peer-nominations, WESTAF will convene a panel of regional advisors—arts leaders with a depth of knowledge about the field, including how best to represent and support the aforementioned communities—who will both advise WESTAF on which organizations to invite to submit a full application and participate in the application review process.

WESTAF, with input from the advisory panel, will invite a select number of organizations to apply in August 2020. Applications will be reviewed by the regional advisors who will help inform WESTAF’s final funding recommendations in October 2020.

 

 

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About WESTAF

The Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF) is a nonprofit arts service organization dedicated to strengthening the financial, organizational, and policy infrastructure of the arts in the West. WESTAF assists state arts agencies, arts organizations, and artists in their quest to serve diverse audiences, enrich the lives of local communities, and provide access to the arts and arts education for all. Through innovative programming, advocacy, research, technology, and grantmaking, WESTAF encourages the creative advancement and preservation of the arts regionally and through a national network of customers and alliances.