Wednesday, February 24, 2021

Weekly Advocacy Alert, February 24: The Show Can’t Go On In-Person Rally Tomorrow!

By Dance/NYC

The Show Can’t Go On: Invest in our NY: WPA For Arts & Culture Workers Now! In-person rally event coming up tomorrow February 25 at Governor Cuomo's office in Manhattan. This rally is calling for a new Works Progress Administration initiative in NY (comprehensive state-funded jobs program, including putting arts/culture workers back to work). Masks are required and social distancing measures will be in place.

FEDERAL

1. Congressional Democrats introduced President Biden’s immigration overhaul in the House. This marks the beginning of President Biden’s promise to modernize the nation’s immigration system and provide a path to citizenship for millions of undocumented Americans, the New York Times reports.

2. The National Development Council (NDC) is offering U.S. SBA Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funding on its online platform, Spark, and welcomes not-for-profit organizations to apply. NDC offers assistance in completing the application and loan forgiveness. Both first time and second time eligible non-profits are welcome to apply. NDC staff are available to work directly with applicants by phone. The program has an anticipated end date of March 31.

3. The Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) is hosting the Disability Policy Seminar. It will be entirely virtual this year and runs from April 19-22. AUCD is also offering a Disability Policy Fellowship. Apply to the fellowship here.

4. Join the US Department of Arts and Culture (USDAC), in partnership with MassCreative and The Theater Offensive for the 2021 People’s State of the Union to show Arts are Essential! Download the toolkit, then visit the USDAC website, where you can participate in trainings, read FAQs, and get more information on how to participate in the digital story circle. USDAC is collecting and sharing stories from across the country, if you share your story on Instagram or Twitter, be sure to use one of the following hashtags: #PSOTU2021 #PeoplesStateOfTheUnion2021 #ArtsAreEssential #ArtKeepsUsSafe

NEW YORK STATE

1. This past weekend New York State launched “NY PopsUp.” It is a festival of pop-up performances meant to serve as a ‘pilot program’ for how to bring back live performance safely.

2. Applications for the 2021 Spring LGBTQI Advocacy Institute cohort are now open. The LGBTQI Advocacy Institute is a joint program run by Equality New York and NYC Pride & Power.

NEW YORK CITY

1. The Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) launched a new survey: COVID-19 Impact on NYC Culture. This survey will build on the DCLA report from last year, which captured the impact of the earliest days of the pandemic on NYC’s arts and cultural organizations.

TAKE THE SURVEY

2. The Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment is hosting a Health Care Town Call for professionals in entertainment and the arts on February 24 from 1:00 - 2:00pm. Get information about health coverage options.

3. The City has released Open Culture Guidelines, List of Open Culture Spaces and new FAQs. Open Culture is a new permit type available from the Mayor’s Street Activity Permit Office allowing for ticketed performances. Arts and cultural institutions, as well as entertainment venues, will have the opportunity to secure a permit for single day, socially distanced performances at over 100 street locations throughout all five boroughs. There is a public hearing on February 26 at 9am.

4. Curtains Up NYC: Free Program to Connect Live Performance Venues to Federal Relief is a program to provide application assistance to live-performance venues, organizations and workers applying for federal relief.

5. Fund for the City of New York is currently accepting applications for its Cultural Arts Capital Loan Fund through March 31. This loan initiative provides bridge financing to assist small to mid-sized nonprofit cultural arts organizations with their capital project expenses, with a priority to groups that have capital grants from the Borough President, City of New York and the Department of Cultural Affairs.

6. Join the Asian American Arts Alliance for their Performing Arts and Advocacy Town Hall. The event is on March 23 at 6:30 p.m.

7. COVID-19 Updates

a. Eligible New Yorkers can find vaccination locations and make appointments online at vaccinefinder.nyc.gov or by calling 877-VAX4NYC for assistance in multiple languages. For the latest information, please consult the City’s Vaccine Command Center and continue to check the State's website for the full list of eligible groups. New York opened up COVID-19 vaccination eligibility to those with comorbidities that make them vulnerable to the coronavirus beginning Feb. 15.
b. New York Launched New York Forward Rapid Test Program with 11 initial sites in NYC.
c. NYC health officials are now recommending you wear two masks.
d. The statewide positivity rate was 3.49%.
e. State COVID zone restrictions remain in effect in certain parts of the city. To find out where the zones are and to see what restrictions apply to each zone, please visit www.nyc.gov/covidzone.
f. Download the COVID Alert NY app today!
g. Remember to follow the “core four”—wear a mask, wash your hands, practice social distancing, stay home if you’re sick—and get tested! For information on free testing, personal protective equipment, and more, visit the NYC Mayor's Office Coronavirus page.

8. Engaging in community action in support of dance workers? Submit to be listed on the #ArtistsAreNecessaryWorkers Campaign Activations page. Visit the page for events, actions, and platforms that are independently led by the NYC dance community.

9. Dance/NYC hosts weekly dance field-wide calls to address questions, needs, and plans for the future of the field. Calls are Thursdays from 4:00 pm. – 5:00 p.m. Register here. The field-wide call on February 25 has been canceled and will resume on March 4.

10. For the ongoing Coronavirus Dance Impact Study, Dance/NYC is tracking studio & company temporary and permanent closures to gain a better understanding of the financial impact the pandemic is taking on the dance sector. This data will be used to better document this historic time and to be able to advocate for aid to policymakers. Please email any closures that you know of in the dance community to research@dance.nyc. You do not need to be in charge of the organization to send a notification as Dance/NYC works to compile a list of closures.