Attend the Mayoral Forum on Culture and Arts on April 21 from 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. This is coordinated by New Yorkers for Culture and Arts, Dance/NYC, and the Mayoral Host Committee. This event is moderated by Luis A. Miranda and Anna Glass. Sign your organization on as a supporter of the Mayoral Forum on Culture and Arts. Tune into livestream here. 
 

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NATIONAL 

 

1. Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) program shutdown temporarily with no specific date/time for relaunch but the SBA has said it will hopefully open by the end of the week. The SBA released the latest version of its FAQ document (effective April 8). A new application user guide will be available at least 24 hours prior to the program’s relaunch. Here is a sample template that may be helpful with the application process, applicants may continue to register for a new account. The SBA is encouraging applicants to reach out to various resource partners across the nation for assistance. Timely information is being provided on the SBA Twitter account and SBA will continue to update its SVOG webpage with additional updates and information.

2. More than 400 charitable nonprofits have signed onto a statement expressing strong support for “the bipartisan Universal Giving Pandemic Response and Recovery Act” (S. 618 and H.R. 1704). The statement explains, “this legislation will further incentivize all taxpayers to give to charity – regardless of their income or whether they itemize – helping to spur even more giving as communities continue to fight and recover from COVID-19 and its economic effects.” Check out the Charitable Giving Coalition summary. All charitable nonprofits are invited to sign onto the endorsement list.

3. Over the past three weeks, the Biden Administration has released extensive plans for rebuilding the nation’s infrastructure, paying for the rebuilding program, and spending priorities for fiscal year 2022. As previously reported, the President is proposing the American Jobs Plan, that calls for spending $2.3 trillion on infrastructure, job training, and much more. To pay for the Jobs Plan, the Treasury Department released a summary of the Made in America Tax Plan, a proposal to raise $2.5 trillion through corporate tax hikes, primarily by increasing the business tax rate from 21% to 28%. Contact your elected officials to make sure there is dedicated American Jobs Plan funding going to arts and culture workforce development.

4. President Biden signed the PPP Extension Act, H.R. 1799, giving nonprofits and other eligible borrowers until May 31 to submit their PPP applications. The Small Business Administration issued a new interim final rule revising the PPP rules to incorporate the American Rescue Plan Act’s changes to the PPP. 

• PPP First Draw Borrower Application Form
• PPP Second Draw Borrower Application Form

 

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NEW YORK STATE

 

1. Join YuLing Koh Hsu from Campaign for NY Health and Dancer Artists’ National Collective on April 21 from 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. ET for a Healthcare Storytelling workshop and recording session for NY Health Act advocacy actions.

2. Apply to New York Foundation for the Arts Rauschenberg Medical Emergency Grants. The program provides one-time grants of up to $5,000 for recent unexpected medical, dental, and mental health emergencies experienced by artists in the past six months. Deadline is Monday, May 3 for emergencies occurring September 1, 2020 or later.

3. Apply to New York State Council on the Arts Regrant for Teaching Artists. This is a partnership between the Arts Ed program and the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable. Teaching Artists will receive grants to create asynchronous learning resources – a series of 4-5 video mini-lessons, or any other non-live format, targeted to any age group. Teaching artists will receive much-needed income and sharpen their skills for today’s arts teaching landscape, and the resulting lessons will be available on the NYSCA and NYCAIER’s websites, free for anyone to use. 

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NEW YORK CITY

 

1. Take the Dance/NYC Coronavirus Dance Impact Part 3 Today! Help Dance/NYC continue to advocate for your needs. If you are a dance worker or dance making organization, please take the Coronavirus Dance Impact Survey part 3 today. The survey should take about 15 minutes of your time. If you are an individual dance worker and also run an organization or fiscally sponsored group you are welcome to take both to ensure your experiences are represented in the data. You can take this survey whether or not you have participated in previous surveys. Please share with your networks using this toolkit. 
 

CORONAVIRUS DANCE IMPACT SURVEY PART 3

 

2. “March on Broadway” happening April 22 will rally for proper accountability and safe work environments moving forward in the industry. Following a 1:00 P.M. demonstration at Columbus Circle the march route will reach Equity’s offices before ending in Washington Square Park. The organizers ask that participants wear black shirts: “to black out Broadway.”

3. Arts in Education Roundtable is asking for arts education organizations to complete this COVID-19 Impact Survey by April 23, to help support the field of arts education in NYC. 

4. Documented will be hosting a panel discussion on April 29 to talk about how Manhattan’s Chinatown has suffered throughout the pandemic. Registration required.

5. COVID-19 Updates

• The Broadway Vaccination Site (ATC Vaccination Times Square) for arts and cultural workers is now taking appointment requests online or by calling 877-829-4692. The Actors Fund is supporting making appointments. Call 917-281-5937 or email vaccines@actorsfund.org.
• Find other 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 State's website. 
• The statewide positivity rate was 3.04% and 40.2% of New Yorkers have had at least one vaccination dose.  
• Download the COVID Alert NY app and Excelsior App today! 
• 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.

6. 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.

7. Dance/NYC hosts weekly dance field-wide calls. The call addresses questions, needs, and plans for the future of the field. Calls are Thursdays from 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Be sure to register.

8. 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.

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UPCOMING ELECTIONS 

 

1. Register for 2021 Nonprofit Mayoral Forum on May 7 from 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Co-hosted by Advocacy Institute, Human Services Council, Nonprofit NY, and 2021 Nonprofit Agenda Project Coalition (Dance/NYC is a member) and in partnership with City & State. Submit your questions for the candidates. 

2. New Yorkers for Culture and Arts is hosting City Council Forums. For Brooklyn Districts 33, 35, 36, 39 on April 27 from 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m and for Staten Island Districts 49, 50, 51 on April 29 from 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. 

3. 2021 Mayoral Forums – The People's Plan NYC. This page compiles all forums and debates for the 2021 Mayoral race. Here, you can find the dates, sponsors, video recordings, twitter summaries, and press coverage for all forums that have already happened. You can also find dates, sponsors, and registration information for upcoming forums.

4. Asian American Community Mayoral Candidates Forum on May 4 at 5:15 p.m. Hosted by the Asian American Arts Alliance in collaboration with the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF) and 34 other Asian American community based organizations. The forum will be simultaneously interpreted into Bengali, Cantonese, Korean, and Mandarin. A recording of the forum will be released in additional Asian languages following the event.