Anne Arundel County Partners with Arts Council to Provide $1 million for Artists and Arts Organizations

Annapolis, Md (October 22, 2020) Today, County Executive Steuart Pittman and Arts Council Executive Director April Nyman jointly announced a new grant program to provide $1 million of federal CARES Act funding to support the county arts community. The arts are an important economic driver within Anne Arundel County, and because artists are not categorized as essential employees, individual artists and organizations that employ artists have been severely affected by the COVID pandemic.

“Art reminds us who we are and what matters most, and in trying times like these we need what our artists produce,” said County Executive Pittman. “Too many of our artists have lost income during this pandemic that allows them to continue their work. These grants will help local artists survive the pandemic economy.”

The funds come from the county’s allotment of the federal CARES Act and will aid in the support and stabilization of the arts community. All funding will be administered by the Arts Council of Anne Arundel County.

“I am grateful to County Executive Pittman for recognizing the overwhelming need in the arts community to provide economic relief to individuals that have no other sources,” said April Nyman, executive director of the Arts Council.

Grants will be broken down in two categories: Independent Artists, and Arts Nonprofits or Businesses that solely employ artists or performers. The fund will provide $250,000 in funding for individual artists and $750,000 for businesses and nonprofits to support losses due to COVID. All applicants must be a resident of Anne Arundel County. Grant guidelines and application materials will be available on the Arts Council website at acaac.org after October 26, 2020. For information regarding the grant, email [email protected].

Click below to review grant guidelines:

Arts Organization Application Guidelines
Independent Artist Application Guidelines

Click below to review grant scoring rubrics:

GAP Arts Organization Scoring Rubric
GAP Independent Artist Scoring Rubric

Applications are CLOSED! 

The Arts Council of Anne Arundel County have been closely monitoring the COVID-19 outbreak and were hopeful that we would be able to celebrate with you later this year. Unfortunately, the Arts Council has made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 Passion for the Arts Gala this year. However, we are looking forward to being able to celebrate with you at our Gala next year scheduled for May 06, 2021.

We greatly appreciate your support and understanding. Check back on our Gala page later for more information!

We were hopeful that by early Summer we would be able to have exhibits rotating again, but after further consideration we will be suspending all take-downs and installs of our exhibits until June 30, 2020. We will also be temporarily closing entries to the What’s Up? Media “Empowering Women” exhibit.

The health of our artists, partners and community is our top priority. So while this was a tough decision, we feel it is the right one. The exhibits committee plans to reconvene in June to discuss if and when it would be safe to resume our exhibits program. The Arts Council will provide an update regarding new exhibit take-down and install dates as soon as we have the information.

In the meantime, the Arts Council still wants to show our AAC artists support! Each week we will be randomly selecting 2 artists to feature on our social media along with a few pieces of their artwork from previous exhibits with us. When you are selected to be featured, we will reach out to confirm any additional details you would like us to share such as links to where people can follow and find more of your work.

Please reach out to McKenna Kennedy, [email protected], with any questions you may have.

The Arts Council of Anne Arundel County recognizes the impact the corona-virus outbreak has had on schools ability to continue their Residency and Auditorium programming. If you are a school who was awarded an Arts Council FY20 Arts in Education Residency or Auditorium Grant, please see below options on how to proceed with your schools art programming.

If it is possible to achieve the desired message and agreeable at the same contracted price, the Arts Council is allowing schools to proceed virtually with their Residency or Auditorium. If your school is able to do the Residency or Auditorium virtually, this should be reported in your schools final report as soon as the program has been completed or no later than June 30, 2020.

If proceeding virtually is not an option for your school, the Arts Council is allowing extensions of the funding to be used in the beginning of next school year, which would not impact your schools funding for FY21 Arts in Education Grants. The program would have to be scheduled by December 31, 2020. We will need something in writing from the artist or representative of the artist that confirms the new date so we can document the change and the final report must be submitted as soon as the program is complete.

The Arts Council will continue to provide updates as we receive more information.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to McKenna Kennedy, [email protected], with any questions you may have.

Click HERE for more information about our Arts in Education Program.

The Application Cycle for FY 2021 Community Arts Grants has been extended and will be OPEN through Thursday, April 30, 2020.

Due to anticipated Revenue shortfalls connected with the COVID-19 outbreak, FY2021 Mini-Grant Applications and the upcoming FY2020 Strategic Impact Grant Program have been placed on hold. The Arts Council remains committed to supporting our local arts community and will continue to provide updates regarding funding opportunities.

Please contact us electronically via our Website with any questions you may have: [email protected]

Click HERE to for more information about our Grants Program.

The Arts Council of Anne Arundel County continues to monitor the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Below are links to resources we hope will provide some help and guidance to those in the Maryland Arts Sector during this difficult time. We will continue to update this list as we receive more information.

If you are an Independent Artist, Arts Organization or own any kind of business, please visit the following resources for help and guidance during this time:

Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC) Resource List
Maryland Citizens for the Arts (MCA) Resource List
Maryland Business Express
Maryland Small Business COVID-19 Emergency Relief Grant Fund
National Endowment for the Arts Artists and Arts Organizations Resource Page
Digital Tools for Artists to Run a Remote Career During Coronavirus
Maryland-based Virtual Events & Content List – Add your event by emailing: [email protected]
MSAC Maryland Artist Registry
Artist Relief
GUIDE TO THE CARES ACT
Grants at the Maryland Historical Trust
Annapolis Arts District – Artist Support & Online Art Events
Downtown Annapolis Partnership Covid-19 Resource Links
Foundation for Contemporary Arts Emergency Grants COVID-19 Fund
Maryland Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts COVID-19 Resource Guide for Maryland Artists, Entrepreneurs, & Organizations
Small Business Customer & Employee Protection Grant
MSAC Emergency Grant (2nd Round of Funding)
FY2021 ACAAC COVID Relief Grants for the Arts Program (GAP) – Artists and Arts Organizations 

For more information about COVID-19, please visit the following resources:
Maryland Department of Health
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
World Health Organization
Governor Hogan’s Directives 
What’s Up? Media: COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions & Resources
Maryland Coronavirus Rumor Control
Maryland Strong: Roadmap to Recovery
Anne Arundel County Covid-19 Resources 
Anne Arundel County – Road to Recovery

We know the Arts Sector has truly been feeling the impact of the Coronavirus outbreak.  Due to the executive orders provided by Governor Hogan and recommendations from the CDC, many organizations have had to make the difficult decision to cancel or postpone their major upcoming events or performances, which are often a major source of funding for these organizations. Please consider donating whatever amount you can to the list of organizations below so they can continue to bring the arts to our community.

(Click below to learn more about each of these wonderful organizations and how to donate!)

Annapolis Arts Alliance
Annapolis Opera
Annapolis Shakespeare Company
Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre
Arundel Vocal Arts Society
Captain Avery Museum
Chesapeake Arts Center
Children’s Theatre of Annapolis
Creating Communities | Operation Art Air Drop 
Encore Creativity for Older Adults
Hammond-Harwood House
Historic Annapolis
Historic London Town and Gardens – ReLeaf Fund
Live Arts MD
Londontowne Symphony Orchestra
Maryland Concert Series
Maryland Federation of Art
Maryland Hall – “Pay it Forward to the Arts” Initiative
Maryland Theatre for the Performing Arts
Mitchell Gallery
National Ballet Company
Performing Arts Center for African Cultures
The Creative and Performing Arts of South County

Other ways to support:

• Share this post!
• Follow these organizations on social media!
• Subscribe to these organizations mailing lists!

We will continue to update this page with more ways to support the Arts Sector.

The Arts Council’s Board of Directors has been closely monitoring the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Due to the health concerns that we are currently facing, the decision has been made to close the Arts Council office and for staff to work remotely until further notice. Staff will be accessible via email during regular business hours. We will continue to provide updates as we receive them. We greatly appreciate your support and understanding during this time as we work together to protect the health of our community.

For more information about COVID-19, please visit the following resources:
Maryland Department of Health
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
World Health Organization

If you are an Independent Artist, Arts Organization or own any kind of business, please visit the following resources for help and guidance during this time:

Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC)

Maryland Citizens for the Arts (MCA)
Maryland Business Express

Maryland Small Business COVID-19 Emergency Relief Grant Fund