Funding Opportunities and Updated COVID Guidance

Dear Colleagues,

We are continuing to live in a time of opportunity and anxiety.  We remain confident and hopeful that we are emerging into better times, and we know that artists and arts organizations are helping to lead the way. This is our collective calling.

National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) – American Rescue Plan Grants Funding Opportunity

We encourage you to apply for the special NEA grants opportunity made possible with funding support included in the federal American Rescue Plan Act.  This is a very different and very applicant-friendly opportunity:

“Unlike other Arts Endowment funding programs that offer project-based support, Rescue Plan funds are intended to support day-to-day business expenses/operating costs, and not specific programmatic activities. Cost share/matching funds are not required.”

You can see the August 2021 deadline dates and more  information here.

Knight Arts Challenge

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation has launched its 2021 “idea competition.”

“The 2021 Knight Arts Challenge will support the best ideas for the arts from individual artists and arts organizations in  Akron,  Detroit and  Miami. Building on the innovation and creativity of artists during the pandemic, the two-part Challenge will support artists to create works that connect people to place and each other. The application period is open from July 1 to July 31, 2021.”

You can see more information about the grants process, including the upcoming July 26th “town hall’” meeting for questions at  2021 Knight Arts Challenge – Knight Foundation.

To Mask or Not to Mask

We are continuing to re-emerge into our in-person cultural life.  While there are no longer any government-mandated rules for the way forward, we are continuing to offer guidance.  In light of the dangerous impact of the Delta variant of the coronavirus, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava just issued her advice. Mayor Levine Cava wisely recommends,

“Miami-Dade continues to urge all employees and residents who aren’t yet vaccinated to get the shot as soon as possible. To prevent the spread of the virus, we are also recommending the use of masks around large crowds of people and people you do not know to be vaccinated, as well as at County facilities.”

Together, we are making our way forward. Our hearts and hopes go out to the people in Haiti and Cuba and their courageous artists who are facing extraordinary challenges.

Stay safe, healthy, and hopeful. We are!

Michael Spring

Director, Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs

The most reliable way to contact us continues to be through email. View the  staff directory here.

Please check the County’s web site for more COVID-19 information and for regular updates:  miamidade.gov/coronavirus.

To view a comprehensive list of all the Department’s previous cultural updates on COVID-19 click here.