VermontBiz Creative Futures Grants, with $9 million in funding from Vermont’s last legislative session, will be available beginning Thursday, Sept. 15, to help the creative sector recover from economic losses due to the pandemic.
Grants of up to $200,000 will be available to creative sector non-profits and for-profit entities, including sole proprietors, that have sustained substantial losses from the pandemic. Losses include decreased revenue or gross receipts; financial insecurity; increased costs; and challenges covering operating expenses.
Grant amounts, which will be based on pre-pandemic operating revenue from 2019, may be used to cover a wide range of regular operating expenses, including payroll and office expenses; rent, mortgage, and utilities; and costs associated with ongoing Covid-19 mitigation and prevention.
The creative sector economy is defined as the collective enterprises, organizations, and individuals whose products and services are rooted in artistic and creative content. Seven segments comprise Vermont’s creative economy: culture and heritage; design; film and media; literary arts and publishing; performing arts; specialty foods; and visual arts and crafts.
The program will be open for three rounds. The first application deadline is Nov. 1, 2022, with subsequent deadlines in February and June of 2023.
The Vermont Arts Council will be providing a variety of outreach and support for interested applicants, including two virtual grantseeker workshops for the first round – from 10-11 a.m., Sept. 19, and from 1-2 p.m., Sept. 19. A wide range of “office hours” will be available for interested applicants to meet with program officers in advance of applying.
The grants are supported by the state of Vermont’s funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), passed by Congress and signed into law in March 2021.
The Vermont Arts Council and the Vermont Creative Network advocated for increased investment in economic recovery for the creative sector throughout the 2020-2021 legislative session. In addition to the Creative Futures Grants, a historic level of investment in Vermont’s creative sector was made during the session to support the continued recovery and revitalization of Vermont’s creative industries. Other creative economy funding includes $19 million for a short-term forgivable loan program through the Vermont Economic Development Authority and $40 million for the Community Recovery and Revitalization Program from the Agency of Commerce and Community Development.
Vermont’s creative sector was one of the hardest hit by the pandemic, which shuttered theaters, galleries, and museums across the state. During the first year of the pandemic, from April to July 2020, the sector lost more than 8,000 jobs and more than $216 million in sales, according to a Brookings Institution study. In a more recent analysis, the 197 cultural organizations that applied for the Council’s most recent Covid-relief grants reported $36 million in lost revenue from April 2020 to mid-2021.
Vermont’s core cultural organizations continue to struggle to make up for lost revenue. Theaters, museums, galleries, dance studios, and other indoor community gathering spaces are having to install Covid-safe equipment to help hesitant audiences return to in-person programming while also having to invest in new digital platforms for online versions – all of which are costly.
“These grants will provide critical support to an economic sector that is still hurting. We’re grateful to the legislature and the administration for recognizing that Vermont’s creative individuals and enterprises are vital to the future of communities across our state,” said Vermont Arts Council Executive Director Karen Mittelman.
The Creative Futures program of the Vermont Arts Council is made possible by a grant from the State of Vermont through the Agency of Commerce and Community Development, Department of Economic Development.
For more information about the Creative Futures Grants, visit https://www.vermontartscouncil.org/grants/creative-futures-grant-program.
About the Vermont Arts Council
The Vermont Arts Council envisions a Vermont where all people have access to the arts and creativity in their lives, education, and communities. Engagement with the arts transforms individuals, connects us more deeply to each other, energizes the economy, and sustains the vibrant cultural landscape that makes Vermont a great place to live. Since 1965, the Council has been the state's primary provider of funding, advocacy, and information for the arts in Vermont. Learn more at www.vermontartscouncil.org
About the Vermont Creative Network
The Vermont Creative Network is a broad collective of organizations, businesses, and individuals working to advance Vermont’s creative sector. Authorized by the Vermont Legislature in 2016, the VCN is an initiative of the Vermont Arts Council. Learn more at www.vermontcreativenetwork.org