The arts are ‘who we are.’ Here’s how Wake County will help artists in the pandemic.
Wake County arts groups shut out of a state coronavirus-relief package can now apply for local grants of up to $50,000 to help cover their losses during the pandemic.
The Wake County commissioners voted Monday to devote $1 million of the county’s $194 million federal CARES Act allocation to help community arts organizations.
The vote came after the N.C. General Assembly passed the nearly $1 billion Coronavirus Relief Act 3.0 earlier this month. The act provided $9.4 million for arts and cultural organizations in the state, but it excluded counties with more than 1 million people, keeping Wake and Mecklenburg from receiving the arts funding.
The state’s relief package did include $2.5 million for the N.C. Museum of Art, $700,000 for the Carolina Ballet and $400,000 for the North Carolina Symphony, all of which operate in the county. Those groups are not eligible for any additional funds.
With the $1 million approved Monday, Wake County created the Wake County Nonprofit Arts Relief Fund, which will be administered by the United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County.
Arts groups can apply for grants to offset losses equal to 10% of their annual revenue, or 20% for culturally specific organizations representing African-American, Hispanic and Latin American, Asian-American and indigenous cultures. Grants must be matched with private money and spent by the end of the year.
Mecklenburg, the City of Charlotte and the Thrive Fund together have also committed $1 million for arts funding in Mecklenburg County.
In excluding Wake and Mecklenburg counties from arts funding, Joseph Kyzer, a spokesman for Republican House Speaker Tim Moore, said this month that none of the North Carolina’s other 98 counties received allocations near the expected $1 million allocations Wake and Mecklenburg would have received.
Wake County commissioners approve fund
The Wake County commissioners approved the grant funding quickly Monday, saying the arts are a vital piece of Wake County.
“We’re working to protect an industry that is so integral to who we are,” Commissioner Matt Calabria said. “The arts have been a huge part of our identity.”
The coronavirus pandemic has gripped North Carolina for more than six months, with theaters and concert halls among the venues brought to a standstill by efforts to contain the virus. Wake hopes the funds will help steer arts groups to more certain times.
“They’ve been hit hard throughout this pandemic,” Commissioner Sig Hutchinson said Monday. “It’s an honor to be able to support this effort.”
Charles Phaneuf, president of the United Arts Council, said arts groups are still months away from any meaningful performance or ticketed event and that the grants demonstrate Wake County’s interest in preserving arts on the other side of the pandemic.
“All of these groups are doing amazing things and their ability to earn revenue is massively impaired by COVID,” Phaneuf said in a phone interview. “These funds are meant to help maintain operations until groups are able to rebuild revenue and recognizes that these organizations are essential.”
Phaneuf said his initial ask of Wake County was $1.2 million, but that he was grateful for the money the county committed to the arts. Acknowledging that grants of 10% of a group’s annual revenue is a small contribution, Phaneuf said the United Arts Council intends to also pursue private donations.
“When we get a gift we don’t just stop,” Phaneuf said. “When we get public money, our goal is to match it with private money.”
‘Music changed my life’
The Wake Forest Community Youth Orchestra was scheduled to perform with the North Carolina Symphony in March. As COVID-19 cases rose, restrictions were put in place and that concert was called off the week of the show. Then the festivals were canceled and the spring concert and performances in downtown Wake Forest. The youth orchestra hasn’t played a concert since December 2019.
“Music changed my life, in all honesty,” said LaSaundra Booth, director of the youth orchestra. “(Playing music) gives students a diverse experience and is going to take them further in life.”
The youth orchestra started in 2014, received nonprofit status in 2015 and now has 350 students from Wake, Franklin and Vance counties. Booth said the group received Paycheck Protection Program funds, but will likely consider budget cuts to survive the pandemic. The new grants help bridge that gap, she said.
“We’re determined we’ll survive this pandemic,” she said. “I just want to thank the Wake commissioners. So many businesses are hurting right now. ...We need the arts to thrive.”
This story was originally published September 22, 2020 at 8:41 AM.
