MONTPELIER, Vt (AP) - The New England Foundation for the Arts has awarded $47,000 to the Vermont Arts Council to support artists struggling financially amid the coronavirus outbreak, the council said.
The funds will supplement an artists’ relief fund the council started last month to provide grants of up to $500 to artists who are having financial difficulty due to the loss of a job or cancellation of concerts, festivals, theatrical performances and other arts events due to COVID-19, the council said.
The council received 183 requests for emergency relief funding in the first week and by April 15 had awarded 164 grants totaling more than $64,000. The applications are temporarily closed and will reopen for a new round of requests on April 22.
“We were floored by the number of applications we received and the breadth and depth of the financial losses already incurred,” said Executive Director Karen Mittelman. “From touring musicians who have lost all gigs for the foreseeable future to teaching artists whose residencies have been canceled this semester, Vermont’s working artists are hurting. ”
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