Due to the COVID-19 emergency shutdown, all non-profit arts organizations along with most other businesses had to shut down mid-March. This took an enormous financial blow to an already precarious sector.
The City of Cambridge acted quickly and established emergency grants for small businesses who were impacted. This was a necessary solution, except due to a restriction on the use of funds non-profits were not eligible. The City again acted to release funds to non-profits and provided opportunity for 10 non profits with $10,000/ea, but this fund was not arts specific and had a broad range of non-profits who were eligible with very few awards in proportion to non-profits who serve Cambridge.
Finally, this coming Monday the City council will vote on the City managers order to amend the Mayor's current Disaster Relief Fund to be able to include authorization of funds to be used by arts organizations who operate in the City of Cambridge.
We want to make sure not only that this order gets adopted, but also for the City to hear the voices of the artists who depend on the arts organizations where they teach, rehearse, create, and perform their work.
Consider sending an email stating why arts organizations absolutely need City support to continue to exist and provide services as on both the State and Federal level there has been no meaningful support to date. All the while arts organizations are literally bleeding for operating expenses (staff, etc.), rent, and even programming not to mention those who are opening are re-designing their spaces to do so (at their own expense).
