JACKSON, MISS. – April 28, 2020 – The Mississippi Arts Commission is announcing a special round of funding to provide relief to Mississippi’s arts sector from the devastating economic impacts of COVID-19. Using funds from the CARES Act, the National Endowment for the Arts awarded almost $30 million to the nation’s 50 states, the District of Columbia and several territories including Puerto Rico. MAC has received approximately $441,100 in CARES Act COVID-19 recovery funding from the NEA and will quickly distribute these funds to Mississippi arts organizations.

Tasked with developing its own process for awarding these funds with the purpose of preserving jobs and facilities costs, the agency established the MAC CARES Emergency Grants program to distribute these funds to arts organizations. To provide economic relief as quickly as possible and focus assistance on independent arts organizations with staff, MAC will distribute this funding to non-profit 501c3 arts organizations in Mississippi that were awarded a MAC Operating Grant in the current or most recent fiscal years.

“We are incredibly grateful to Congress, the President, and the NEA for this much-needed recovery funding and understand that time is of the essence in distributing these funds,” said Malcolm White, executive director of MAC. “Like much of the economy, the arts sector in Mississippi and the nation have faced significant challenges as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Closing facilities and canceling events equates to lost revenue. We are thankful that the federal government has recognized this need and has responded.”

As additional funding becomes available, the agency plans to offer future grant opportunities as part of the MAC CARES program to provide further COVID-19 relief to the arts sector.

Organizations eligible for MAC CARES funding may also apply for other COVID-19-related federal assistance without penalty, such as CARES funding from the NEA and the Mississippi Humanities Council and others.  

More information on this grant opportunity can be found at arts.ms.gov/MACCARES. Additional COVID-19 information and resources for the arts sector is available on MAC’s COVID-19 and Emergency Preparedness page. For more information on MAC’s grants programs and other services, visit the agency’s website at www.arts.ms.gov.

Contact:  Anna Ehrgott | Communications Director | aehrgott@arts.ms.gov | (601) 359-6546

Image credit: Painting in background by Andrea Kostyal