The Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis (RAC) has established a board-designated fund providing interim financial assistance to established grantees to help fortify St. Louis’ arts and culture ecosystem, helping to ensure a vibrant, world-class arts scene for generations to come. Beginning in mid-June, RAC will accept applications for one-time assistance to help bridge the need caused by the May 2025 tornado or the recent rescission of National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) grants to arts organizations in St. Louis City and County.
APPLICANTS TO RAC’S CRISIS RESPONSE GRANTS MUST HAVE BEEN A RAC GRANTEE IN 2022, 2023, 2024, OR 2025
The purpose of the 2025 Crisis Response Grants is to support St. Louis City and County RAC grantees, specifically arts organizations and individual artists, who have been impacted by one of the following:
CLICK THE APPROPRIATE BUTTON BELOW FOR MORE INFORMATION ON EACH GRANT, INCLUDING ELIGIBILITY.
RAC is prioritizing established grantees from 2022–2025 to ensure support can be delivered as quickly and efficiently as possible.
A HISTORY OF RESPONDING TO THE NEEDS OF OUR COMMUNITY
Not long after RAC was established in 1985, special grants were put in place to help stabilize the region’s creative infrastructure during emergencies and unforeseen circumstances. These crucial grants surged support to organizations that lacked the resources to quickly bounce back.
When the COVID crisis hit in 2020, RAC responded to the needs of St. Louis’ individual artists, joining with the St. Louis Community Foundation to deploy emergency funds to local artists who were disproportionately affected by the pandemic and its economic fallout. This support continued later through the ARPA for the Arts effort.
Now, the board-designated fund and Crisis Response Grants, established during RAC’s 40th year in operation to counter the volatile world we inhabit, is the continuation of our unshakable commitment to the sustainability of arts and culture in the St. Louis region and the people who make it possible.