The Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis (RACSTL) is featured in a new report from SMU DataArts, Federal Recovery Funds for Local Arts and Culture: Tactics from 11 Creative Communities. The report examines how Local Arts Agencies (LAAs) distributed federal relief funding to arts and cultural organizations across 11 geographically diverse cities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The insights gleaned in this analysis demonstrate the responsive and nimble ways LAAs like RACSTL operated throughout the pandemic. The report spotlights RAC’s targeted distribution of funds to low-income communities to replace lost revenue and is accompanied by an online case study detailing the allocation of $10.6M in arts relief funding within St. Louis.
“Once again, St. Louis City residents have spoken [and voted], setting the stage for the arts to continue to be a priority in our region. While some of the municipal and federal ARPA compliance and reporting requirements are cumbersome, RAC is committed to shouldering the administrative burden. We want our region’s creatives to use these dollars to create art that will help our community heal and grow,” said Vanessa Cooksey, president & CEO of the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis.
The report identifies key tactics that were commonly employed by 11 municipalities to distribute a cumulative $100 million of relief funding efficiently and fairly to artists and cultural organizations that are vital to the economy, civic and social engagement, and quality of life. Several common practices emerged in three areas:
- Advocacy: LAAs advocated most effectively for federal relief funds through both grassroots efforts and partnerships across government agencies in other sectors.
- Process: Many LAAs streamlined applications and reporting requirements to deliver funds as efficiently as possible.
- Equity: Distributing funds fairly and equitably included considerations around geographic distribution and prioritizing service to the neediest communities.
“Times of crisis can mobilize communities to focus and act on priorities. In re-distributing federal COVID-19 relief funding, these agencies prioritized equity, removing barriers to funding, and filling gaps in support and recovery opportunities locally,” explains SMU DataArts’ Associate Director for Research, Daniel Fonner. “This report attests to the variety of ways that our local arts agencies play a key role in serving in their communities.”
Along with RACSTL, the other communities and LAAs the report studied are:
- Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs (Atlanta, GA)
- Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (Chicago, IL)
- Cuyahoga Arts & Culture / Assembly for the Arts (Cuyahoga County/Cleveland, OH)
- Denver Arts & Venues (Denver, CO)
- Houston Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs (Houston, TX)
- Los Angeles County Department of Arts & Culture (Los Angeles County, CA)
- New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (New York City, NY)
- Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture (Phoenix, AZ)
- Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council (Pittsburgh, PA)
- City of Seattle Office of Arts and Culture (Seattle, WA)
The report was prepared with support from Bloomberg Associates, a philanthropic consultancy that advises cities around the world and is a part of Bloomberg Philanthropies. Bloomberg Philanthropies encompasses all of Michael R. Bloomberg’s giving and works to ensure better, longer lives for the greatest number of people.
Follow Us On Social Media