The Worcester community, like the rest of the world, are just beginning to feel the impacts of COVID-19. Below is a database of resources for arts and cultural organizations and individuals, as well as funders and nonprofits, and additional reading. Are we missing something? Please let us know by emailing Culture@WorcesterMA.gov.

Jump to:  Impact Surveys    Creative Community Resources     Nonprofit & Business Resources     Funder Resources     Advocacy    Additional Reading Other Resources

Impact Surveys: to assess the needs of the creative community locally and nationally, individual artists and organizations are asked to submit information as soon as possible.

• Americans for the Arts
• Mass Cultural Council – for individual artists & cultural educators
• Mass Cultural Council – for organizations
• Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce

Creative Community Resources: the below information is specifically focused on individual artists and performers, as well as arts and cultural organizations. For resources relevant to small businesses, real estate, and more, please visit WorcesterMA.gov/coronavirus

• Worcester Creative Relief Fund from the WCC & GWCF – Deadline April 8, 2020
• Arts Leaders of Color Emergency Fund from GoFundMe – funding opportunities for BIPOC individual artists/teaching artists
• Corona Relief Fund Application from Equal Sound – for musicians who have lost income due to a cancelled gig
• Freelance Artist Resources from COVID-19 & Freelance Artists – resources, opportunities, and financial relief options for artists of all disciplines
• Emergency Funds – All Art Forms from WomenArts – emergency funds for artists including actors, visual and performing artists, writers, and musicians
• Emergency Grants from Dramatists Guild Foundation – emergency financial assistance for individual playwrights, composers, lyricists, and bookwriters
• Guidance for MCC Grant Recipients from Mass Cultural Council – info for MCC grant recipients (including WAC grants)
• MassHire Resources for unemployment, as well as urgently needed employment opportunities
• Musicians Foundation Emergency Aid Grant Program from Musicians Foundation – emergency grants up to $200

Nonprofit & Business Resources:

• Cash Flow Tool from NFF – a tool to help you determine your monthly cash flow projection
• NEFA COVID-19 Resources from New England Foundation for the Arts – special considerations related to the arts and culture sector
• NFF Scenario Template from NFF – quickly determine your operating expenses and your surplus/defecit
• Rediness Planning from ArtsReady – create a business continuity plan for your arts organization’s business continuity plan
• Resources for Nonprofits and Funders from Bridgesource – a collection of resources, from responding to the pandemic to potential economic downturn
• Resources and Guidance for Businesses from Mass.gov – navigation for the Commonwealth’s business community
• Small Business Disaster Assistance from U.S. Small Business Administration – low-interest disaster loans to help businesses and homeowners recover from declared disasters
• Small Business Recovery Loan Program from Mass Growth Capital Corp – low-interest loans up to $75k for businesses with 50 or fewer employees.
• Tell Your Financial Story from NFF – tips on the importance of understanding your financial story and who should hear it
• What Nonprofit Board Members Should Be Doing Right Now to Address the COVID-19 Situation from BoardSource – many nonprofits and their boards are wrestling with difficult questions and decisions. In these uncertain times, a board needs to provide steady and adaptive leadership in partnership with and in support of the CEO.

Funder Resources:

• 6 Steps for Grant Makers to Take Now to Ensure Nonprofits Recover From Coronavirus Spread from The Chronicle of Philanthropy
• COVID-19 – Seven Things Philanthropy Can Do from FSG
• Funder? Here are 7 things you can do to support your arts community from Americans for the Arts

Advocacy: 

• Contact your state legislators and tell your story.
• Contact your member of congress to encourage they include the creative community in the legislative relief package.

Additional Reading:

• 2020.04.01: Worcester Cultural Coalition announces artist relief grants by Victor Infante, Telegran & Gazette
• 2020.03.26: Staying Connected in the Face of COVID-19 by Timothea Pham, MCC
• 2020.03.25: Community Engagement in the Time of COVID-19 by Patricia Walsh, Americans for the Arts
• 2020.03.24: Early Economic Impacts of COVID-19 on MA Cultural Sector by Bethann Steiner, MCC
• 2020.03.20: Filling the silence: Worcester artists look to web for help as pandemic claims gigs by Victor Infante, Worcester Magazine
• 2020.03.20: ‘Stay positive and stay creative.’ How two Boston artists are adjusting to work in the time of coronavirus by Jeneé Osterheldt, Boston Globe
• 2020.03.20: COVID-19 Preparedness for the Cultural Sector from the Mass Cultural Council
• 2020.03.18: Baker-Polito Administration Makes New Announcements on Childcare, Small Business Tax Relief and Unemployment Insurance Legislation Related to COVID-19 from Mass.gov
• 2020.03.16: Baker-Polito Administration Announces $10 Million Small Business Recovery Loan Fund from Mass.gov
• 2020.03.16: MCC: Update to our Response to COVID-19 from Anita Walker, MCC Executive Director
• 2020.03.13: What Nonprofits Should Do Right Now by Sandi McKinley, NFF.org
• 2020.03.12: Arts Organizations Are Heading Into a Crisis. A Few Things Might Mitigate the Disaster. by Justin Davidson, Vulture
• 2020.03.12: MCC: Letter to the Field on Coronavirus from Anita Walker, MCC Executive Director
• 2020.03.12: Coronavirus pinching livelihood of Akron artists, backers say by Dan Shingler, Crain’s Cleveland Business
• 2020.03.12: Performing Arts And Cultural Organizations Close Their Doors Due To Coronavirus by Anastasia Tsioulcas, NPR
• 2020.03.12: Principles for Ethical Cancellation by Laura Zabel, Springboard for the Arts
• 2020.03.11: Coronavirus Could Decimate Touring Musicians’ Livelihoods by Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone
• 2020.03.10: As Coronavirus Threat Continues, Experts Tell Nonprofits to Shore Up Reserves by Dan Parks, Chronicle of Philanthropy
• 2020.03.09: 6 Steps for Grant Makers to Take Now to Ensure Nonprofits Recover From Coronovirus Spread by Antony Bugg-Levine, Chronicle of Philanthropy
• 2020.03.07: Don’t let local arts die because of coronavirus fears — and wash your hands by Tony Bravo, San Francisco Chronicle
• 2020.03.04: Webinar: Preparing Your Organization for the Corona Virus Disease Outbreak from Event Safety Alliance

Other Resource Sources:

• City of Worcester Information Line, 508.799.1019 – speak to a live nurse to answer questions and concerns around COVID-19
• Assistance & Resources from the City of Worcester
• Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resource and Response Center from Americans for the Arts
• Data: Funding for coronavirus from Candid
• MCC COVID-19 Resources from Mass Cultural Council
• Resource Hub from Council on Foundations