CONTACT: Kimberly Olsen, kolsen@nycaieroundtable.org
NEW YORK, NY — The NYC Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) recently committed $750,000 for arts education organizations and to support the Arts Educator Emergency Relief Fund. DCLA’s COVID-19 impact survey found that the greatest loss of artistic employment comes from arts education organizations. This funding will support 25 organizations providing arts education programming across the city, as well as support the continuation of the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable’s Arts Educator Emergency Relief Fund.
In Fall 2020, the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable’s Arts Educator Emergency Relief Fund awarded 337 arts educators with its last round of funding. The fund awarded one-time, unrestricted grants up to $1,000 to teaching artists and arts education administrators who were facing serious financial hardship due to the COVID-19 crisis. This new infusion of funding from DCLA will ensure that arts-in-education professionals have access to additional financial support during this time.
“We acknowledge that our great city is in crisis, but we at the Roundtable believe that the pathway forward includes investing in arts education as part of the city’s recovery,” says Kimberly Olsen, Executive Director of the New York City Arts in Education Roundtable. “The cuts to arts education programs have not only stripped away much-needed resources from young New Yorkers, but jeopardized the livelihood of thousands of artists and cultural workers. We are grateful for support from DCLA to engage in another round of relief funding to support these highly specialized workers.”
The Arts Educator Emergency Relief Fund was originally made possible by the generous support of the New York Community Trust, including funding from the NYC COVID-19 Response and Impact Fund in the New York Community Trust, and the Booth Ferris Foundation. Both teaching artists and arts education administrators will be eligible to apply with an application opening in the new year. Additional details will be announced January 2021.
About the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable
The New York City Arts in Education Roundtable improves, advances, and advocates for arts education in New York City. NYCAIER is a community of cultural organizations and educators that shares resources, provides professional development, and advocates for the needs of our constituents and the communities they serve. Founded in 1992, NYCAIER builds our efforts around the value that arts education is a right for all NYC students. NYCAIER produces a major annual arts in education conference, Face to Face; monthly professional development programs; in addition to ongoing advocacy and communications efforts for cultural organizations and teaching artists in every discipline. For more information please visit: www.nycaieroundtable.org.
###