Contents:

COVID-19 Updates
NEW! MA Reopening
CARES Act: Unemployment & Small Business Assistance
Emergency Relief Resources for the Creative Community
Immediate Assistance (Food, Employment, Housing & Utilities, Immigration, Small Business Support)
Take Action
Webinars
Emergency Planning

COVID-19 Updates

• Massachusetts Department of Public Health COVID-19 Updates and Information
• State House News Service Coronavirus Tracker
  

NEW! MA Reopening

• Reopening Massachusetts from Mass.gov
• Reopening: Four-Phase Approach from Mass.gov
• Reopening: When can my business reopen? from Mass.gov
• Event Safety Alliance Reopening Guide
• Disaster Recovery Framework from the City of Seattle
  

CARES Act: Unemployment & Small Business Assistance

• Unemployment Resources

  • Massachusetts COVID-19 Unemployment Information
  • UPDATE: Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance Announces Guidance On CARES Act Implementation

• Small Business Resources

  • Small Business Association Coronavirus Relief Funds, including:

    • Paycheck Protection Program - This loan program provides loan forgiveness for retaining employees by temporarily expanding the traditional SBA 7(a) loan program.
    • Economic Injury Disaster Loan Emergency Advance - This loan advance will provide up to $10,000 of economic relief to businesses or sole proprietors that are currently experiencing temporary difficulties.
    • SBA Express Bridge Loans - Enables small businesses who currently have a business relationship with an SBA Express Lender to access up to $25,000 quickly.
    • SBA Debt Relief - The SBA is providing a financial reprieve to small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
    • COVID-19 Resources and Guidance for Businesses from the MA Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development
      

• Community Development Block Grants

  • Community Development Block Grants and the CARES Act from Congressional Research Service

• Guides for unemployment and small business assistance

  • Guides for unemployment
    • CARES Act Unemployment for Independent Contractors and Gig Workers from Arts & Business Council of Greater Boston
    • Government Support for Creative Professionals Impacted by COVID-19, from The Arts, Entertainment, and Media Industry Coordinating Committee (AEMI).
      
  • Guides for Small Businesses/Sole Proprietors/Independent Contractors
    • Small Business Association Loans
      • COVID-19 Resources and Guidance for Businesses from the MA Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development
      • Paycheck Protection Program Information for Small Businesses from the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
      • NEW! (5.15.20) SBA Releases Borrower Application, Instructions for PPP Loan Forgiveness
      • NEW! (5.20.20) Actionable Ideas for Equitable Small Business Recovery from MassINC
      • The Small Business Owner’s Guide to the CARES Act from The U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship
      • SBA Payment Protection Plan (PPP) for Artists, Independent Contractors, and Business Owners from Arts & Business Council of Greater Boston
      • SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) from Arts & Business Council of Greater Boston

• General CARES Act Guides

  • Navigating CARES Act and Family First Acts from Mass Cultural Council and Nonprofit Finance Fund
  • How the CARES Act Supports the Arts Sector from Americans for the Arts
  • Economic Relief for the Creative Community in Federal COVID-19 Relief Bill from MASSCreative (us!)
    

Emergency Relief Resources for the Creative Community

• Emergency Relief Funds for Artists

  • Resource Pages: Emergency Relief Funds for Artists
    • COVID-19 & Freelance Artist Resources, an aggregated list of free resources, opportunities, and financial relief options available to artists of all disciplines. 
  • National Funds: Artists
    • Actos de Confianza - NALAC's micro-grant initiative to support Latinx artists and cultural workers
    • Artist Relief Fund
    • Arts and Culture Leaders of Color Emergency Fund
    • Lewis Prize For Music COVID-19 Community Response Fund
    • PEN America Writers’ Emergency Fund
  • Massachusetts Funds: Artists
    • Boston Artist Relief Fund
    • Boston Fairmont Cultural Corridor Iniative Artist Relief Fund
    • Boston Dance Alliance Dance Relief Fund
    • Boston Music Maker Relief Fund
    • Boston Singers' Relief Fund
    • Bridgesong Fund - Emergency Relief for Western MA Women, Nonbinary, and Genderqueer Artists of Color
    • Cambridge Artist Relief Fund
    • Cape Cod Arts Relief Fund
    • Essex County Artist Fund
    • Mass Cultural Council COVID-19 Relief Fund
    • Northampton Arts Council COVID-19 Artist Relief Grant
    • Passim Emergency Artist Relief (PEAR) Fund
    • Powerful Pathways Artist Emergency Relief Fund
    • Theatre Community Benevolent Fund
    • The Theater Offensive's QTPOC Artists and Youth Relief Fund
    • Worcester Creative Relief Fund
  • Paid Creative Work
    • Dunamis Seeds of Joy
    • HireArtists.org
    • Manifest Boston Virtual Call

• Emergency Relief Funds for Arts and Culture Organizations and Small Businesses

  • National Funds: Arts and Culture Organizations
    • National Endowment for the Arts CARES Act Grants
  • Massachusetts Funds: Arts and Culture Organizations and Small Businesses
    • Mass Cultural Council Safe Harbors Program
      
    • Business Equity COVID-19 Emergency Fund, supporting Black and Latinx-owned for-profit small businesses
    • LISC Small Business Recovery Grant Program for Massachusetts
    • Mass Humanities CARES Act Grants, provides operating expenses at museums, libraries, archives and other nonprofit organizations across Massachusetts impacted by COVID-19. 

• General Emergency Relief Resource Pages for the Creative Community

  • American Alliance of Museums
  • Americans for the Arts
  • Arts & Business Council of Greater Boston
  • Mass Cultural Council
  • National Council of Nonprofits
  • New England Foundation for the Arts
  • Resources For The Arts During Coronavirus from Greg Cook at Wonderland

• Financial/Legal Resources

  • COVID-19 Tools and Resources for Nonprofits from Nonprofit Finance Fund
  • Financial/Legal Help Webinars for the COVID Crisis from Hannah Cole at Sunlight Tax
  • COVID-19 Resources from Arts & Business Council and Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts - Greater Boston
    

Immediate Assistance (Food, Employment, Housing & Utilities, Immigration, Small Business Support)

• Immediate Assistance Resource Pages

  • COVID-19 Update & Resources, from Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley
  • Assistance during COVID-19 from the Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association (CHAPA)
  • COVID-19 Mutual Aid Networks from Massachusetts Jobs with Justice
  • MA Health Connector: Enrollment for state healthcare has been extended through May 25th.

• Food

  • Foodsource Hotline: To find food resources in your community, call the FoodSource Hotline AT  1-800-645-8333 (TTY: 1-800-377-1292). Open Monday-Friday 8:00am-7:00pm and Saturdays 10:00am-2:00pm.
  • Food Pantries:
    • Greater Boston Food Bank
    • Worcester County Food Bank
    • The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts
    • Merrimack Valley Food Bank

• Employment Resources

  • Massachusetts COVID-19 Unemployment Information
  • UPDATE: Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance Announces Guidance On CARES Act Implementation
    
    
• Health Insurance
  • Massachusetts Health Connector
    • Enrollment period extended through May 25.
    • FAQs to Finding the Right Plan
    • Insurance Options for the Unemployed
    • Health Connector Shopping and Resource Guides

• Housing and Utilities Resources

  • Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development
  • Boston Rental Relief Fund
  • From Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley’s COVID-19 Resources Page:
    • The US Department of Housing and Urban Development will suspend all foreclosures and evictions through the end of April.
    • The MA Department of Public Utilities (DPU) has suspended the disconnection of utility services for nonpayment during this state of emergency.

• Immigration

  • COVID-19: Protecting our families and communities from Massachusetts Immigration and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA)

• Small Business Resources

  • Small Business Association Coronavirus Relief Funds, including:
    • Paycheck Protection Program - This loan program provides loan forgiveness for retaining employees by temporarily expanding the traditional SBA 7(a) loan program.
    • Economic Injury Disaster Loan Emergency Advance - This loan advance will provide up to $10,000 of economic relief to businesses or sole proprietors that are currently experiencing temporary difficulties.
    • SBA Express Bridge Loans - Enables small businesses who currently have a business relationship with an SBA Express Lender to access up to $25,000 quickly.
    • SBA Debt Relief - The SBA is providing a financial reprieve to small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • COVID-19 Resources and Guidance for Businesses from the MA Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development
    

Take Action

• Donate

  • Arts Leaders of Color Emergency Fund
  • Boston Artist Relief Fund
  • Boston Dance Alliance Dance Relief Fund
  • Boston Music Maker Relief Fund
  • Boston Singers' Relief Fund
  • Cambridge Artist Relief Fund
  • Cape Cod Arts Relief Fund
  • Essex County Artist Fund
  • Essex County Community Foundation Creative County Initiative COVID-19 Relief Fund for Culture
  • National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures COVID-19 Relief Fund
  • Northampton Arts Council COVID-19 Artist Relief Fund
  • Passim Emergency Artist Relief (PEAR) Fund
  • Puppet Showplace Theatre Take Action! Emergency Fund
  • Springfield Symphony Orchestra Musicians' Relief Fund
  • The Theater Offensive's QTPOC Artists and Youth Relief Fund

• Volunteer

  • COVID-19 Mutual Aid Networks from Massachusetts Jobs with Justice

• Advocate

  • Reach out to your Members of Congress
    • Americans for the Arts
    • Association of Science and Technology Centers
    • National Humanities Alliance
  • Share your Economic Impact Story
    • Americans for the Arts Economic Impact Survey
    • The COVID-19 Impact Survey for Artists and Creative Workers
  • Reach out to your MA Legislators
    • MASSCreative (us!)
    • Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association (CHAPA)
      

• Create Community

  • Call for Collaboration: Mobilizing the Arts for COVID-19 Communication and Coping
  • Performing Artist Network, a community for performing artists to support & learn from one another during one of the most difficult times for our field.
  • Teen Empowerment's Senseless: The Audio Series Live Discussion--weekly listening session and audio series and that addresses the fears, struggles, and hopes of Boston youth.
  • MASSCreative is featuring stories about how artists and creatives are helping people connect during the pandemic. Check out our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
    

Webinars

• Webinars (Recorded)

  • Artists In a Time of Global Pandemic from HowlRound.
  • Financial Strategies for Freelance Artists in a Time of Crisis from HowlRound
  • COVID-19 Relief Package Briefing: An Americans For The Arts Virtual Check-in

• Webinars (Upcoming)

  • Online Conversations and Workshops with the National Guild for Arts Education
    

Emergency Planning

• Arts Ready, an online emergency preparedness service providing a wealth of resources to arts and cultural nonprofit leaders stewarding their organizations through crises. 
• CERF+, a grassroots nonprofit that creates safety nets for artists
• The National Coalition for Arts’ Preparedness and Emergency Response
• Prepare Your Organization for the Coronavirus Disease Outbreak by Event Safety Alliance, which addresses COVID-19-related crisis planning for small organizations. 

If you have resources you’d like to add to this list, please email Tracie at [email protected]