UMEZ Cultural Aid Fund Responds to COVID-19 Pandemic
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, UMEZ is providing a variety of levels of support to nonprofit arts and culture organizations.
Remote learning. Middle school art student / Photo by Imani Parkinson / Photo courtesy of HSA staff and parents
On May 5, 2020, UMEZ launched the Cultural Aid Fund, a new, temporary fund designed to offer support for previous Cultural Investments grantees impacted by the governmental closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. UMEZ distributed $500,000 in support to 17 organizations that meet current eligibility requirements in an invitation-only, application-based grant cycle. Through the Cultural Aid Fund, UMEZ provided flexible grants designed to support organizations’ continued operating needs and transition of in-person programs to online programming.
Like many organizations, the Harlem School of the Arts (HSA) was shuttered in mid-March with state-wide shelter-at-home orders. HSA provides after-school instruction to thousands of students ages 2 – 18 in music, theatre, dance, and art and design. When HSA was forced to close, they quickly moved as many of their classes to online formats. They migrated more than 200 classes and private lessons online, reaching more than 800 students over the spring semester. HSA President, Eric G. Pryor, said, “Thanks to the support from UMEZ, Harlem School of the Arts (HSA) will continue to engage our youth population after several months of isolation by helping us maintain our classes, instruction, and offer programming via an online platform.”
For the Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance (NoMAA), the spread of the virus coincided with preparations for their signature annual event, the Uptown Arts Stroll/Paseo de las Artes, a month-long series of arts events taking place from 135th Street to 220th Street. NoMAA quickly pivoted their in-person stroll to an entirely online event complete with digital artist Open Studios, virtual exhibitions, and technical assistance workshops.
2019 Uptown Arts Stroll launch / Photo by Cristóbal Vivar / Photo courtesy of Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance
Dr. Niria E. Leyva-Gutiérrez, Executive Director of NoMAA said, “Like so many entities, NoMAA has felt the sweeping effects of COVID-19. As an arts service organization our mission is to serve as a resource and as a support for artists and other arts organizations. The challenges we all face during this unprecedented public health crisis threaten to compromise in dramatic fashion the work that we do. We are thus especially grateful to the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone for recognizing the value of our mission and the transformative potential of arts and culture organizations to bring about change and recovery during these uncertain times.”
”The impact of the coronavirus pandemic has delivered an unprecedented shock to the arts and culture sector in Upper Manhattan. Our team quickly adapted to develop a new program to relieve some of the short-term financial effects of COVID-19. We are pleased this emergency capital helped them to continue programming in Upper Manhattan,” said Blair Duncan, president and CEO of UMEZ.