Emergency Readiness, Response, and Recovery

From A Collaborative Blog Presented by CERF+, NCAPER, and NYFA: The COVID-19 pandemic and other emergencies, including severe storms, drought, wildfire, and theft, require us to change how we work and communicate. That makes preparedness more critical now than ever before for artists to protect their practice. But what exactly is preparedness? It’s taking steps NOW to help protect yourself and your assets before an emergency so you’re more resilient and able to bounce back quickly. Artists in ALL disciplines have assets to be protected!

From Pam Breaux for NASAA: "I recently joined state arts agency leaders for the NASAA 2023 Learning Series session, Leading in the Face of Disaster. We all know that unexpected disasters are often devastating for communities, and the arts community is certainly no exception. Whether we’re thinking about weather and climate disasters like floods, fires and hurricanes or about other kinds of emergencies, in the aftermath of catastrophe there are important roles state arts agencies can play, especially to help the arts community connect to resources and pertinent information needed to begin recovering."

From Artist Communities Alliance: ACA welcomes you to our upcoming Field Conversation, There is No Safety Net: Protections, Relief and Advocacy [on Thursday, September 14 at 12pm CT]. Artists and cultural workers who have been historically under-resourced in areas of pay, protections and direct support are more vulnerable than ever.

From The Center for Effective Philanthropy: Nonprofits across the United States played a vital role during a period of crisis that began in March 2020 with the COVID-19 pandemic and was followed by a nationwide racial justice reckoning that summer. As nonprofits experienced heightened demand coupled with marked uncertainty about revenues, they responded with resiliency and imagination, while many funders also stepped up, increasing philanthropic giving in a time of urgent need.

"The boats kept coming. One by one, cruisers and catamarans eased toward the beach in Kahana, a small and tightknit neighborhood just north of Maui’s hardest-hit areas," said Reis Thebault for Washington Post. "Each one was laden with supplies: generators, propane tanks, trash bags full of clothing and ready-to-eat meals.

From The Center for Effective Philanthropy: Data from funders who solicited grantee feedback both before and after 2020 reveal a greater degree of change than what was typical prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, suggesting that 2020 was a watershed year for grantmakers.

Based on analysis of data collected from 61 U.S.-based repeat users of CEP’s Grantee Perception Report (GPR), a feedback tool funders commission to gather candid, comparative feedback from grantees, two distinct patterns were evident in grantee responses. Firstly, grantees report spending less time on application and reporting processes than they were before the pandemic and, secondly, funders are providing slightly more unrestricted support than prior to 2020.

"What is happening to America’s not-for-profit theaters? In recent weeks, several venerable organizations have announced their intention to scale back programing, reduce staff, or shutter all together. Story of the Week will look at the impacted theaters and see what their stories have in common," said Zachary Stewart for TheaterMania. "Taken together, it looks like a bad sign of things to come."

Collaboratively created by arts leaders in the height of the COVID pandemic, the Artists’ Adaptability Circles (AAC) is a new program modeling artist sustainability by centering one of our oldest resources, mutual aid. In this 90-minute session on Thursday, June 1 from 12-1:30pm PDT, they invite participants to learn about the program and the ways in which it has impacted its beneficiaries, partner organizations, funders, and administrators.

"It is understandable that Puerto Rico might be experiencing a strong case of déjà vu. Hurricane Fiona raging across the island in September 2022 was bound to bring back bad memories of the two-punch devastation of Hurricanes Maria and Irma in 2017, from which they were still recovering. Among the local governmental organizations to first start recovery efforts back then was the island’s arts agency, Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña (ICP), or Institute of Puerto Rican Culture. “We were the first state agency issuing checks in Puerto Rico” after the 2017 hurricanes, stated Freddy E. Vélez, deputy director at ICP," said Brian Lusher in an interview with the National Endowment for the Arts.

From National Coalition for Arts' Preparedness and Emergency Response: Raleigh, NC, Olympia, WA, Jackson, MS, and Trenton, NJ are among the communities which will be served by a new Crisis Analysis & Mitigation Coach. Ten arts administrators have been selected for training by NCAPER, the National Coalition for Arts’ Preparedness and Emergency Response, and Air Collaborative.