By: Serach Nissim
New York City museums, theaters, nonprofits as well as artists have struggled to make ends meet during the pandemic, when audiences were absent. Without patrons paying to visit, it was only due to the generous funds set up to keep them going.
As per Crain’s NY, the following is a list of major funders who provided capital to the Arts post-pandemic.
NYS’s own annual proposed budget allocated roughly $92 million for the Council on the Arts, which makes grants to some 2,500 arts organizations annually. The previous year, the state had allocated nearly $100 million for the cause.
Creatives Rebuild New York, a philanthropic organization established in the summer of 2021, has committed $125 million over 3 years to guarantee a $1,000 monthly income for 18 months for 2,400 artists living in NYS who have demonstrated financial need.
NYC’s Department of Cultural Affairs earmarked $51.4 million in December for the city’s nonprofit arts organizations, down from a high of $230 million.
There are numerous local organizations, corporations and individual benefactors who are doing their share in offering grant programs to aid struggling cultural institutions. One such program, administered by the 125th Street Business Improvement District in conjunction with the Apollo Theater, is offering a total of $100,000 in grants in the Harlem neighborhood. The program is accepting applications throughout March for $10,000 grants, and funding will be from BET, a subsidiary of Paramount Global.
The arts industry plays a part in the city’s economy as a whole, as well as impacting tourism and the hospitality industry. “New York City has been the arts capital of the world and it needs to stay that way,” said Assemblyman Daniel O’Donnell, from the 69th District in Manhattan, who has been a staunch advocate for arts funding. “All across the world, people come here for the arts. It generates a lot of money, and it keeps New York New York,” he added.
As per Crain’s, in its own right, the Arts is a key sector, responsible for generating some tens of thousands of jobs. Employment in the industry has been slow in recovering from the pandemic. As of December, city employment in the arts, entertainment and recreation sectors was at 73,400, down about 20,000 compared to early 2020, as per data from the state Department of Labor. NYC lost 72 percent of all jobs in the performing arts—more than any other industry. So far, it has managed to recoup two-thirds of those jobs.
