Allentown, Pa., November 26, 2024 — The Lehigh Valley Community Foundation (LVCF) is accepting applications for the COVID-19 ARPA PA Arts & Culture Recovery Program. This initiative will provide $3,000 grants to working artists and creative professionals in Carbon, Lehigh, Monroe, and Northampton Counties who experienced significant financial losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, the program aims to support the recovery and sustainability of the region’s vibrant arts and culture sector.
Eligible applicants must be active artists or creative professionals who earned at least 51% of their income from their work in 2019 and who plan to continue their careers in the arts. Applicants must reside full-time in one of the four eligible counties and be able to demonstrate a loss of at least $3,000 in income due to the pandemic that has not been reimbursed through other relief programs. Applicants will need to create a Foundant account.
Applications for the program are now open and will be accepted exclusively online through the Foundation’s grants portal, Foundant Grants Portal webpage. Applicants must register for a Foundant account register by following the instructions for businesses to submit their application. Required documentation includes proof of residency, tax returns from 2019 and one additional year between 2020 and 2023 (including Schedule C if applicable), and evidence of pandemic-related financial losses. While not mandatory, applicants are encouraged to include artistic portfolio samples to help the selection committee understand their work and how the pandemic impacted their careers.
The application period will close on January 27, 2025. Grants will be awarded based on need, as determined by a volunteer review committee, with notifications sent by the end of March 2025. Successful applicants can expect to receive payments by April 2025.
Questions about the program can be directed to Megan Briggs, Vice President of Community Investments, Lehigh Valley Community Foundation, 610 351-5353, ext. 21 | megan@lvcfoundation.org
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