The equitable distribution of the New York State relief funds approved in the FY 2022 Enacted Budget is vital to the survival of New York's Art and Culture workers. As we’ve seen throughout the pandemic, barriers to accessing relief funds can exclude many in historically marginalized communities from receiving necessary relief.

The under-signers of this petition represent arts and culture organizations of different sizes as well as leaders of independent artist coalitions and individual artists who are coming together to respectfully demand NYSCA:

• Prioritize funding for communities (artists and organizations) most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, documented as Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), Disabled+, and immigrants.
• Prioritizing funding for historically marginalized communities including but not limited to Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), Disabled+, immigrants, trans, non-binary, and women.
• Prioritize small non-profit arts organizations with an operating budget of less than $250K and independent artists.
• Provide grants to organizations and individuals regardless of prior history of receiving grants, without restriction or matching requirements.
• Prioritize organizations that have received little or no other emergency relief.
• Provide operating funds, regardless of budget size, rather than programmatic grants.
• Eliminate the $5,000 cap on grants from DEC.
• Expand the DEC partnerships and regranting mechanisms to reach the most impacted artists. This should include a more extensive combination of Community Based Organizations, Arts and Artist Service Organizations, Borough Arts Councils, Fiscal Sponsors and have the option to fund individuals directly through a future Artist Registry Program.
• Design a new type of REDC programs with easier access for arts non-profit organizations to allow them to expand and build new workforce.
• Streamline application processes to reduce burdens on applicants.
• Create intermediaries to help individual artists and smaller arts organizations navigate the process of receiving funds.
• Provide a State of the Arts report, tracking total money spent on artists (broken out by discipline) from various state/city programs, annually.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the unemployment rate of the arts and culture sector has been 66%. Despite generating 7.5% of New York State’s economy, there has been a disproportionately small amount of direct support to artists to keep them working in New York.  It is imperative that New York’s artists, cultural workers, and cultural organizations aren't permanently lost due to factors beyond anyone's control. 

Artists and cultural workers are essential to New York City and State. We must ensure that direct relief is available to those workers that power our arts and cultural economy.