COVID-19 relief funds available to arts and culture sector

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has had a $73.8 million financial impact on the Miami-Dade County cultural and arts community with 12,429 arts and cultural jobs affected through June 2020. In response to these alarming figures, the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners and Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez approved $10 million in COVID-19 relief funds to support the arts and cultural business sector.

Managed by the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, the new Miami-Dade Arts Support (MAS) Program is wholly funded by the federal CARES Act and aims to provide financial assistance to arts and cultural organizations and artist-entrepreneurs to help them survive the COVID-19 pandemic. The Department is hosting a series of webinars for cultural organizations to learn the application and submission process beginning August 14. Visit the Miami-Dade Arts Support Action Center to see the workshop schedule.  

The Department of Cultural Affairs is also activating round two of the Miami-Dade Artists Support! (MÁS!) Program, specifically for artists. The program will provide up to a maximum of $500 per artist, available to artists of all disciplines, artist-entrepreneurs and cultural “gig” workers who have been negatively impacted by COVID-19.

"The arts and culture are important for our local economy and are essential to the vitality of our community. The ability of these mostly small businesses to meet expenses and make payroll has been deeply impacted by the pandemic," said Michael Spring, Senior Advisor to the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Director of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs. "It is the goal of this program to help cultural organizations and working artists survive these unprecedented hardships so that they can be an active force in helping us restart our economy and our lives."

Cultural organizations must apply by the deadline on Monday, August 31. Artists must apply by Wednesday, August 26. To view the grant program guidelines and the application, visit the Miami-Dade Arts Support Action Center. For questions or information regarding the grant programs, visit www.miamidadearts.org or contact us at [email protected].

About the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs

The Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, the Cultural Affairs Council and the Art in Public Places Trust develop cultural excellence, diversity, and participation throughout Miami-Dade County by strategically creating and promoting opportunities for artists and cultural organizations, and our residents and visitors who are their audiences. The Department receives funding through the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners, The Children’s Trust, The Jorge M. Pérez Family Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the State of Florida through the Florida Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture, and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Other support and services are provided by TicketWeb for the Culture Shock Miami program, the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau, the South Florida Cultural Consortium, and the Tourist Development Council. For more information, visit www.miamidadearts.org.