FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact:
Leah Horn
303.629.1166
leah.horn@westaf.org

WESTAF Announces CARES Relief Fund Awardees

Funding provides support for arts and cultural organizations in the West impacted by COVID-19

DENVER, CO, July 1, 2020—The Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF) is pleased to announce the recipients of its Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Relief Fund for Organizations grants. Supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, this competitive grant program was established to provide general operating support to arts and cultural organizations in the West that have been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The application for the funds opened on May 6 and closed on May 11 due to high demand. 

Eligible organizations included 501(c)(3) nonprofits, units of state or local government, nonprofit institutions of higher education, and federally recognized Indian tribal governments. Applications were reviewed by four separate panels of sixteen volunteers from the WESTAF region on June 15-17 and assessed on inclusivity, demonstrated need, artistic and cultural merit, and public and community benefit. Awards are being made to organizations across the West, with a minimum of one grant awarded to each state in the region, which includes the states of Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawai‘i, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. 

See the full list of awardees here.

About WESTAF

The Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF) is a nonprofit arts service organization dedicated to strengthening the financial, organizational, and policy infrastructure of the arts in the West. WESTAF assists state arts agencies, arts organizations, and artists in their quest to serve diverse audiences, enrich the lives of local communities, and provide access to the arts and arts education for all. Through innovative programming, advocacy, research, technology, and grantmaking, WESTAF encourages the creative advancement and preservation of the arts regionally and through a national network of customers and alliances.