ADVOCACY ALERT | Urge U.S. Congress to Expand COVID-19 Relief for the Arts Sector

ACA Staff
July 16, 2020

U.S. Congress has begun negotiating the next COVID-19 relief package. This week, the Alliance of Artists Communities (AAC) is calling on our network to join with nonprofits across the country to ensure the arts are visible in relief efforts. Our collective advocacy is critical! 

Reach out to your members of Congress today to share stories from your organization that demonstrate the impact of COVID-19 on nonprofit administrators, freelancers, artists, and community members in your region. In crafting your message, consider highlighting one of these key asks compiled by the League of American Orchestras:

  • Expand and recapitalize Paycheck Protection Program resources to extend the duration, expand eligibility, and open new opportunities for organizations that have exhausted initial funds, and offer clear guidance on loan forgiveness.
  • Extend the duration of Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation and improve the guidelines for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance implementation so that musicians and other gig workers with mixed W-2 and 1099 income sources receive full, not partial, support.
  • Ensure that new provisions, refundable tax credits, and forgivable loans are available to arts organizations of all sizes.
  • Increase charitable giving by expanding the above-the-line, universal charitable deduction tax incentive for non-itemizers to one-third of the standard deduction.
  • Approve substantial funding for the National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, and Institute of Museum and Library Services, as they administer COVID-19 relief that uniquely addresses the operational needs of cultural organizations.
  • Support nonprofits that self-fund unemployment insurance by increasing the federal unemployment insurance reimbursement to 100% of costs.

Support for these requests is growing and we need your voice to keep the momentum going. The AAC continues to work closely with national partners in the Cultural Advocacy Group. We encourage you to stay active too and be in regular contact with your members of Congress at this important juncture.