The Cultural Coalition supports cities & towns interested in committing funds to local arts & culture, and realizes the capacity and expertise needed on issues to do so.  We offer technical support, recommendations, and have provided a menu of options to expend local ARPA funds into local communities that will address priority needs and meet the goals of ARPA.

As of Dec. 2023, the Cultural Coalition has helped to steer nearly $2,000,000 in ARPA funds to arts & culture in eastern CT!

STATUS OF MUNICIPAL ARPA ARTS & CULTURE ALLOCATIONS:
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TOWN OF NORTH STONINGTON – 1% / $15,000 committed to arts & culture
read more…..

Partnering with Cultural Coalition for administration of funds
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CITY OF NORWICH – 3.5% / $1,000,000 committed to arts & culture
read more…..

Partnering with Cultural Coalition for administration of funds
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CITY OF NEW LONDON – $630,000 for arts & culture
read more…..

Committed $500,000 for Cultural District Commission
Committed $130,000 for arts & culture
Partnering with Cultural Coalition for administration of  $130,000 funds

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TOWN OF STONINGTON – 1% / $52,000 committed to arts & culture
read more……

Partnering with Cultural Coalition for administration of funds
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BOROUGH OF STONINGTON –

Provided $60,918 in direct grants to nonprofits, including for six (6) arts & cultural organizations
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CITY OF GROTON 

Proposed $75,000 to arts & culture
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TOWN OF LEDYARD – 1% / $28,399 proposed to arts & culture
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TOWN OF LISBON – 1% / $12,489 committed to arts & culture

Provided $12,489 in a one-time donation to Cultural Coalition for regional arts & culture
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TOWN OF COVENTRY – 1% / $36, 000 committed to arts & culture

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TOWN OF MANSFIELD – 1% / $75,000 committed to arts & culture

MUNICIPAL ARPA ALLOCATION REQUESTS & OPTIONS (from the Cultural Coalition)

Cultural Coalition Letter to Municipal CEOs – ARP – Municipal Leaders – Percent for Art Request

Cultural Coalition Guidance for Municipalities Considering % for Art Request – GUIDANCE ARPA Muni Funds – 1 Percent for Arts and Culture to speed recovery

Cultural Coalition Management Options for Municipal ARP Funds Dedicated to Arts & Culture – Municipal ARP Fund Adminstration Options – Cultural Coalition

MUNICIPAL ARPA GRANT PROGRAMS (Administered by the Cultural Coalition)

Cultural Coalition ARPA Grants for Arts and Culture 2022 – Norwich, New London and Stonington
Now closed

Cultural Coalition ARPA Grants for Arts and Culture 2023 – Norwich Round 2 & IMPACT Grants
Now closed

American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Information

The Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds provide a substantial infusion of resources to help turn the tide on the pandemic, address its economic fallout, and lay the foundation for a strong and equitable recovery.

• Support public health expenditures, by funding COVID-19 mitigation efforts, medical expenses, behavioral healthcare, and certain public health and safety staff;

• Address negative economic impacts caused by the public health emergency, including economic harms to workers, households, small businesses, impacted industries, and the public sector; 

• Replace lost public sector revenue, using this funding to provide government services to the extent of the reduction in revenue experienced due to the pandemic;

• Provide premium pay for essential workers, offering additional support to those who have borne and will bear the greatest health risks because of their service in critical infrastructure sectors; and,

• Invest in water, sewer, and broadband infrastructure, making necessary investments to improve access to clean drinking water, support vital wastewater and stormwater infrastructure, and to expand access to broadband internet.

To help alleviate the economic hardships caused by the pandemic, Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds enable eligible state, local, territorial, and Tribal governments to provide a wide range of assistance to individuals and households, small businesses, and impacted industries, in addition to enabling governments to rehire public sector staff and rebuild capacity. Among these uses include:

• Delivering assistance to workers and families, including aid to unemployed workers and job training, as well as aid to households facing food, housing, or other financial insecurity. In addition, these funds can support survivor’s benefits for family members of COVID-19 victims.

• Supporting small businesses, helping them to address financial challenges caused by the pandemic and to make investments in COVID-19 prevention and mitigation tactics, as well as to provide technical assistance. To achieve these goals, recipients may employ this funding to execute a broad array of loan, grant, in-kind assistance, and counseling programs to enable small businesses to rebound from the downturn.

• Speeding the recovery of the tourism, travel, and hospitality sectors, supporting industries that were particularly hard-hit by the COVID-19 emergency and are just now beginning to mend. Similarly impacted sectors within a local area are also eligible for support. 

• Rebuilding public sector capacity, by rehiring public sector staff and replenishing unemployment insurance (UI) trust funds, in each case up to pre-pandemic levels. Recipients may also use this funding to build their internal capacity to successfully implement economic relief programs, with investments in data analysis, targeted outreach, technology infrastructure, and impact evaluations.

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