NALAC To Distribute $1.15 Million In COVID Relief Grants To Latinx Artists And Arts Organizations

The National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures (NALAC) announces an open call for Latinx artists, cultural workers and arts organizations to apply for emergency grants through its Actos de Confianza relief efforts.

In collaboration with the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Intercultural Leadership Institute (ILI) partners, the $2,500 artist grants and $5,000 organization grants aim to support those facing critical financial emergencies due to the impact of COVID-19 in the United States and Puerto Rico.

"We are clear in our responsibility to stand with humanity in a time of need, and the support we are providing through the Actos de Confianza is an effort to bring a level of relief to artists and arts organizations that continue to bring hope and manifestations of our higher selves," said NALAC President and CEO María López de León.

The open call for applications for Actos de Confianza relief grants are organized by geographic region. The first call will launch on January 13, 2021 for applicants in the Mid-America region; the second call will launch on March 3, 2021 for the Eastern United States and Puerto Rico; the third call will launch on April 28, 2021 for the Western United States.

Guidelines and additional details regarding the application process are available on the NALAC website.

"During the pandemic NALAC and the ILI partners have looked to one another, our communities and critical data to deepen decades of intersectional cultural advocacy and practice with a racial and spatial equity lens to inform the design, outreach and intended impacts of Actos de Confianza," said NALAC Deputy Director Alberto Mejia.

The review process will be informed by social, racial, and geographic equity and justice with a commitment to supporting Black and Indigenous Latinx creatives, Latinx artists and cultural workers with disabilities, and diversity in geographic location and landscape.

This phase of NALAC's Actos de Confianza relief efforts builds on the first iteration of emergency relief support that launched in April 2020 and ultimately supported 221 Latinx arts practitioners in 28 states and Puerto Rico via grants totaling $186,000. Actos de Confianza began with a seed of $25,000 from NALAC and has grown to include support from individual donors, Ford Foundation, McKnight Foundation, Saint Paul and Minnesota Foundation, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Eastside Arts Initiative and San Antonio Area Foundation.

Actos de Confianza: Open Calls

Cycle 1 - Mid-America
Call Opens: January 13, 2021
Deadline to Apply: January 27, 2021 (closes 11:59PM CT)

Applicants need to reside in one of the following states or territories: Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Wisconsin, Wyoming

Cycle 2 - Eastern US + Puerto Rico
Call Opens: March 3rd, 2021
Deadline to Apply: March 17, 2021 (closes 11:59PM CT)

Applicants need to reside in one of the following states or territories: Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico

Cycle 3 - Western US:
Call Opens: April 28, 2021
Deadline to Apply: May 12, 2021 (closes 11:59PM CT)

Applicants need to reside in one of the following states or territories: Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington

Access full details via the application guidelines on the NALAC website.

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