Supporting NEFA Grantees During a Crisis: Why their Input is Critical

As COVID-19 continues to intensify,  NEFA staff know how important it is for our constituents to hear from those who support your artistic endeavors as artists, cultural workers, presenters, and arts administrators.  Two of NEFA’s core values include commitments to artists and the creative process, and equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility (EDIA). Even in times of uncertainty, such as these, we strive to adhere to these values in all that we do.

NEFA recognizes that some of our grantees (artists, presenters, and community organizations) will have to postpone, modify, or cancel their planned activities supported by NEFA programs due to public health concerns. We will work with you to modify grant requirements and timelines. To address these changes with as much understanding as possible, we are developing a survey to collect information from our current grantees regarding the impact of COVID-19 and to identify the ways in which we will be able to directly support you. We are receiving the same emails as you, so we are aware that there are many requests to complete surveys right now, leading to survey fatigue. Therefore, we want to share, in advance of grantees receiving our survey, why your voice and input is invaluable to our planning.

As a nonprofit organization that regrants funds, gathering impact information is critical to determining a holistic and community-oriented approach in our response. The data collected will guide our efforts around early distribution of funds, grant report deadline extensions, advocacy work, etc. In addition, your participation enables us to advocate with our funders and others for resources that will support you at a time of acute disruption. 

Our response to COVID-19 will be a demonstration of how the arts sector comes together to support one another, however your privacy is of the utmost importance to us. Please know that anything you share via our survey will be viewed by NEFA staff only. If we are asked to share findings for field-building purposes, it is our practice to only share aggregated information. We also acknowledge that you may not have the current capacity to complete the full survey and want to offer other ways you can share your experiences and communicate needs. Please contact NEFA program staff associated with your grant to further discuss the survey if needed.  

We encourage you to stay healthy and informed as things continue to develop regarding COVID-19. The NEFA website continues to be updated with important information and can act as another resource for you, your family, and various communities. 

The arts have always been an essential part of our country’s cultural fabric, and we believe that in the days ahead we will continue to rise and be recognized as the forward-thinking leaders to propel us beyond our current circumstances!

We look forward to hearing from you!

Our Best,

Jane Preston, Deputy Director
Indira Goodwine, Program Director, Dance
Adrienne Petrillo, Program Director, New England Presenting & Touring, Center Stage
Dee Schneidman, Program Director, Research & Creative Economy
Quita Sullivan, Program Director, Theater
Kim Szeto, Program Director, Public Art