To support a full creative life for all, Fund for the Arts commits to championing policies and practices of cultural equity that empower a just, inclusive, equitable community.
Dear arts community,
Recently, the Fund for the Arts has been working diligently with a coalition of advocates to secure upcoming American Rescue Plan funds from Louisville Metro Government for the arts and culture sector in Louisville - Jefferson County. This coalition includes representatives from across the arts and culture sector. We have been lobbying Metro Council members and working with the Mayor’s office to position the sector to be a successful recipient of these ARPA funds to help rebuild and heal this community after the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the latest communication from the Mayor’s office, we have been informed that a call for proposals will go out soon. The coalition has been communicating closely with Metro Council and has been informed that they want to fund proposals that are transformative and collaborative on behalf of many partners (not one-off proposals or proposals targeted to a single organization). It is our hope that the funds will be awarded by the end of December of this year. According to the latest information that we have, the funds must all be spent by the end of 2026. The funds will be only made on a reimbursement basis and will require the recipients to have the ability to fund the projects in advance of reimbursement. They have also asked that individual organizations not lobby council members at this time.
The coalition has a plan in place to request a multi-million dollar proposal that hundreds of organizations and artists could benefit from. The Fund for the Arts is preparing the funding needed to be able to advance the projects under that proposal before reimbursement so that individual artists and organizations don’t have to manage the impact on their cash flow to fully participate.
Currently, we are working to secure signatures of support for the arts and culture coalition so that when the proposal is due, we have a list of hundreds of supporters to illustrate the broad and deep coalition that is in place and provide an undeniable case to Metro Council for the need and impact of this funding for the role of arts and culture in a stronger, healthier Louisville for the future!
Who should sign the letter of support?
If you are an individual artist, a staff member or leader at an arts organization, an arts board member, or a lover of the arts and you are based in Louisville - Jefferson County we ask that you please consider signing this form to express your support.
You may have already received this form from another organization. If you have already signed it, you can further your support by sharing this email with others in your network.
Please take just a moment to add your name to the letter of support. CLICK HERE to be listed as a supporter of the arts and cultural coalition for the Louisville Metro ARPA proposal by the end of October.
Sponsored by the Kentucky Arts Council, the state arts agency, supports the Fund for the Arts with state tax dollars and federal funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Fund for the Arts | 623 W Main Street | Louisville, KY 40220
