More than $75,000 will be disbursed—in two cycles—to support Santa Barbara County arts and culture nonprofits impacted by COVID-19, as part of a new relief grant program, according to the county.
The grant was created in recognition of the arts sector’s influence on the county’s economy, among other reasons, and will be administered by the Santa Barbara County Office of Arts and Culture.
“We realized quickly how devastating the COVID-19 closures would be for our local arts nonprofits and their employees,” said Hannah Rubalcava, grants and contracts manager of the office. “Immediately our office wanted to help in any way we could as fast as we could.”
A collaboration between the Santa Barbara Foundation, the Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation, and the Santa Barbara County Arts Commission, Rubalcava hopes the new program will provide much-needed funding to arts organizations struggling to stay afloat during this difficult time.
“Most relief funding, as well as traditional grant programs and donations, have mostly been redirected to nonprofits meeting critical needs, which leaves little for the arts and culture sector,” Rubalcava said. “So on top of the closures, cancellations, and lost fundraising opportunities, these organizations have even fewer opportunities for support.”
Sarah York Rubin, executive director of the County Office of Arts and Culture, also believes the arts sector should be seen as an essential component of the economy.
“I think the ‘nonprofit’ moniker is confusing because it’s really a business industry when you look at it,” York Rubin told the Sun. “We have these great numbers—the 5,600 full-time jobs that the sector generates for the county a year; the $20 million in state and local taxes.”
In 2016, Santa Barbara County conducted an economic impact study in which 93 arts and culture nonprofits participated. The participants generated nearly $200 million, according to the county, and directly contributed $4.6 million in local government revenue.
“I also have hope that the community will see this [relief program] and ideally step in to support the arts and culture institutions they cherish,” York Rubin said, “that people will take a cue from this grant and donate to their favorite museums, or buy a subscription to their favorite theater, or donate a refunded check back to a concert venue.”
Santa Barbara County holds the largest number of arts and culture nonprofits per capita in California, according to county officials.
“These organizations provide one of the most important services in the county,” said Dennis Smitherman, chair of the Santa Barbara County Arts Commission. “They support our community through the lens of thousands of jobs, provide income to our cities, and make life more enjoyable for our residents and visitors.”
Funding for the new relief program is mainly provided though the Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation as part of its lease agreement, where 50 cents from every concert or event ticket sold goes into a fund for arts and culture grants. An additional $25,000 was provided by the Santa Barbara Foundation, and other contributions have already been pledged by the Santa Maria Arts Council and some private donors as well.
The grant is designed to support arts and culture nonprofits with an annual operating budget of less than $1 million. Applications for the grant are currently open online (sbac.ca.gov/county-grants), and submissions are due by May 24.
“We are so fortunate to live in a place with such incredible arts and culture spaces,” Smitherman said. “Hopefully this grant can help keep their doors and businesses open.
“While a majority of our residents are following the stay-at-home order,” he added, “I would pose the questions, ‘How would you respond during this pandemic if there were no arts?’ and ‘What are some of the activities you are looking forward to doing when this order is lifted?’ Chances are, they are arts and culture related.”
Send story tips to Arts Editor Caleb Wiseblood at cwiseblood@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in May 14-21, 2020.
