Virginia Humanities and Virginia Beach offering help to artists, cultural groups impacted by coronavirus

Virginia Humanities will be distributing more than $500,000 to state museums, historic sites, and educational and cultural institutions that are being harmed by the COVID-19 health crisis.

Humanities-focused nonprofits can apply to Virginia Humanities for grants from Monday through April 30. The money can be used for general operating costs such as salaries, rent and utilities, as well as costs associated with providing online public programs. There are no matching funds requirements. Awards will be announced in May.

The money is part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) passed by Congress last month. The $2 trillion aid package includes $75 million for the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), approximately $30 million of which will be sent to 56 state and territorial humanities councils to redistribute.

“The COVID-19 pandemic requires us to seek new ways to build and strengthen our relationships with each other,” said Virginia Humanities’ executive director Matthew Gibson in a news release. “This crisis causes us to ask profound questions about the future of our communities and how we will preserve the unique qualities that make us who we are. Our cultural institutions are vital to answering these questions.”