Asheville – In light of Hurricane Helene’s devastating impact on many of Asheville’s arts organizations and artists, the Arts Council of Buncombe County has offered an opportunity for the creative community to share their needs.
Individuals, businesses, nonprofits, and other organizations can visit https://artsavl.org/aid for a series of surveys to share their needs. While the surveys state that these are not applications for aid, they offer a voice for those that need it.
Among the most essential steps local organizations can take is completing an online survey of emergency aid needs. The survey questions cover immediate and upcoming needs as well as the best way to receive funding.
The National Coalition for Arts Preparedness and Emergency Response (NCAPER) along with support from the Heritage Emergency National Task Force (HENTF) has also created online assessment forms for affected arts and culture communities. Like the local forms, these surveys are intended to help identify where assistance is sought, provide assistance where needed, understand critical needs, and inform how recovery efforts progress at the broader, national level.
NCAPER offers different forms for artists and cultural institutions. Cultural institutions include performing arts organizations like theaters, music venues, and art galleries as well as museums, libraries, community foundations, and education institutions and even natural resources such as zoos and botanical gardens.
The website also includes industry-specific resources.
For local craft artists, Craft Arts Emergency Relief Grants are available through an online application. Up to $3,000 may be awarded to help artists recover and thrive after a disaster like Hurricane Helene. Applicants must have a public-facing arts and crafts practice, and be able to provide documentation of community or commercial activity.
For professional, working musicians in the region, MusicCares offers financial grants through the Emergency Financial Assistance Program. Applicants must confirm an established history of paid performances or professionally recorded work to be eligible.
The Arts Council of Buncombe County combines these arts-specific resources with a list of more broad recovery funds including loans from the Small Business Association, Disaster Unemployment Assistance, and FEMA’s Individual Assistance Program for a comprehensive view of the tools for recovery.