Arts organizations establish 'Literary Arts Emergency Fund'

NEW YORK — With a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, three major literary arts nonprofits have teamed to administer $3.5 million for organizations struggling during the coronavirus pandemic.

Along with the Mellon foundation, the Academy of American Poets, the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses and the National Book Foundation announced Friday that they had formed the Literary Arts Emergency Fund. The nonprofits will distribute one-time grants ranging from $5,000 to $50,000, with the application process running from Friday through Aug. 7.

The fund’s administrators noted a recent survey by the non-profit Americans for the Arts that found 253 literary organizations had reported losses of more than $7.2 million because of the virus, often because of cancelled events. The impact of those organizations is diverse and nationwide, whether bringing writers into classrooms, sponsoring festivals or awarding fellowships.

“Writers create humanity’s vast and intricate record — they are the chroniclers of our joys and fears, our varied inner lives, our humour, anguish, and determination," Elizabeth Alexander, poet and president of the Mellon Foundation, said in a statement. "This one-time emergency grant provides critical support both for these vital storytellers and for the organizations that ensure their written work remains accessible to enrich

National Book Foundation Executive Director Lisa Lucas told The Associated Press that the idea for an emergency fund came out of conversations among herself, poet academy director Jennifer Benka and Mary Gannon, director of the literary magazines and presses group.

“We were all talking about what was going on and how everybody was having trouble,” Lucas said. “Many of these organizations are small, wondering what's going top happen to them and what it feels like when there seems no help is coming.”

____

Applications can be found on literaryartsemergencyfund.submittable.com/submit

___

This story corrects the application deadline to Aug. 7.

Hillel Italie, The Associated Press