David Michel

I am pleased to see six Stamford-based art centers are among the 154 nonprofit arts organizations across the state to receive $9 million in grants through Connecticut's COVID Relief Fund for the Arts, which aids arts nonprofits amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Stamford recipients are as follows:

• Curtain Call, $81,300
• INTEMPO, $63,600
• Stamford Center for the Arts, $50,000
• Stamford Symphony, $185,600
• Stamford Young Artists Philharmonic, $6,600
• Treetops Chamber Music Society, $8,100

The COVID-19 pandemic has been devastating to our city's arts organizations, and I am grateful the state is providing support so these centers may see another season. These community organizations bring so much good to our community and add to our vibrant culture and history. Even during the toughest times, these organizations have found new means to bring the arts to life. I am grateful for all they do and, because of this funding, will continue to do. 

The COVID Relief Fund for the Arts was established utilizing federal CARES Act funding from the state's Coronavirus Relief Fund. It is administered by the Connecticut Department of Community and Economic Development's Office of the Arts. Its goal is to support arts nonprofits that:

• Are performing arts centers, schools of the arts, or performing groups for whom grants will make a difference in terms of survival or rehiring; and
• Have had to curtail operations for a period of time due to the pandemic and which have had limited ability to reopen due to pandemic restrictions or have had to pivot their service delivery due to pandemic restrictions.

Additional information about the COVID Relief Fund for the Arts is available on the DECD web site, www.ct.gov/DECD