Flamboyan Arts Fund and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation announce grantees of $1 million Emergency Relief Fund

Grantees include 89 art organizations and 450 individual artists

San Juan, Puerto Rico (June 11, 2020) – The Flamboyan Arts Fund and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation announced today that they have selected 89 art organizations in Puerto Rico to receive grants from their $1 million Emergency Relief Fund, established to help alleviate the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the arts and culture sector in Puerto Rico.

The grants, ranging from $5,000 to $20,000, will be used for staff salaries, rent and other basic needs during the emergency. Funds will also support creating or expanding virtual arts programming. Emergency Relief Fund recipients represent a diversity of art disciplines including performing arts, visual arts, and literature.

In addition to the 89 nonprofit organizations – and thanks to additional funding from the Miranda family – the Emergency Relief Fund has also awarded $600 grants to 450 individual artists. The administration of the individual artist grants was made possible by a partnership with well-respected local organizations Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico (MAC) and Km 0.2. “Due to an overwhelming need from individual artists who applied, our family has committed an additional $120K in order to provide assistance to 200 more artists, bringing the total number of individuals from 250 to 450,” said Luis A. Miranda, Jr.

“Km greatly appreciates this alliance, a necessary collaboration that serves the cultural sector in times of crisis”, Karlo Ibarra, codirector and cofounder of Km0.2, said. MAC’s Executive Director Marianne Aponte Ramírez, added that “for us at MAC, it was imperative to be able to alleviate the difficult situation our artists are going through. For this, our deep thanks to the Foundations and to the Miranda Family, whose contributions have come to strengthen the MAC Emergency Fund, which since 1997 has offered services to our artistic community”.

The Flamboyan Arts Fund will be actively seeking extra funding to award grants to all the individual artists that applied and were eligible.

“These talented artists and organizations are the cornerstone of Puerto Rico’s arts and culture sector. Every year, thousands of people benefit from their creativity. In these times of crisis, we have turned to the arts as a source not only of entertainment, but for revitalization, and education in the intimacy of our own spaces. We can help artists go through these difficult times while bringing the beauty of their work to families and communities re-imagining the ways in which they can interact with each other. We know that they have been deeply affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with millions in reported economic losses from canceled events and closed venues. We hope that these grants can help them navigate these trying times, so that they can surpass this crisis and continue creating for generations to come,” said Flamboyan Foundation Executive Director Carlos Rodríguez Silvestre.

The $1 million Emergency Relief Fund was created in April by the Flamboyan Arts Fund and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, with additional support from Broadway Cares. The Flamboyan Arts Fund is a partnership between Flamboyan Foundation, Lin-Manuel Miranda, his family, and the Hamilton musical.

The 89 art organizations which received the grants are:

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About Flamboyan Foundation:

Guided by the belief that all children deserve the opportunity to live a fulfilling life, the Flamboyan Foundation works to ensure every child in the US and Puerto Rico receives an outstanding education. In D.C., Flamboyan is accelerating student learning by helping educators and school systems transform their relationships with families. In Puerto Rico, Flamboyan is ensuring students are reading in Spanish on grade level by third grade while building a thriving philanthropic and nonprofit sector, which includes arts and cultural organizations.

http://www.flamboyanfoundation.org

About Flamboyan Arts Fund:

The Flamboyan Arts Fund is a partnership between Flamboyan Foundation, Lin-Manuel Miranda, his family, and the Broadway musical Hamilton to preserve, amplify, and sustain the arts in Puerto Rico. Since Hurricane Maria devastated the island last year, many artists and arts organizations like museums, theaters, arts education programs, and music venues are at risk of cutting back services or closing. The fund supports all facets of the arts community including music, theater, visual arts, dance, literature, and youth arts education to ensure that the arts and culture continue to flourish during the rebuilding of Puerto Rico. http://www.flamboyanfoundation.org/flamboyanartsfund