Because the arts bring communities to life.
With $160K of support from ECCF’s Creative County Initiative, the Essex County Creative Nonprofit Resiliency Grant Program succeeded in helping forty-seven creative nonprofits weather the early economic devastation of COVID-19, and the CCI creative network continues to grow and strengthen as a result. The Essex County Artist Fund remains open for individual artists economically affected by COVID-19.
IMPACT STATEMENT
Our entire GWC calendar of spring and early summer events have been canceled until further notice. From our 10th anniversary Gala to all free and ticketed literary events, workshops, classes, and programs, we have had to cancel everything. We have laid off our entire staff and they are now collecting unemployment. Our spring appeal has been canceled as has our upcoming Corporate Membership Appeal, which relies heavily on small local restaurants and businesses. Our projected goal for our Spring Appeal was $15,000, the same level as 2019. We planned to bring in $5,000 from our canceled Corporate Membership Appeal. We canceled two authors dinners that would have provided us with a total net profit of $3,000, and we have canceled our storytelling event “Fish Tales” that would have brought in a profit of $1000. We conservatively estimate that the GWC has lost approximately $24,000 so far, nearly 20% of our budget, as the shut down continues into the beginning of May. We continue to pay rent on our space housing the Maud Olson Library as well as utilities, insurance, and other miscellaneous expenses. We hope to be able to pick up our mission where we left off as soon as the governor notifies us that we can safely open up again, but without our spring fundraising efforts, we are not sure how we will be able to open up our programs in the fall.
Non-Profit: Gloucester Writers Center – Gloucester
Learn more: gloucesterwriters.org
Mission: Our mission has always been to honor and celebrate Cape Ann’s rich literary legacy and to encourage writing and citizenship in the belief that all our voices count. Our programs include a writing program for women of limited means; a veteran’s writing program; a journaling program for citizens with substance abuse issues, a children’s poetry project at Pathways, and many literary programs for the general public.
Learn more about the Essex County Community Foundation