Several leading statewide Oklahoma cultural organizations tasked with investing funds from the American Rescue Plan (ARP) have announced they will coordinate efforts to maximize the impact of the federal pandemic relief funds across the state. Signed into law in March, ARP includes funding that will help the nation’s cultural sector reopen and put artists and creatives back to work. The sector has been devastated by the pandemic and has experienced unemployment rates of more than 77 percent in some fields.

Though funds have not yet been made available to them, the Oklahoma Arts Council, Oklahoma Department of Libraries, and Oklahoma Humanities are already discussing how they can work together to realize shared goals. The three organizations–two state agencies and a statewide nonprofit–have a focus on ensuring Oklahomans have access to cultural resources and experiences.

Oklahoma Arts Council Executive Director Amber Sharples said leaders of each of the organizations see tremendous value in working together, especially having gained insight into the challenges and condition of the cultural sector over the course of the pandemic.

Sharples said, “In spring 2020, during the early phase of the pandemic, our three organizations administered an initial round of federal relief funds provided through the CARES Act, which was crucial to helping nonprofit arts and humanities organizations, libraries, and others weather in the short term the immediate, catastrophic impact felt during last year’s lockdown. At that point, we were operating in uncharted territory. A year into the pandemic, as we have a clearer understanding of how the pandemic is affecting organizations, we see ways to maximize the impact of this round of relief funds provided through the American Rescue Plan, so that the sector is better poised for post-pandemic recovery, job retention, and long-term viability.”