Utah’s largest arts organizations will receive a combined $9 million in emergency grants to help them survive the pandemic, state officials announced this week.
The money, appropriated by the Utah Legislature from the federal CARES Act, will be distributed to the 15 largest arts organizations and venues in the state. Each has an operating budget of more than $5 million.
The organizations that will receive grants include:
• Ballet West.
• Broadway Media.
• Fan X (Dan Farr Productions).
• Hale Centre Theatre (Sandy).
• Loveland Living Planet Aquarium.
• MagicSpace Entertainment.
• Maverik Center.
• Natural History Museum of Utah.
• Red Butte Garden.
• Sundance Institute.
• Thanksgiving Point.
• Tuacahn Center for the Arts.
• Utah’s Hogle Zoo.
• Utah Shakespeare Festival.
• Utah Symphony | Utah Opera.
Part of the funding must be used to host an event or activity that will increase visitors and tourism.
These funds should help sustain the organizations which have had combined losses of around $100 million, Victoria Bourns, director of the Utah Division of Arts & Museums, said in a news release.
“Our goal,” she said, “is to have these organizations open to us when the pandemic ends.”
