Restore RI Applications are due by Tuesday, December 8th at 9pm.
For help or more information:
Visit the Restore RI website, commerceri.com/about-us/restore-ri.
Contact staff at Commerce via email, or schedule an appointment to meet with them. You can email Commerce at info@CommerceRI.com, or fill out a form on their website to schedule a meeting.
Contact Mollie at RISCA, she will help you through the application and required documentation and answer any questions she can. You can email her at mollie.flanagan@arts.ri.gov.
Restore RI Grant: https://commerceri.com/about-us/restore-ri/
In order to qualify for a RestoreRI grant, you must spend the grant money on business expenses related to COVID-19. These can be things you have already paid for, or expenses you will have before December 1, 2020. There are two main categories of expenses: fixed and variable. Fixed expenses are things that stay the same each month, like studio or office space rent and utilities. Variable covid related expenses include things like PPE, technology upgrades, professional services to adapt to a virtual space, etc. Here are some examples that might apply to artists of a variety of disciplines.
Fixed Costs
- Studio rent – outside your home.
- Equipment or space rental, e.g. a kiln firing; booking hours in a studio space with equipment you don’t have, etc.
- Subscriptions that relate to your business, including: professional associations; website hosting; industry publications; cloud storage.
- Studio or office utilities – outside your home.
- Bookkeeping software or subscriptions.
Variable Costs, Directly related to COVID-19 Adaptations
- PPE, including masks, plexiglass barriers, increased ventilation and air purifiers.
- Technology upgrades, including computers; video equipment; lighting and sound.
- Professional services, like website design, documentation of your work to sell/present online.
- E-commerce subscriptions and set up.
- Inventory management programs and systems.
- Any other expenses you have that are directly related to adapting your art practice and business for COVID-19.
Ineligible Expenses
- Your time/paying yourself.
- Art making supplies and materials.
- Any variable expenses that are not directly supporting adaptation to COVID-19.
- Home office expenses.
Business Adaptation Grant: https://commerceri.com/businessadaptation/
The Business Adaptation Grant Program is targeted at companies with business models (products and/or services) that have been dramatically constrained and significantly impacted by the public health emergency resulting from the COVID 19 pandemic. The program is designed to support affected businesses in adapting their business models and/or operations in substantial ways.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and must be submitted no later than 4:00 PM on Monday, November 9, 2020. The Corporation will begin to announce awards as early as November 4, 2020.
Nonprofit Support Fund Grants through Rhode Island Foundation: https://rifoundation.org/grant/rhode-island-nonprofit-support-fund
The purpose of the program is to support local nonprofits with direct service programs that respond to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on individuals and/or communities in Rhode Island. Grant awards are anticipated to be in the range of $15,000 to $75,000. If awarded, funds must be expended by December 30, 2020. The application deadline is October 30, 2020.