James River Arts & Culture District COVID Recovery Program

The James River Arts & Cultural District Program is intended to attract citizens, organizations, and partnerships that wish to create and execute projects within the District to benefit the welfare of the citizens of Lynchburg. 

In 2020, the Office of Economic Development & Tourism created the James River Arts & Culture District COVID Recovery Program, a one-time fund to provide financial assistance to non-profit 501(c)(3) arts & cultural organizations physically located within the James River Arts & Culture District of Lynchburg, Virginia, whose operations were either closed or restricted by the Commonwealth of Virginia in response to the novel coronavirus. Organizations that receive other operational financial support from the City of Lynchburg will not be eligible to apply.

This program is administered by the Office of Economic Development & Tourism of the City of Lynchburg through an allocation of the City of Lynchburg amusement tax funds within the James River Arts & Culture District.

The program is supported in part by the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. 

The James River Arts & Culture program funding for project grants will resume in February 2021. 

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Where is the District?

The James River Arts & Cultural District is in and around downtown Lynchburg, Virginia. For a closer look, here is the James River Arts Cultural District Map.

How can I apply?

In order to receive this support, you must meet all eligibility requirements and submit an online application by September 15, 2020. Applicants will be required to demonstrate and certify that they are eligible, that they were operational as of March 1, 2020, and that they are suffering negative business impacts from COVID-19.

Applications will be accepted beginning September 1st at 9:00 AM and close on September 15th at 5:00 PM. The online application will be available on this page. 

At that time, all applications will be reviewed for completeness. All fully completed applications will be deemed qualified and eligible for grant funds. If there are more qualified applications than funds, applications will be reviewed in the order in which they were received.

Only fully completed applications will be considered. Please take time to fully complete all required fields of information and upload necessary supporting documentation. If you have questions or need assistance with your application, please contact us at 434-485-7291 or Emelyn.Gwynn@LynchburgVA.Gov. 

Required Documentation

Online applications will be available on September 1, 2020. The materials below are provided so that you may prepare in advance. 

Applications must be submitted online between September 1st and September 15th. 

2019-W-9

JRAC-Financial-Statement-of-Impact

Most Recent IRS 990 Form (upload)

Most Recent Audit Statement (Upload)

Eligibility
  • Be physically located in the James River Arts & Culture District
  • Non-profit 501(c)(3) arts & cultural organization
  • Must not receive operational financial support from the City of Lynchburg
  • Be in business March 1, 2020
  • List and provide a description of qualifying expenses
  • Agree to release tax information
  • Submit signed W-9
  • Certify that business is currently open or plans to reopen
  • Must be able to demonstrate a loss in revenue that can be attributed to COVID-19 by completing a Financial Statement of Impact form
  • Be current on any and all City of Lynchburg taxes prior to grant disbursement

Past Project Gallery

Amazement Square Chalk Festival 

Endstation Theater Company

The Listening Concert Series

Jaylin Randolph Show Love Music Video

Riverviews Artspace

Lynchburg Symphony Orchestra

Wolfbane Production Company

Academy Center of the Arts Mural