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The Houston creative, music and arts community has been hit especially hard during the COVID-19 pandemic as live music venues and art spaces have closed. Houston music venues like The Firehouse Saloon have had to close their doors for good, while others hang on by a thread hoping for any sort of bread crumb that may be thrown their way. To help combat some of the financial strain impacting local artists and cultural organizations, and possibly offer some ray of hope in what is looking more and more like the type of dire situation that will be hard to come back from, the Houston Mayor's Office of Cultural Affairs (MOCA) distributed $5 million to artists, cultural organizations, music venues and musicians.

The Houston Mayors Office of Cultural Affairs, in collaboration with Houston Arts Alliance (HAA) and Mid-America Arts Alliance (MAAA), successfully distributed federal CARES funds to 691 recipients. A total of 226 artists, 308 musicians, 36 music venues, and 121 arts and cultural organizations received support. The MOCA CARES relief grant programs were offered twice in 2020, in August and in November. All funds have been distributed.

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“We want to thank (Houston) musicians and artists for their role in the community as we, as a city, work together during this global pandemic,” said Mayor Sylvester Turner. “While we see positive signs regarding vaccines, we know that we must continue to protect ourselves and each other. The City’s commitment to music venues, musicians, cultural institutions and artists is a part of a variety of supports like broadband access, rental assistance, and small business relief.”

Recipients of funding from the Houston Mayors Office of Cultural Affairs represented the entire city, across all eleven City Council districts, and represented a variety of musical genres and artistic expressions. A majority of recipients reported that their artistic practice makes up their primary source of income, making these funds critical. There were a total of 1,736 applicants reporting losses of $165.6 million.

The grants offered through the CARES Act and distributed by the Houston Mayors Office of Cultural Affairs provide direct support to individuals and businesses that generate economic activity and support the community's wellbeing. The organizations and live music venues that received awards are listed below. Houston Caller encourages everyone to continue to #MaskUp, stay safe, and support the arts.

To learn more about the City’s cultural programs visit www.houstontx.gov/culturalaffairs. You can also follow MOCA on Facebook and Instagram @HoustonMOCA.

Awards are as follows:

$20,000 - $100,000
A.D. Players  
Alley Kat Bar andamp; Lounge  
Arena Theatre  
Art Colony Association, Inc.  
Asia Society Texas Center  
Avantgarden  
Barrett's Bar andamp; Music  
Cafeza  
Contemporary Arts Museum Houston  
Cullen Performance Hall  
Dan Electro's Bar  
Dynamic Sound Houston  
Emmits Place  
Gus S. Wortham Theater Center  
Heights Theater  
Holocaust Museum Houston  
Houston Center For Contemporary Craft  
Houston Center For Photography  
Houston Metropolitan Dance Center Inc  
Houston Symphony Society  
Houston Youth Symphony  
Inprint Inc  
Italian Cultural andamp; Community Center Of Houston  
John P McGovern Museum Of Health andamp; Medical Science  
Jones Hall For The Performing Arts  
Khon's   
Last Concert Cafe  
Le Chateau Bistro andamp; Lounge  
Main Street Theater  
Mcgonigel's Mucky Duck  
Menil Foundation Inc  
Mercury Chamber Orchestra  
Multicultural Education And Counseling Through The Arts  
Museum Of Fine Arts Houston  
Numbers  
Orange Show Center For Visionary Art  
Red Dwarf  
River Oaks Chamber Orchestra  
Rockefellers  
Society For The Performing Arts  
Stages  
Stereo Live  
The Bayou Theater  
The Big Easy  
The Continental Club  
The Dive  
The Hobby Center  
The Music Box Theater, Houston  
The Rustic  
The Secret Group  
Theatre Under The Stars Inc 
Warehouse Live  
Westwind Club  
White Oak Music Hall  
Writers In The Schools  
Young Audiences Inc Of Houston  

$5,001 - $19,999  
14 Pews  
1810 Ojeman Bar  
4th Wall Theatre Company  
Aperio  
Apollo Chamber Players  
Ars Lyrica Houston  
Art League Of Houston  
Aurora Picture Show  
Axiom Quartet Inc  
Bay Area Houston Ballet andamp; Theatre  
Bechdel Films  
Box13 Artspace  
Buffalo Soldier National Museum  
Children's Prison Art Project  
City Ballet Of Houston  
Classical Theatre Company  
Coalition Of Hispanics For Excellence In International Techno  
Community Artists Collective  
Community Music Center Of Houston  
Czech Center Museum Houston  
Da Camera Society Of Texas  
Dance Houston  
Dance Of Asian America  
Dance Source Houston  
Diaz Music Institute  
Discovery Green Conservancy  
Diverse Works Inc  
Ensemble Theatre  
Express Children's Theatre  
Ez Kids Creativity Shell  
Fifth Ward Community Redevelopment  
Fotofest Inc  
Foundation For Modern Music Inc  
Franklins Tower  
Freneticore  
Fresh Arts  
Glasstire  
Greater Houston Chorus  
Gulf Coast-a Journal Of Literature andamp; Fine Arts  
Hope Stone Inc  
Houston Aeronautical Heritage Society Inc  
Houston Ballet  
Houston Boychoir Inc  
Houston Children's Chorus Inc  
Houston Choral Society  
Houston Cinema Arts Society  
Houston Contemporary Dance  
Houston Early Music  
Houston International Dance Coalition  
Houston Latin American Philharmonic Orchestra  
Houston Masterworks Chorus Inc  
Houston Museum Of African American Culture  
India House Inc
Indian Music Society Of Houston  
Indo-American Association  
Jazz Education Inc  
Jazz Houston  
Lawndale Art And Performance Center  
Mildred's Umbrella Theater Company  
Musiqa  
Nameless Sound  
Nigerian American Multicultural Center   
Open Dance Project  
Partnership For The Advancement andamp; Immersion Of Refugees  
Project Row Houses  
Public Poetry  
Rec Room Arts  
Russian Cultural Center-our Texas  
SHAPE Community Center  
Silambam Houston  
South Asian Folk Arts Council  
Stages  
Texan-French Alliance For The Arts  
Texas New Music Ensemble  
The Catastrophic Theatre Inc  
The Heritage Society  
The Positive Project  
Theatre Suburbia Inc  
Uptown Dance Company  
Vietnamese Culture And Science Association
Virtuosi Of Houston  
Windsync  
Workshop Houston  
World Voices Houston  
Writespace

$5,000 or Less  
Community Development Corporation Of Freedmens Town  
Cone Man Running Productions  
Dance Afrikana  
Diversity In The Arts And Entertainment  
Dynamism Fine Arts Of Texas  
Exalted Arts Corporation  
Flamart  
Gordon Education Initiatives For The Performing Arts  
Houston Brass Quintet Inc  
Houston Latino Film Festival  
IV God's Glory  
La Speranza  
Landing Theatre Company  
Luciole International Theatre Co  
Super Happy Fun Land
Welead

A total of $1,206,950 distributed to 534 individual creatives in music, visual arts, writing, film/media, theater, dance, and design.