COVID-19 Response Resources for Museums and Museum Professionals

In response to COVID-19, many organizations and companies are offering resources to help museums navigate the ever-changing situation. Resources for both museums and museum professionals are listed below.

For a list of Ohio community foundations with active COVID-19 emergency response funds and resources, click here. 

Please note: This list is updated as OMA receives new information. Please contact OMA at [email protected] if you know of resources that should be added to this list.

Academic Museum and Galleries

Academic Museum and Galleries held a panel discussion webinar March 18.  This webinar covered issues related to COVID-19 and Academic Museums and Galleries. Learn more here.

AEP-Ohio

AEP Foundation and other partners have created grants to support community resiliency initiatives that mobilize residents to address significant needs in their community as a result of the novel coronavirus. Grant awards will range between $500 to $2,000, and projects must take place prior to April 30, 2020. Learn more here. 

American Alliance of Museums

American Association for State and Local History

AASLH has a page of COVID-19 resources available. Learn more here.
AASLH is offering a new webinar series—AASLH conversations—to help practitioners and institutions discuss how to respond to the current crisis. Past webinars include “Leadership, Boards and the COVID-19 Crisis,” and “Planning for an Uncertain Financial Future,” April 2 at 3 pm.  Future listings include:

  • Historic Sites and COVID-19
  • Structural Weaknesses Exposed by COVID-19
  • Empathetic Audience Engagement During a Crisis

 Learn more here.

American Public Gardens Association

The American Public Gardens Association will hold a COVID-19 Leadership webinar, April 1 from 3-5 p.m. to talk about the provisions of the CARES act, SBA Loans, and paycheck protection program. Learn more here.

Americans for the Arts

Americans for the Arts has launched a COVID-19 Resource and Response Center. This website includes valuable links to funding/grant opportunities throughout the country. It also features a link to an economic impact survey aiming to “capture a broad spectrum of data and stories that will demonstrate how the arts and culture workers triumphed and survived this crisis as well as the effect of the outbreak on operations through cancelled events, lost wages, and additional expenses.” Access the survey and resource links here.

Association of Art Museum Directors

The Association of Art Museum Directors has resources available on their website. Learn more here.

Association of Midwest Museums

  • The Association of Midwest Museums has a recording of the webinar “Managing Your Business Through the Coronavirus Crisis,” March 15. A panel of HUB International specialists lead an executive overview for executives and HR leaders who need to make strategic decisions on how to manage their day-to-day business operations while mitigating risk and supporting employee health and safety. Learn more here.

  • AMM has a recording of their webinar, “Creative Ways to Make Deadlines While Collaborating from Home,” recorded on March 24, 2020.  Presenters shared tips for conducting great meetings, ideas for brainstorming virtually, how to move a project forward that is in mid-process, and reviews of software they've used to support the effort. Learn more here.

  • AMM has a recording of the webinar, “Launching Virtual Tours Quickly.” AMM member company TimeLooper presented best practices on how (and why) to build VR-based immersion experiences like virtual tours that you can easily develop, explore easy off the shelf tools to consider and creative tips on how to make content more meaningful.  View the recording here.

  • AAM and VAMONDE will present the webinar “How to Create Online Exhibits,” April 9 at 2 pm. Learn types of online exhibits, common elements, formats used and creative ideas for expanding the status quo. Learn more at: https://bit.ly/2RioKVG

Bloomerang

Bloomerang has compiled a library of crisis fundraising advice, articles, opinions, webinars, videos and resources in the wake of the new coronavirus and its impact on the nonprofit sector. Learn more here. 

CDC Resources

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Chronicle of Philanthropy

Resources from the Chronicle of Philanthropy to help nonprofits during the Coronavirus outbreak including resources on How to Manage, Lead and Communicate, Fundraising, Technology Solutions and Remote Work, and Self-Care.  Learn more here.

Chronicle of Philanthropy has a resource page on "How Nonprofits Can Apply for Loans and Other Emergency Benefits." Learn more here. 

Columbus Foundation

The Columbus Foundation held the nonprofit forum, "The Coronavirus Relief Act: What Nonprofits Can Do Now," April 7 from 10-11:15 am. Learn more here. 

Connecting to Collections Online Care Community

Connecting to Collections has archives of their C2C Care webinars, including "Using Social Media to Tell Your Collections' Stories," from 2010. Learn more here.

The Connecting to Collections Online Care Community held the webinar, “Collections Care in the Time of COVID-19,” April 2. Participants heard from panelists from the Harvard Library, Midwest Art Conservation Center, Yale University Library, Smithsonian National Collections Program and the Smithsonian Institution about collections storage situations, collections care standards, disaster plans, and the challenges of working from home.  View the recording here. 

Cuseum

Cuseum held part one of the webinar “How to Keep Your Audience Engaged, Entertained and Inspired in the Age of Coronavirus," March 18. Learn more here.

Cuseum held part two of the webinar, “How to Captivate, Connect, and Communication with Your Audience During Coronavirus,” March 25. See the recording here. 

Cuseum held the webinar "Communicating with Your Members During Coronavirus," March 30. See the recording here. 

Cuseum held the webinar, "Reinforcing the Value of Membership During Coronavirus." April 6. Learn more here. 

Cuseum will hold the webinar, "How to Craft Meaningful & Mindful Digital Content in the Age of Coronavirus," April 8 at 2 pm. Learn more here. 

FORM

This article from FORM outlines how to move education programs from in-person to online with 10 tips to migrate education content to online platforms for little to no cost. Learn more here. 

Google for Nonprofits

Google for nonprofits has a list of resources to help organizations work remotely and host events online. Learn more here.

GrantSpace

GrantSpace has created a list of emergency financial resources available for those organizations experiencing COVID-19 related hardships. This list is updated regularly. Learn more here.

Heritage Ohio

Heritage Ohio has a recording of the webinar "Utilizing Economic Injury Disaster Loans,” recorded on March 24. Joshua Stutzman from the U.S. Small Business Administration explained who is eligible and what steps to take to apply for an SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan. Learn more here.

Heritage Ohio will hold the webinar, "How to Create an Online Experience for your Customers to Support Your Brick and Mortar Business," April 8 from 1-2 pm. Learn more here. 

HUB International

HUB International has created a library of materials to help leaders communicate effectively with their employees, including email templates, shelter at home flyers and more. Learn more here.

HUB International will hold the webinar “Small Business Assistance Available Under the CARES Act,” April 2 at 3 pm. Learn more here.

Institute of Museum and Library Services

  • IMLS has a list of COVID-19 resources for libraries and museums. Learn more here.
  • IMLS will hold the webinar “Mitigating COVID-19 When Managing Paper-Based, Circulating, and Other Types of Collections,” March 30 at 1 p.m. Dr. David Berendes and Dr. Catherine Rasberry from the Centers for Disease Control will give an overview of the CDC’s guidance for community settings and environmental disinfection, and a discussion of how libraries, archives, and museums can help mitigate COVID-19 when working with paper-based, circulating, and other types of collections. The presentation will be followed by a question and answer period. Learn more here.
  • IMLS has announced new guidelines to how institutions with open grants may adapt their existing funds to address immediate needs to accommodate the disruption caused by coronavirus. Learn more here. 

Independent Museum Professionals Network

The Independent Museum Professionals Network has compiled a list of tips for those new to working remotely. Learn more here. 

Independent Sector

Independent Sector has teamed with Washington Council Ernst & Young to create a new resource to show how the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) act will apply to your organizations and how to proceed with filing for assistance. Learn more here.

Independent Sector will hold a webinar on how to apply for funding through the CARES Act, April 2 at 2 pm. Learn more here. 

International Foundation for Cultural Property Protection

The International Foundation for Cultural Property Protection has issued guidance for basic security during the current closures. Learn more here. 

Know Your Own Bone

Colleen Dilenschneider from Know Your Own Bone has released the data article, “Post-Pandemic, Which Cultural Entity Types Are People More Likely to Revisit?” Learn more here.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn has opened a number of free LinkedIn Learning courses that focus on being productive while working from home, including tips on using virtual meeting tools to build relationships in a new working environment. Learn more here.

Mental Health America

Coronavirus And Mental Health: Statement From Paul Gionfriddo, President And CEO Of Mental Health America.

MobileCause

MobileCause has customizable, fill-in-the-blank messages to help nonprofits communicate event and program changes to donors and stakeholders. Learn more here.

National Council of Nonprofits

The National Council of Nonprofits has an easy to read chart on loans available for nonprofits as part of the CARES Act. Learn more here.  

Nonprofit Times

The Nonprofit Times held the free webinar, “COVID-19 & Nonprofit Response,” March 19. This webinar featured health professionals, fundraising experts and risk management authorities to provide guidance to nonprofits. Learn more here.

The NonProfit Times will hold the free webinar “Coronavirus And Your Message to Donors,” March 25 at 2 pm. A panel of fundraising experts will answer your questions, and talk about how to go about digital messaging to donors during the coronavirus pandemic. Learn more here.

The Nonprofit Times will hold the webinar, “Fundraising Today: How is COVID-19 Impacting Nonprofit Health?,” April 2 at 9 a.m. This candid conversation will cover how nonprofits and grantmakers are making strategic moves to ensure a path forward for philanthropy during this crisis. Learn more here.

Nonprofit times has assembled COVID-19 Resources to help nonprofit employers navigate the Coronavirus’s impact on organizations and their employees. Learn more here.

Nonprofit Quarterly

Nonprofit Quarterly has an article detailing how the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Art (CARES Act) may be beneficial to nonprofits. Learn more here.

Ohio Arts Council

Coronavirus Updates, FAQ, and Resources from the Ohio Arts Council. Learn more here.

Ohio Coronavirus Website

Learn more here.

Ohio Department of Health

COVID-19 Resource and Information Website

Ohio Museums Association

Our March #OHMuseumChat topic was "Responding to COVID-19.” This chat gave Ohio's museum professionals a platform to connect with colleagues regarding how the virus has impacted you and your museum, how your organization is dealing with the disruptions of closure and event cancellations/postponement, resources for support now and in the future, self-care during an uncertain time, and other topics that are important to museum pros during this rapidly changing situation. This chat is still available by searching #OHMuseumChat on twitter. Learn more here.

Ohio Small Business Administration

The Small Business Administration is providing Economic Injury Disaster Loans of up to $2 million per small business to assist with economic recovery. SBA Disaster Assistance Response to the Coronavirus is available HERE, and the Spanish version HERE. For detailed information on SBA programs for the coronavirus, visit www.sba.gov/coronavirus and for information on all federal programs, visit www.usa.gov/coronavirus.

Silent Partner Software

Silent Partner Software has a page of Resources for nonprofits, including government programs, employment forms, fundraising templates, communication during the crisis and more. Learn more here.

TechSoup

TechSoup has a resources page for nonprofits impacted by COVID-19. Learn more here.

US Travel

US Travel is collecting stories to share with Congress on how COVID-19 is impacting travel and they want to hear from museums! Each of the stories heard by members of Congress will help shape legislation aimed at relieving industries suffering from COVID-19, including travel and tourism. These stories will also be shared with OMA to help us in our advocacy actions to convey the impact the virus is having on Ohio museums. Tell your story here.

Vamonde

Vamonde has created a resource page, “Practice Ideas to Engage Visitors Digitally During COVID-19.” Learn more here.
Vamonde will also host the webinar “Creative Ways to Engage Audiences During COVID-19,” April 8 at 2 pm. This webinar will explore best practices for museums to build and share relevant digital content. Learn more here.