Essex County Creative Economy to Get Boost from State Grant

ECCF-led virtual platform will distribute and promote region’s digital creative content Essex County’s cultural organizations and artists will soon have a powerful tool to aid in their economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, thanks to a $230,000 grant from the...

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We Must Breathe – Together

Last night, when Derek Chauvin was led into a Minneapolis courtroom to learn the outcome of his trial, we collectively held our breath. And when the verdict was read, we exhaled. Because when a White ex-police officer is held accountable for the murder of a Black man, we must breathe.

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The Message from IFT Keynote Speaker Phil Buchanan? Be Courageous.

At the kickoff, Buchanan, who spoke for about a half-hour before taking questions, talked about the irrationality of expecting nonprofits to run like businesses. He explained his frustration at the false rhetoric he often hears about the social sector – organizations spend too much on overhead or they don’t innovate – and how he seeks to counteract it in every interaction he has with donors.

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Arts in Crisis: Huge Losses Signal Need for Collaboration to Recover

Arts in Crisis: Huge Losses Signal Need for Collaboration to Recover

Published in North of Boston Business March 24, 2021
They were the first to close and will be among the last to fully reopen. Theaters, performance venues, live music spots, museums and galleries: they make our communities more vibrant, they help drive the local economy, and they serve as epicenters of creative expression, cultural representation and togetherness.

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Column: The COVID effect and the challenge ahead

Column: The COVID effect and the challenge ahead

Prior to the arrival of COVID-19, some parts of Essex County were thriving. The overall unemployment rate – which had been declining steadily since the Great Recession – was 3% and Essex County was on the tail end of a 21% spike in job growth.

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Strengthening Essex County’s Food System Post-COVID

Food insecurity is among the challenges most exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger relief organization, Essex County’s overall food insecurity rate has increased 72% from 2018-2020, while the child rate has skyrocketed by 123%. Right now in Essex County, 20.6% of children don’t know where they’ll get their next meal. 

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