NCAPER Marks 20 Years of Service: 2006 – 2026

The National Coalition for Arts Preparedness and Emergency Response (NCAPER) has transformed the safety net for America’s creative sector since its founding in 2006. I remember clearly its origin story as a voluntary task force in the wake of devastating Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. This group of volunteers gathered to address a critical gap in our sector: the historic underpreparedness and underserving of artists and arts and cultural organizations during national disasters. Over two decades, NCAPER’s impact has evolved from reactive crisis management into a more sophisticated national infrastructure for emergency readiness, resilience and advocacy.

One of NCAPER’s most significant impacts is the centralization of specialized resources that demystify very complex disaster recovery processes. Key tools developed and/or promoted by the coalition include:

NCAPER Arts Field Guide to Federal Disaster Relief: a cornerstone publication that simplifies the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Small Business Administration assistance processes specifically for creative practitioners.
Cultural Placekeeping Guide: a strategic guide to building a network for local emergency action for arts and culture that coordinates with existing disaster management systems. The guide was produced for NCAPER by CERF+ (the Craft Emergency Relief Fund) in collaboration with South Arts.
Earlier this year, the Performing Arts Readiness project officially merged with and became a flagship program of NCAPER, bringing their networks together—along with years of expertise, case studies, training data and sample emergency plans—to benefit the entire sector.

NCAPER’s impact is most visible during active emergencies through its response facilitation calls. These calls serve as a vital link between local leaders on the ground and national subject-matter experts, helping arts leaders navigate disasters. The coalition has hosted these critical forums for months following major catastrophes, including Hurricane Harvey, the 2023 Maui wildfires and southern California’s destructive wildfires of 2025.

Beyond immediate relief, NCAPER has shifted how the broader emergency management sector perceives the arts. By collaborating with the National Endowment for the Arts and FEMA, NCAPER advocates for the arts sector to be recognized as an essential collaborator in community recovery. For example, FEMA assistance reforms championed by NCAPER and its partners resulted in expanded assistance from the federal agency to artists and other self-employed people after a disaster is officially declared.

Over the course of 20 years, much has been accomplished by NCAPER, yet sectorwide, too much is still being lost as disasters impact us. NCAPER launched the commemoration of its anniversary on March 12 with this blog post. It’s taking advantage of this moment to invite more folks into the conversation about what comes next:

“Preparedness in the arts is not only about planning for emergencies. It is also about building relationships, strengthening networks of support, and creating the conditions that allow artists and cultural organizations to continue their work even in difficult moments….

“The work of preparedness continues to evolve, and it grows stronger when more voices are part of it. We invite artists, organizations, funders, and partners across the field to continue building this work together.”