Twenty Years of NCAPER: An Anniversary and an Invitation

March 12 marks the twentieth anniversary of the National Coalition for Arts Preparedness and Emergency Response (NCAPER).

NCAPER was founded in 2006 in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, when a group of arts leaders gathered in Washington, D.C. to address a critical gap. At the time, there was no coordinated safety net to support artists and arts organizations facing disasters.

Cornelia Carey, Former Executive Director, CERF+

Led by Cornelia Carey, then Executive Director of CERF+, and facilitated by Robert Lynch, then CEO of Americans for the Arts, the meeting brought together arts leaders, funders, and emergency

management advocates around a shared idea: the arts sector needed stronger ways to prepare for, respond to, and recover from crises. From that commitment, NCAPER was formed.

What began as a response to urgent needs has grown into a national network built on collaboration, shared knowledge, and care for the cultural life of our communities.

Robert Lynch, former CEO of Americans for the Arts

Over the past two decades, the need for this work has only become clearer. Disasters continue to affect artists, cultural organizations, and the communities they serve. Through each challenge, the arts sector has demonstrated resilience, creativity, and generosity.

NCAPER works to support that resilience by strengthening connections across the arts, emergency management, and philanthropy. Through partnerships, resources, and ongoing conversations, the coalition helps elevate preparedness and support artists and cultural organizations when they need it most.

This work has been shaped by many individuals and organizations whose leadership helped establish the foundation for arts preparedness. Early guidance from Cornelia Carey and partnerships with organizations such as South Arts, the Joan Mitchell Foundation, NYFA, and many others helped bring this effort to life and expand it over time.

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.

As NCAPER marks this anniversary year, we are grateful for the funders, partners, Steering Committee members, and field leaders who continue to support this work. In the months ahead, NCAPER will reflect on the past twenty years while also looking forward by highlighting resources, tools, stories from the field, and the people helping strengthen readiness across the arts sector.

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.

See what's new and explore preparedness resources at NCAPER.org.

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