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  • Events
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          • Overview
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          • New Chamber Event Series
        • ...
          Women's Network
          A Fireside Chat with Dr. Melissa Gilliam, Boston University

          This Women's Network event will offer an insightful conversation with Dr. Melissa Gilliam, the 11th President of Boston University and both the first woman and the first Black woman to lead the institution since its founding in 1869.

          06/18/2025

          11:30am - 1:00pm

          Fairmont Copley Plaza

          arrow-go
          Read More
        • ...
          Special Event
          Talent and Competitiveness in 2025: Finding Opportunity in Uncertain Times

          Join the Chamber and Massachusetts Business Roundtable for a deep dive into employer insights, featuring analysis from McKinsey and a panel of experts.

          06/26/2025

          11:00am - 12:00pm

          Virtual

          arrow-go
          Read More
        • ...
          Pacesetters
          Doing Business with Mass General Brigham

          Join us for our installment of the Pacesetters Doing Business series featuring Mass General Brigham on June 26, 2025.

          06/26/2025

          1:00pm - 2:00pm

          Virtual

          arrow-go
          Read More
  • Learning & Development
        • Learning & Development

          • Overview
          • Call for Nominations
          • Insights
        • Transformational DEI Certificate

          This program is in redevelopment. Click this page for DEI resources.

          Read More
          Women’s Leadership Program

          Our Women’s Leadership Program enables you to take your leadership to the next level by arming you with the most in-demand leadership toolkit.

          Read More
          Boston’s Future Leaders

          Our Boston’s Future Leaders (BFL) program provides emerging leaders with a socially conscious and civically engaged leadership toolkit, as well as the opportunity to apply their knowledge through experiential assignments.

          Read More
          Authentic Professionalism for Early Career Professionals

          Join us on June 12 for a highly interactive virtual workshop with Strategic Career & Leadership Coach Carole-Ann Penney.

          Read More
  • Economic Inclusion
        • Economic Inclusion

          • Overview
          • Pacesetters
          • Resources
        • ...
          Economic Inclusion
          City Awake

          City Awake empowers young professionals in a variety of ways that encourages these rising leaders to stay invested in the region’s future success.

          arrow-go
          Read More
        • ...
          Economic Inclusion
          Pacesetters

          We are developing an ecosystem of corporations and partners with the influence and buying power to transform economic inclusion for minority business enterprises (MBEs).

          arrow-go
          Read More
        • ...
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          Small businesses are the backbone of the Boston economy. Learn more about the resources available through the Chamber.

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          Small businesses are the backbone of the Boston economy. Learn more about the resources available through the Chamber.

          Read More
          City Awake

          City Awake empowers young professionals in a variety of ways that encourages these rising leaders to stay invested in the region’s future success.

          Read More
          BIMA

          BIMA (the Boston Interactive Media Association) serves a vibrant community of like-minded professionals from agencies, brands, publishers, and ad-tech companies with business interests in the New England market.

          Read More
          Women’s Network

          For over 30 years, the Chamber’s Women’s Network has connected female professionals of all background and career levels. Today, our Women’s Network is the largest in New England, strengthening the professional networks of women each year.

          Read More
          Massachusetts Apprentice Network

          The Massachusetts Apprentice Network convenes employers, training providers, and talent sources interested in developing and implementing apprenticeship programs in occupations across industries and statewide in fields such as tech, advanced manufacturing, healthcare, financial services, and more.

          Read More
          Pacesetters

          We are developing an ecosystem of corporations and partners with the influence and buying power to transform economic inclusion for minority business enterprises (MBEs).

          Read More
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Chamber joins letter to support relief for Arts, Culture & Creative sectors

May 4, 2021

April 26, 2021

The Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce is one of 113 chambers of commerce from 46 states to sign a letter in support of relief for the arts, culture, and creative sectors. The Chambers signed onto the letter collectively working with over 33 million employers, employees, and businesses of all sizes and industries to respond to our national public health and economic crisis.

The 2020 CARES Act and the new American Rescue Plan Act provided much-needed relief to many of our members, however, there are critical gaps in the aid that fail to meet the needs of the creative economy and cultural infrastructure. A report from the Brookings Institution [1] found that the country’s 670,000 creative economy businesses (which generate $919.7 billion each year towards the GDP) [2] have collectively lost at least $150 billion, and that over half of all workers in the creative sector remain unemployed.

Johns Hopkins University and the international Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development warn [3] that the creative sector is among the most impacted industries in the country— with damaging ripple effects to restaurants, tourism, travel, and local businesses. Bureau of Economic Analysis data shows that the sector contracted by 59% between the end of 2019 and mid-2020 — twice the rate of other highly impacted industries— and is rebounding at a slower rate.[4]

We request that the U.S. Congress work swiftly to enact the following provisions within the infrastructure and recovery package known as the American Jobs Plan. These proposals echo the Put Creative Workers to Work policy platform endorsed by over 2,300 creative businesses and creative workers in all 50 states.[5]

  • Allocate $14 billion to incentivize local, state, and tribal businesses and governments to put creative workers to work and activate cultural infrastructure, including hiring or tax credits to incentivize businesses and local and state agencies to accelerate hiring, re-hiring, or retention of creative workers; funds to incentivize financial institutions to invest in small creative businesses and creative entrepreneurs; grants to cover restart costs for small creative businesses and provide capital for the creation of new creative product to be sold; and support for local and state creative workforce programs.
  • Allocate $3 billion to spark an American cultural renaissance via the NEA, NEH, IMLS, and other federal agencies, including through creative jobs, fellowships, residencies, and commissions designed to drive local economic growth and community cohesion, produce free entertainment to encourage local spending, and incentivize local and state workforce development and infrastructure programs.
  • Allocate $1 billion in arts and creativity-based education for recovery via the Department of Education, including a bridge program to incentivize retention of arts educators within education infrastructure.
  • Direct the Federal Reserve to broaden their nonprofit lending facility under the Main Street Lending Program to specifically benefit mid-size nonprofits to those with more than 500 employees, and a loan forgiveness option.

As we face the road to economic recovery, we must prioritize creative infrastructure and the sector of creative and cultural institutions, particularly because they will help drive the recovery of local small businesses and economies of all types. With key investments and funding, cultural institutions can push the recovery forward across the country.

Download the letter here.

[1] Brookings Institution, Lost Art, 2020.

[2] U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2020.

[3] Johns Hopkins University and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

[4] U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2020.

[5] Put Creative Workers to Work.

Carolyn Ryan

Senior Vice President, Policy & Research

[email protected]
617-557-7310

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Boston, MA 02110
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