The D.C. government has quietly cut the funding for its street mural program, marking another financial hit for local artists who rely on government grants for income.

The program, MuralsDC, typically funds 6-10 new murals per year. A message on the program website says the suspension was caused by “the ongoing health emergency and its impact on DC government’s operations and budget.”

Last year, MuralsDC added half a dozen new murals, including a 70-foot-tall rendering of saxophonist Buck Hill at 14th and U Streets Northwest painted by Joe Pagac and a painting of a meditating woman in Shaw painted by Aniekan Udofia, one of the city’s most well-known street artists.

MuralsDC is funded by the D.C. Department of Public Works as part of its graffiti abatement program. The Commission on the Arts and Humanities, an independent agency, runs the artist selection process and doles out the grants. The artists then work to select designs with property owners who have offered up wall space.

“Murals are such a positive thing for the public, especially at times like this,” says Eric B. Ricks, a street artist who has completed several commissions for MuralsDC. “For us, it was kind of a shock that they decided not to continue with it.”

The Department of Public Works did not respond to a request for comment about the murals program. A message on its website says that the decision to cancel the program “was not an easy decision as we love supporting artists. We look forward to continuing to beautify our city’s walls soon.”

Artists had already submitted their proposals to the arts commission when they got word that the program had been canceled. The commission plans to keep them in consideration for next year, says Jeffrey Scott, a spokesperson for the arts commission.

And artists who were already awarded other grants from the commission for this fiscal year shouldn’t worry,  Scott says. “We made all the grant awards for FY20 that we were going to make, and we’re in the process of paying all those out right now,” he says.

The arts commission also just announced $421,000 in available grant funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and the federal CARES Act. Individual artists and arts organizations can apply, though they need to put together their applications quickly — the deadline is this Friday at 4:00 p.m.

Many visual artists across the region have been struggling to make ends meet during the pandemic. The closure of galleries, museums, restaurants, bars and cafes have left them with nowhere to present or sell their work.

Still, some muralists who have contracts with restaurants or other private businesses have been able to continue working despite the shutdown. Being part of a construction crew makes them essential workers.

“As a professional, you have to keep bobbing and weaving,” Ricks says. “We’ve been training for this forever.

Another MuralsDC alum, Cita Sadeli, finished a 7-story mural for a new hotel in Logan Circle last month during the shutdown. “I think these murals could be a source of hope,” she told WAMU.

Ricks and Sadeli both submitted proposals to the arts commission to be considered for MuralsDC grants. Their proposals, like all the other ones, will have to wait until next year to be considered.