As Coronavirus continues to spread around the world, we have created the list of resources for artists and art workers.
Artists, creatives and arts practitioners are one of the most instantly impacted groups of people in this unprecedented crisis that we find ourselves. In light of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the artist community, many arts organisations, foundations and governments are creating additional immediate support to meet artists needs.
To help you in this emerging situation, we have prepared the list of available grants and funds. We will continue to update it over the next few weeks. We hope you will find it helpful. Stay tuned!
AFRICA
>> CO-CREATION HUB
Geographic Scope: Africa, Global
Co-Creation Hub has issued a call for projects to fund and provide research and design support, via their Design Lab, for COVID-19 related projects in a particular African country, the African continent, or the world at large. Examples of supported projects include last mile communication that educates the public and ensures the right information reaches even remote locations; support for the infected and the most vulnerable in society; local production of essential medical supplies; and support for the food value chain, from producers to consumers, in the event of movement restrictions.
BELGIUM
>> Follow your Art —> NEW
Follow your Art is a non-profit designed to help support artists and art workers during the covid-19 crisis.
Follow your Art provides 500 euros to freelance artists / art workers after validation of their request.
- The grantee must provide proof of canceled events during the corona crisis;
- The grantee doesn’t receive unemployment benefits;
- Grants will be evaluated in the order received.
Follow your Art aims to support 50 artists in 3 different countries. In stages, we will support artists in various groups of countries. The first collection of funds targets artists and art workers in Belgium, Italy and Tunisia.
The call is open. Each time we reach 10 % of our final goal, we will select and announce 5 artists / art workers who will receive the support. As soon as support has been given to 50 artists / art workers, we’ll start a new funding cycle with 3 new countries.
You can follow the realtime evolution of collected funds. As soon as the goal has been reached funds will be distributed to your personal bank account / pay pal account. The funds are distributed on a first come first served basis, taking into account the urgent need of the applicant.
As soon as the first call has been successfully closed, a new call will be launched in 3 different countries.
CAMBODIA
>>SEAΔ —> NEW
SEAΔ is a program co-created by Mekong Cultural Hub and British Council which creates space for cultural practitioners to reflect on how their work in arts and culture can contribute to sustainable development within South East Asia through their individual and collective leadership.
Application Deadline: July 15th 2020
Who can apply:
- all kinds of creative and cultural practitioners (from artists to administrators, managers and policymakers
- Each year they will select 10 Fellows from 10 countries: Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Taiwan and the United Kingdom.
Urgent!
The program is fully funded, i.e. economy class travel, accommodation, meals and the cost of all activities included are covered by the program. However, participants must be able to commit to the whole program. Provisional dates and approximate time commitment are:
- SEAΔ EXCHANGE: 5 facilitated days, in Hanoi, November 21st – 25th 2020
- SEAΔ CREATE: Estimated 3-5 days, but exact duration and location determined by the Fellows and their Helvetas counterpart. January – March 2021
- SEAΔ SHARE: 4 facilitated days, in Manila, June 14th -17th 2021
- SEAΔ REFLECT: 3 facilitated days, in Kuala Lumpur, September 14th – 16th 2021
CHINA
>> INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S MEDIA FOUNDATION JOURNALISM RELIEF FUND
The candidates: Women-identifying journalists who recently lost work or have urgent financial needs that need to be met to avoid severe outcomes relating to the global health crisis.
Support: Grants of up to $2,000 per request, though special consideration will be given on a case-by-case basis to those having greater financial need.
Application deadline: Rolling application process.
FRANCE
>> LE CENTRE NATIONAL DES ARTS PLASTIQUES
Submission of requests: up to 1 month after the date on which the obligation / event place was closed or creation places was lifted.
Support: maximum € 2500
Consideration may also be given to artist-authors of expenses for the production of works for canceled or suspended events, up to € 2500 including remuneration. Among the events can be: exhibitions, residences, grants, professional meetings, workshops of artistic practices, interventions in school or other environments, conferences, writing texts.
The disciplines: decorative arts, sound art, design, graphic design, drawing, printmaking, film, video, installation, new media, painting, photography, sculpture.
>> IFCIC: Institut pour le Financement du Cinéma et des Industries Culturelles
The IFCIC is acting as an intermediary for arts organisations and businesses negotiating loans and credit with banks. The IFCIC has pledged to guarantee banks up to 70% for all types of credit issued in the context of the coronavirus crisis.
>> INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S MEDIA FOUNDATION JOURNALISM RELIEF FUND
The candidates: Women-identifying journalists who recently lost work or have urgent financial needs that need to be met to avoid severe outcomes relating to the global health crisis.
Support: Grants of up to $2,000 per request, though special consideration will be given on a case-by-case basis to those having greater financial need.
Application deadline: Rolling application process.
GERMANY
>> THE KUNSTSTIFTUNG BADEN-WÜRTTEMBERG
The provision of financial support is intended to enable young creative talents to conduct ‘basic research into the arts’ and to further develop their work. The purpose of the Foundation is to provide ‘start capital’ to young artists and cultural producers during the often difficult, initial phases of their careers by offering them financial flexibility and introducing them to a broader public audience through publications, exhibitions and events.
The grant of up to 12,000 Euros is not a residency grant – grantees are therefore not restricted in their choice of where to live and produce work. In addition, current and former grantees have the option of using the Foundation’s studios in Berlin and Stuttgart.
The candidates:
- the visual and performing arts,
- literature,
- music,
- art criticism,
- cultural management,
- whose permanent residence or focus of work is in Baden-Württemberg, or who have spent a significant part of their life in Baden-Württemberg, which has been decisive for their artistic work.
>> BERLIN: THE SENATE CHANCELLERY – CULTURAL AFFAIRS
The cultural affairs department of the Senate Chancellery supports productions and provides grants in the form of project funding and stipends to artists based in Berlin. Funding may be awarded for projects in disciplines across the non-commercial cultural sector including the visual and performing arts, photography, new media, literature, and music as well as related forms and cross-disciplinary undertakings. The Senate Chancellery – Cultural Affairs provides funding for inter-cultural projects and cultural exchanges. The women artists program offers project funding and stipends for women artists working in video and film and awards in the area of visual arts and composition. A co-financing funding programme exists to enable Berlin-based artists and groups from the independent arts scene to submit applications to external funding bodies requiring co-financing.
Generally, funding is not available for projects which are already in progress, but only for those planned for the future.
Funding for presentations of existing work is available for Berlin-based artists, ensembles and groups of all disciplines, to facilitate the presentation of previously staged productions to a wider audience.
The department supports the conservation of cultural heritage by funding the digitization of cultural assets. Please note that all funding is dispensed in accordance with the funding principles of the Senate Chancellery – Cultural Affairs.
Funding programmes:
- Capital Cultural Fund
- Cross-disciplinary funding
- Co-financing fund
- Cultural education in Berlin
- Digitalization of cultural heritage
- Funding for presentations of existing work
- Funding for women artists
- Funding for inter-cultural projects
- Weltoffenes Berlin
- International cultural exchange programmes
- Literature funding programmes
- Moses-Mendelssohn-Prize
- Music funding programmes
- Performing arts, theatre and dance funding programmes
- Public art and percent-for-art
- Visual arts funding programmes
- Workspaces
>> HAMBURG PROTECTION SHIELD FOR CORONA-DAMAGED COMPANIES AND INSTITUTIONS
Die Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg offers a subsidy for affected solo self-employed people, freelancers and small and medium-sized businesses from Hamburg within the scope of the “Hamburg Protection Shield for Corona-damaged Companies and Institutions” with financial support from the federal government.
Depending on the size of the company and the level of liquidity bottleneck, the funding amounts are between EUR 2,500 and EUR 30,000.
The application for funding is made entirely digitally via the IFB Hamburg website. The application can be made on the program page of the Hamburg Corona Emergency Aid (HCS).
INDONESIA
>>SEAΔ —> NEW
SEAΔ is a program co-created by Mekong Cultural Hub and British Council which creates space for cultural practitioners to reflect on how their work in arts and culture can contribute to sustainable development within South East Asia through their individual and collective leadership.
Application Deadline: July 15th 2020
Who can apply:
- all kinds of creative and cultural practitioners (from artists to administrators, managers and policymakers
- Each year they will select 10 Fellows from 10 countries: Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Taiwan and the United Kingdom.
Urgent!
The program is fully funded, i.e. economy class travel, accommodation, meals and the cost of all activities included are covered by the program. However, participants must be able to commit to the whole program. Provisional dates and approximate time commitment are:
- SEAΔ EXCHANGE: 5 facilitated days, in Hanoi, November 21st – 25th 2020
- SEAΔ CREATE: Estimated 3-5 days, but exact duration and location determined by the Fellows and their Helvetas counterpart. January – March 2021
- SEAΔ SHARE: 4 facilitated days, in Manila, June 14th -17th 2021
- SEAΔ REFLECT: 3 facilitated days, in Kuala Lumpur, September 14th – 16th 2021
IRELAND
>> THE CIVIC
The Civic, opened in March 1999, a visionary project by South Dublin County Council (with grant aided by the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht & the Islands).
The Civic theatre has established a fund to provide financial relief to Irish artists experiencing lost income related to COVID-19. Small grants of up to €500 will be paid rapidly on a first-come, first-served basis to affected artists and groups.
>> DEPARTMENT OF EMPLOYMENT AFFAIRS AND SOCIAL PROTECTION
The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection are introducing measures to provide income support to people affected by COVID-19 (Coronavirus). It is available to all employees and the self-employed who have lost their job due to the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic up to or after 13 March.
3 major changes have been announced:
- the current 6-day waiting period for Illness Benefit will not apply to anyone who has COVID-19 (Coronavirus) or is in medically-required self-isolation
- the personal rate of Illness Benefit will increase from €203 per week to €305 per week for a maximum of 2 weeks medically-required self-isolation or for the full duration of absence from work following a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
- the normal social insurance requirements for Illness Benefit will be changed.
ITALY
>> Follow your Art —> NEW
Follow your Art is a non-profit designed to help support artists and art workers during the covid-19 crisis.
Follow your Art provides 500 euros to freelance artists / art workers after validation of their request.
- The grantee must provide proof of canceled events during the corona crisis;
- The grantee doesn’t receive unemployment benefits;
- Grants will be evaluated in the order received.
Follow your Art aims to support 50 artists in 3 different countries. In stages, we will support artists in various groups of countries. The first collection of funds targets artists and art workers in Belgium, Italy and Tunisia.
The call is open. Each time we reach 10 % of our final goal, we will select and announce 5 artists / art workers who will receive the support. As soon as support has been given to 50 artists / art workers, we’ll start a new funding cycle with 3 new countries.
You can follow the realtime evolution of collected funds. As soon as the goal has been reached funds will be distributed to your personal bank account / pay pal account. The funds are distributed on a first come first served basis, taking into account the urgent need of the applicant.
As soon as the first call has been successfully closed, a new call will be launched in 3 different countries.
LAOS
>>SEAΔ —> NEW
SEAΔ is a program co-created by Mekong Cultural Hub and British Council which creates space for cultural practitioners to reflect on how their work in arts and culture can contribute to sustainable development within South East Asia through their individual and collective leadership.
Application Deadline: July 15th 2020
Who can apply:
- all kinds of creative and cultural practitioners (from artists to administrators, managers and policymakers
- Each year they will select 10 Fellows from 10 countries: Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Taiwan and the United Kingdom.
Urgent!
The program is fully funded, i.e. economy class travel, accommodation, meals and the cost of all activities included are covered by the program. However, participants must be able to commit to the whole program. Provisional dates and approximate time commitment are:
- SEAΔ EXCHANGE: 5 facilitated days, in Hanoi, November 21st – 25th 2020
- SEAΔ CREATE: Estimated 3-5 days, but exact duration and location determined by the Fellows and their Helvetas counterpart. January – March 2021
- SEAΔ SHARE: 4 facilitated days, in Manila, June 14th -17th 2021
- SEAΔ REFLECT: 3 facilitated days, in Kuala Lumpur, September 14th – 16th 2021
MALAYSIA
>>SEAΔ –> NEW
SEAΔ is a program co-created by Mekong Cultural Hub and British Council which creates space for cultural practitioners to reflect on how their work in arts and culture can contribute to sustainable development within South East Asia through their individual and collective leadership.
Application Deadline: July 15th 2020
Who can apply:
- all kinds of creative and cultural practitioners (from artists to administrators, managers and policymakers
- Each year they will select 10 Fellows from 10 countries: Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Taiwan and the United Kingdom.
Urgent!
The program is fully funded, i.e. economy class travel, accommodation, meals and the cost of all activities included are covered by the program. However, participants must be able to commit to the whole program. Provisional dates and approximate time commitment are:
- SEAΔ EXCHANGE: 5 facilitated days, in Hanoi, November 21st – 25th 2020
- SEAΔ CREATE: Estimated 3-5 days, but exact duration and location determined by the Fellows and their Helvetas counterpart. January – March 2021
- SEAΔ SHARE: 4 facilitated days, in Manila, June 14th -17th 2021
- SEAΔ REFLECT: 3 facilitated days, in Kuala Lumpur, September 14th – 16th 2021
MYANMAR
>>SEAΔ —> NEW
SEAΔ is a program co-created by Mekong Cultural Hub and British Council which creates space for cultural practitioners to reflect on how their work in arts and culture can contribute to sustainable development within South East Asia through their individual and collective leadership.
Application Deadline: July 15th 2020
Who can apply:
- all kinds of creative and cultural practitioners (from artists to administrators, managers and policymakers
- Each year they will select 10 Fellows from 10 countries: Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Taiwan and the United Kingdom.
Urgent!
The program is fully funded, i.e. economy class travel, accommodation, meals and the cost of all activities included are covered by the program. However, participants must be able to commit to the whole program. Provisional dates and approximate time commitment are:
- SEAΔ EXCHANGE: 5 facilitated days, in Hanoi, November 21st – 25th 2020
- SEAΔ CREATE: Estimated 3-5 days, but exact duration and location determined by the Fellows and their Helvetas counterpart. January – March 2021
- SEAΔ SHARE: 4 facilitated days, in Manila, June 14th -17th 2021
- SEAΔ REFLECT: 3 facilitated days, in Kuala Lumpur, September 14th – 16th 2021
PHILIPPINES
>>SEAΔ —> NEW
SEAΔ is a program co-created by Mekong Cultural Hub and British Council which creates space for cultural practitioners to reflect on how their work in arts and culture can contribute to sustainable development within South East Asia through their individual and collective leadership.
Application Deadline: July 15th 2020
Who can apply:
- all kinds of creative and cultural practitioners (from artists to administrators, managers and policymakers
- Each year they will select 10 Fellows from 10 countries: Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Taiwan and the United Kingdom.
Urgent!
The program is fully funded, i.e. economy class travel, accommodation, meals and the cost of all activities included are covered by the program. However, participants must be able to commit to the whole program. Provisional dates and approximate time commitment are:
- SEAΔ EXCHANGE: 5 facilitated days, in Hanoi, November 21st – 25th 2020
- SEAΔ CREATE: Estimated 3-5 days, but exact duration and location determined by the Fellows and their Helvetas counterpart. January – March 2021
- SEAΔ SHARE: 4 facilitated days, in Manila, June 14th -17th 2021
- SEAΔ REFLECT: 3 facilitated days, in Kuala Lumpur, September 14th – 16th 2021
POLAND
>> SOCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR CREATORS AND ARTISTS FROM THE CULTURE PROMOTION FUND IN POLAND
The social assistance from the Culture Promotion Fund can be obtained by artists who are in a difficult financial situation.
To apply for social assistance, please complete the ‘Application for social assistance from the Culture Promotion Fund’ and attach the required attachments indicated in the Application.
Applications can be submitted at any time throughout the year. Social assistance is a one-off payment.
>> SCHOLARSHIP FROM THE BUDGET
Competition for creative scholarships and scholarships in the field of disseminating culture for 2020 / II
Category: creative scholarships
Areas:
- literature,
- visual arts
- music,
- dance,
- theater,
- movie,
- caring for monuments,
- folk art;
Category 2: scholarships for projects related to the dissemination of culture
Areas:
- animation and cultural education,
- culture management and supporting the development of cultural staff.
The scholarship: 3,500.00 PLN gross monthly (i.e. PLN 2,905.00 net)
The scholarship can cover the period from 1 July to 31 December 2020; or can have a different project implementation period, not less than three consecutive months covering the period from 1 July to 31 December 2020.
>> PISF FILM COMPETITION SUPPORT PROGRAM
The candidate: The scholarship is available to representatives of all film professions – natural persons who have participated in the production of at least two audiovisual works in the last three years.
Support: 2,400 PLN gross per quarter during the program year.
The scholarship can be used up to three times – no more than once every quarter in the calendar year of the program.
>> LITERARY UNION ASSISTANCE
The candidate: Authors and authors who found themselves in a difficult financial situation as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. All Polish authors and authors (regardless of whether they belong to writing associations) who found themselves in a dramatic financial situation.
>> POLISH MUSIC FOUNDATION
The candidate: Anyone who plans to apply online can apply to the foundation, which supports promotional activities and launches a virtual can to collect funds. Fund for music bands, performers, actors, dancers, teachers planning an audiovisual performance on one of the online platforms.
>> WARSAW: MOBILNI W KULTURZE
The candidate: The project is directed to artists, animators, curators and educators.
An operator will be selected as part of the competition, which will commission natural persons to implement cultural projects. They will be able to be presented online.
Support: 1 million PLN
Recruitment: the competition will be announced in April and its results in May.
>> GDAŃSK: ADDITIONAL RECRUITMENT FOR ARTISTIC SCHOLARSHIPS
The candidate: Scholarships will be awarded to artists and animators and animators residing and paying income tax in Gdańsk in the form of a competition of applications, through an open recruitment for the creative process defined as, among others creation of a work, performance / publication of a work, organization of an artistic or cultural event. Co-financed grant projects will be available online.
Cultural Scholarships of the City of Gdańsk are awarded to natural persons or creative groups dealing with artistic creativity and dissemination of culture for the implementation of artistic and cultural projects.
Support: 2600 PLN gross / month – for a maximum of six months
Intake: continuous. The rules and procedure for granting the Cultural Scholarship of the City of Gdańsk will come into force after it has been adopted by the City Council of Gdańsk (next session on April 30)
>> KRAKOW: RESISTANT CULTURE
Krakow has created the “Resistant Culture” package, giving approximately 10 million PLN to strengthen and raise the pool for prizes and scholarships for creators and artists, and to enrich cultural activities and works created during the pandemic. However, support will be reduced to 40 percent. the original grant amounts of multi-annual projects, including festivals and cyclical events.
The city has also prepared a Partnership for music – a program addressed to the music industry and clubs, as well as discounted rent payments for creative studios and art galleries.
SINGAPORE
>> SINGAPORE UNBOUND RELIEF FUND (SURF)
Creative writers, whether they are Singapore citizens living anywhere in the world or Permanent Residents of Singapore, may apply for a USD200/SGD280 grant from SURF with no strings attached. This fund is specifically intended to help those in dire need of immediate help.
Open for Application Now
Grant: USD200/SGD280
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, not only has international travel been restricted, but book events have been canceled, theatrical productions closed, and filmmaking halted. We do not know for sure how long this situation will last. After reviewing the situation, Singapore Unbound has decided to postpone this year’s writing fellowships to Southeast Asia and to commit the funds instead to aid Singaporean writers badly affected by the shutdowns. We understand that this news may be disappointing to fellowship applicants, and we apologize for their disappointment. We would like to seek their kind understanding in light of the extraordinary circumstances. Singapore Unbound fellowships to Southeast Asia will return in 2021.
Guidelines for Application:
- You must be a Singapore citizen or a Permanent Resident of Singapore.
- The category “writers” includes playwrights, screenwriters, songwriters, journalists, and arts reviewers, as well as writers of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. It does not include writers of academic works, technical manuals, and commercial copy.
- Write to Jee at [email protected], with the following:
-
- an explanation of your loss of income due to COVID-19, with the relevant documentation, for instance, emails about the cancellation of gigs;
- a brief but current writing and publication resume;
- proof of Singapore citizenship or permanent residency status, and
- your Venmo or PayPal handle.
SPAIN
>> INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S MEDIA FOUNDATION JOURNALISM RELIEF FUND
The candidates: Women-identifying journalists who recently lost work or have urgent financial needs that need to be met to avoid severe outcomes relating to the global health crisis.
Support: Grants of up to $2,000 per request, though special consideration will be given on a case-by-case basis to those having greater financial need.
Application deadline: Rolling application process.
SWITZERLAND
>> ProLitteris
Authors who are members of the ProLitteris can request emergency aid when, without any fault on their part, they encounter serious financial difficulties:
- as a result of an illness or accident, especially when therapy, dental treatment or healing costs are not sufficiently covered by insurance;
- by faultless damage to their earning capacity or radical changes in their professional or social situation, which require reorientation, social or legal assistance;
- by sudden changes in their personal environment, with unpredictable financial consequences.
>> SUISSECULTURE SOCIAL
Emergency funding of SFr 280m (around $281m) has been made available specifically for arts and culture. This includes non-repayable loans to cover the living costs of artists whose livelihoods are threatened by measures to combat the coronavirus. This funding will be administered by Suisseculture Social. The website currently says it is not yet able to process applications but is working on it.
TAIWAN:
>>SEAΔ —> NEW
SEAΔ is a program co-created by Mekong Cultural Hub and British Council which creates space for cultural practitioners to reflect on how their work in arts and culture can contribute to sustainable development within South East Asia through their individual and collective leadership.
Application Deadline: July 15th 2020
Who can apply:
- all kinds of creative and cultural practitioners (from artists to administrators, managers and policymakers
- Each year they will select 10 Fellows from 10 countries: Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Taiwan and the United Kingdom.
Urgent!
The program is fully funded, i.e. economy class travel, accommodation, meals and the cost of all activities included are covered by the program. However, participants must be able to commit to the whole program. Provisional dates and approximate time commitment are:
- SEAΔ EXCHANGE: 5 facilitated days, in Hanoi, November 21st – 25th 2020
- SEAΔ CREATE: Estimated 3-5 days, but exact duration and location determined by the Fellows and their Helvetas counterpart. January – March 2021
- SEAΔ SHARE: 4 facilitated days, in Manila, June 14th -17th 2021
- SEAΔ REFLECT: 3 facilitated days, in Kuala Lumpur, September 14th – 16th 2021
THAILAND
>>SEAΔ —> NEW
SEAΔ is a program co-created by Mekong Cultural Hub and British Council which creates space for cultural practitioners to reflect on how their work in arts and culture can contribute to sustainable development within South East Asia through their individual and collective leadership.
Application Deadline: July 15th 2020
Who can apply:
- all kinds of creative and cultural practitioners (from artists to administrators, managers and policymakers
- Each year they will select 10 Fellows from 10 countries: Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Taiwan and the United Kingdom.
Urgent!
The program is fully funded, i.e. economy class travel, accommodation, meals and the cost of all activities included are covered by the program. However, participants must be able to commit to the whole program. Provisional dates and approximate time commitment are:
- SEAΔ EXCHANGE: 5 facilitated days, in Hanoi, November 21st – 25th 2020
- SEAΔ CREATE: Estimated 3-5 days, but exact duration and location determined by the Fellows and their Helvetas counterpart. January – March 2021
- SEAΔ SHARE: 4 facilitated days, in Manila, June 14th -17th 2021
- SEAΔ REFLECT: 3 facilitated days, in Kuala Lumpur, September 14th – 16th 2021
TUNISIA
>> Follow your Art —> NEW
Follow your Art is a non-profit designed to help support artists and art workers during the covid-19 crisis.
Follow your Art provides 500 euros to freelance artists / art workers after validation of their request.
- The grantee must provide proof of canceled events during the corona crisis;
- The grantee doesn’t receive unemployment benefits;
- Grants will be evaluated in the order received.
Follow your Art aims to support 50 artists in 3 different countries. In stages, we will support artists in various groups of countries. The first collection of funds targets artists and art workers in Belgium, Italy and Tunisia.
The call is open. Each time we reach 10 % of our final goal, we will select and announce 5 artists / art workers who will receive the support. As soon as support has been given to 50 artists / art workers, we’ll start a new funding cycle with 3 new countries.
You can follow the realtime evolution of collected funds. As soon as the goal has been reached funds will be distributed to your personal bank account / pay pal account. The funds are distributed on a first come first served basis, taking into account the urgent need of the applicant.
As soon as the first call has been successfully closed, a new call will be launched in 3 different countries.
UNITED KINGDOM
>> CREATIVE SCOTLAND BRIDGING BURSARY
The candidates:
- Artists and freelancers based in Scotland who have lost income from their creative work and/or practice due to COVID-19.
- Second round to open 20 April 2020.
Support: One-time grant between £500 and £2500.
>> INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S MEDIA FOUNDATION JOURNALISM RELIEF FUND
The candidates: Women-identifying journalists who recently lost work or have urgent financial needs that need to be met to avoid severe outcomes relating to the global health crisis.
Support: Grants of up to $2,000 per request, though special consideration will be given on a case-by-case basis to those having greater financial need.
Application deadline: Rolling application process.
>>SEAΔ —> NEW
SEAΔ is a program co-created by Mekong Cultural Hub and British Council which creates space for cultural practitioners to reflect on how their work in arts and culture can contribute to sustainable development within South East Asia through their individual and collective leadership.
Application Deadline: July 15th 2020
Who can apply:
- all kinds of creative and cultural practitioners (from artists to administrators, managers and policymakers
- Each year they will select 10 Fellows from 10 countries: Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Taiwan and the United Kingdom.
Urgent!
The program is fully funded, i.e. economy class travel, accommodation, meals and the cost of all activities included are covered by the program. However, participants must be able to commit to the whole program. Provisional dates and approximate time commitment are:
- SEAΔ EXCHANGE: 5 facilitated days, in Hanoi, November 21st – 25th 2020
- SEAΔ CREATE: Estimated 3-5 days, but exact duration and location determined by the Fellows and their Helvetas counterpart. January – March 2021
- SEAΔ SHARE: 4 facilitated days, in Manila, June 14th -17th 2021
- SEAΔ REFLECT: 3 facilitated days, in Kuala Lumpur, September 14th – 16th 2021
>> Coronavirus Community Support Fund
The Government’s new Coronavirus Community Support Fund will open for applications at 10am on Friday 22nd May.
This new funding stream makes available £200m in Government funding that will be aimed primarily at small to medium organisations in England.
The Fund has two key objectives:
- To increase community support to vulnerable people affected by the COVID-19 crisis, through the work of civil society organisations.
- To reduce temporary closures of essential charities and social enterprises, ensuring services for vulnerable people impacted by COVID-19 have the financial resources to operate, and so reduce the burden on public services.
Grants will allow organisations to meet service costs, where they are experiencing increased demand and/or short-term income disruption. Grants will also allow organisations to refocus services to address more immediate beneficiary needs in light of COVID-19.
The UNITED STATES and U.S. TERRITORIES
>> ANONYMOUS WAS A WOMAN EMERGENCY RELIEF GRANT
Anonymous Was A Woman (AWAW) has partnered with NYFA to launch an emergency relief grant programme to support artists impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. The programme will distribute $250,000 in unrestricted grants, up to $2,500 apiece, to artists who have experienced financial hardship from loss of income or opportunity as a direct result of the crisis. As with AWAW’s annual award, the programme is open to women-identifying visual artists over the age of 40 in the United States and territories, and aims to address the unique challenges faced by artists in middle age or older, particularly at this critical time.
>> ARTISTS FELLOWSHIP
The Artists’ Fellowship provides emergency aid to professional fine artists and their families in times of sickness, natural disaster, bereavement or unexpected extreme hardship. Primarily serving artists in New York.
They are temporarily limiting relief and assistance applications to those qualified applicants who are dealing with IMMEDIATE MEDICAL EMERGENCIES and their aftermaths.
>> Women’s Center for Creative Work COVID-19 Emergency Health Grant For Artists
(Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties, CA)
Low-income artists who work in any genre or medium, who identify as a woman, as trans or nonbinary, and/or as a person of color, who live in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside or San Bernardino Counties are eligible to apply.
In light of the COVID-19 crisis, they are opting for a short form application and rolling weekly deadline for $1,000 grants.
Following weekly deadlines are each Friday at 11:59pm.
>> WHEREWITHAL GRANTS
RECOVERY GRANTS
Wherewithal Recovery Grants are intended to help offset lost income from cancelled exhibitions, performances, or lectures, and from canceled or furloughed employment, that are the direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The $1,000 grants are available to professional visual artists, as well as moving-image/performance/sound artists with a history of presenting or performing in visual arts contexts (galleries, museums, etc.). We are starting the fund with a seed amount of $60,000 and will award grants on a bi-weekly basis until the funds run out. The application portal opens April 7, 2020.
RESEARCH GRANTS
Wherewithal Research Grants provide project-based support for research, presentation, or critical reflection. The grants are competitive and awarded by a panel consisting of arts professionals from around the country. We anticipate awarding between ten to twenty grants in 2020, ranging from $2,500 to $5,000. The application portal opens May 15, 2020.
>> RAUSCHENBERG EMERGENCY GRANTS
The Rauschenberg Emergency Grants program will provide one-time grants of up to $5,000 for unexpected medical emergencies. This project is supported by the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation.
The candidates:
- The grants are available to visual and media artists and choreographers who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents in the United States, District of Columbia, or U.S. Territories.
- There is no deadline; applications will be accepted and reviewed by the panel on a monthly basis beginning in late May/early June 2020.
>> FCA COVID-19 RELIEF FUND
For as long as our Board of Directors determines it is necessary and prudent to do so, the Foundation will disburse one-time $1,000 grants to artists who have had performances or exhibitions cancelled or postponed because of the COVID-19 virus.
The Candidates:
- In accordance with our mission, FCA will continue to focus its support on artists making work of a contemporary, experimental nature.
- Relief will be provided to artists who can demonstrate that they have had an engagement canceled or postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Applicants must be individual artists, or an individual representing an artist collective, ensemble, or group. Curators, producers, workshop organizers, organizations, or arts presenters are not eligible to apply.
- Currently, this fund cannot support performers, ensemble members, or designers who were working on a project that was cancelled; we recognize the vital contributions that performers, artist assistants, designers, and others make to the field and have listed other resources that offer more targeted support to those artists below.
- Applicants must be living in the United States or U.S. territories and have a U.S. Tax ID Number (SSN, EIN, ITIN, or other)
The Foundation for Contemporary Arts COVID-19 Relief Fund has been generously supported by several artists and individuals, as well as the following foundations:
The Willem de Kooning Foundation, The Destina Foundation, Howard Gilman Foundation, Glenstone Museum, Roy Lichtenstein Foundation, The Richard Pousette-Dart Foundation, The David Rockefeller Fund, Teiger Foundation, Trust for Mutual Understanding, Cy Twombly Foundation, and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
>> FREELANCERS RELIEF FUND
Freelancers Relief Fund will offer financial assistance of up to $1,000 per freelance household to cover lost income and essential expenses not covered by government relief programs, including:
- Food/food supplies
- Utility payments
- Cash assistance to cover income loss
>> THE MUSICIANS FOUNDATION
To qualify for aid from the Musicians Foundation, you must meet the following conditions:
- You (or the person for whom you are applying) must be a musician of any genre in a time of acute need, due to personal, medical, dental, or family crisis, natural disaster, or other emergency situation.
- You must have worked in the United States as a professional musician for at least five (5) years.
- You must currently reside in the United States.
- You must be able to provide tax documentation detailing that for five (5) or more years, your principal income has been derived from your work as a musician.
- You must submit an application, which will be reviewed by the Musicians Foundation screening committee.
Support: $500-$3000.
>> CERF+ ARTISTS’ SAFETY NET
CERF+ broadly defines eligible artists to include those who create work using historically recognized craft materials such as clay, glass, textiles, wood, metal; as well as those whose work expands on these historical definitions through the incorporation of non-traditional materials, new technologies and experimental approaches.
You must have experienced a recent, unforeseen emergency or triggering event that has significantly and adversely affected your ability to produce, exhibit and/or market your work and, thus, creates the need for immediate assistance.
You must have been a legal U.S. resident at the time of the emergency.
>> PEN AMERICA – WRITER’S EMERGENCY GRANT
PEN America will distribute grants of $500 to $1,000 based on applications that demonstrate an inability to meet an acute financial need, especially one resulting from the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak. We have developed a new streamlined process for the duration of this crisis, and expect to be able to review and respond to applications within 14 days.
The candidates:
- To be eligible, applicants must be based in the United States, be a professional writer, and be able to demonstrate that this one-time grant will be meaningful in helping them to address an emergency situation. The fund is limited, and not every application can be supported.
- The Writers’ Emergency Fund is intended to assist fiction and non-fiction authors, poets, playwrights, screenwriters, translators, and journalists. The following guidelines are used in evaluating professional credentials:
- Publication of one or more books.
- Multiple essays, short stories, or poems in literary anthologies or literary journals (either online or in print) in the last two years.
- A full-length play, performed in a theater of more than 250 seats by a professional theater company. Productions in academic settings qualify if not a student at the time of the production.
- Production of a motion picture project or a segment of television.
- Employment as a full-time professional journalist, columnist, or critic or a record of consistent publication on a freelance basis in a range of outlets during the last two years.
- Contracted forthcoming books, essays, short stories, poems, or articles for which the name of the publisher can be provided.
- Other qualifications that support the applicant’s professional identity as a writer.
Writers do not have to be Members of PEN America to receive a grant, but all recipients of emergency funding will be given a complimentary one-year membership to PEN America.
>> THE AUTHORS LEAGUE FUND
If you are a dramatist experiencing a medical emergency, please submit an application to the Authors League Fund.
The candidates:
Recipients of Authors League Fund assistance must be career writers with a substantial body of work in one of more of the following categories:
- Book authors with at least one title published by an established traditional publisher. Authors with multiple titles are given priority.
- Dramatists whose full-length plays have been produced in mid-size or large theaters and/or published by established dramatic presses. [See notes above concerning COVID-19 income loss.]
- Journalists, critics, essayists, short story writers, and poets with a substantial body of work in periodicals with a national or broad circulation. Whether print or online, these periodicals must have strong editorial oversight and a sizable readership. (This category does not include copywriting, blogging, public relations, and writing for non-periodical websites and corporate clients.)
- The Fund cannot typically assist self-published writers. However, if you are a self-published writer with a record of critical and financial success, we will review your request.
>> DRAMATISTS GUILD FOUNDATION FOR WRITERS
DGF provides emergency financial assistance to individual playwrights, composers, lyricists, and librettists in dire need of funds due to severe hardship or unexpected illness.
The candidates:
- a musician/composer (other than musical theater), please click here
- a novelist/nonfiction/fiction writer, please click here
- a screenwriter, please click here
- an actor or performance artist, please click here
- a journalist, please click here
- a director, please click here or here
- For additional resources, please click here.
>> INDY ARTS & CULTURE COVID-19 EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND
The candidates:
Indiana individuals working in the arts sector who are impacted by the current public health crisis, specifically independent artists and staff working for small-to-midsize nonprofit arts and cultural organizations; must have a non-commercial creative arts practice that results in at least 40 percent of overall income.
Support: Rapid response grants of $500.
Application deadline: Applicants may apply once per 30-day period, with grants confirmed on a rolling weekly basis and notification to applicants within two weeks.
>> SPOKANE ARTISTS AND CREATIVES EMERGENCY FUND
The candidates: Artists and creative professionals impacted by coronavirus in Spokane, Washington.
Support: Crowdsourced emergency relief up to $500.
Application deadline: Disbursements will be made weekly.
>> 4 CULTURE CULTURAL RELIEF FUND
The candidates: Full-time residents of Kings County, Washington, who work in the fields of arts, heritage, preservation, or public art.
Support: One-time grants of up to $2,000 for emergencies related to COVID-19.
Application deadline: Applications are accepted through 15 May.
>> THE SAFETY NET FUND
The candidates: Bay Area residents artists who have been working within the past six months, are ineligible for unemployment benefits, and have less than $1,000 in income in the last 30 days.
Support: A fundraiser-modeled non-profit to support artists during the COVID-19 crisis with individual grants up to $500.
Application deadline: Grants are processed in the order they are received.
>> FOUNDATION FOR CONTEMPORARY ARTS
In light of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the artist community, the Foundation for Contemporary Arts is creating a temporary fund to meet the needs of experimental artists who have been impacted by the economic fallout from postponed or canceled performances and exhibitions.
Support: the Foundation will disburse one-time $1,500 grants to artists who have had performances or exhibitions canceled or postponed because of the pandemic.
The candidates:
- In accordance with our mission, FCA will continue to focus its support on artists making work of a contemporary, experimental nature. If you are unsure about whether your work is experimental, you can see other artists we have supported on our Instagram and our website.
- Relief will be provided to artists who can demonstrate that they have had an engagement canceled or postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Applicants must be individual artists, or an individual representing an artist collective, ensemble, or group. Curators, producers, workshop organizers, organizations, or arts presenters are not eligible to apply.
- Currently, this fund cannot support performers, ensemble members, or designers who were working on a project that was canceled; we recognize the vital contributions that performers, artist assistants, designers, and others make to the field and have listed other resources that offer more targeted support to those artists below.
- Applicants must be living in the United States or U.S. territories and have a U.S. Tax ID Number (SSN, EIN, ITIN, or other)
- For the purpose of providing COVID-19 relief, we are temporarily suspending the three year waiting period between grants. If you have received a grant from the Foundation in the past three years you may apply for COVID-19 relief.
>> THE MAYER FOUNDATION GRANT
Support: Individual grants averaging around $2,000 each.
The candidates: New York City individuals who are distressed or suffering as a result of poverty, low income or lack of financial resources, including as a result of natural or civil disasters, or from temporary impoverishment, loss of employment, death or incapacity of a family wage earner or damage to home and property; to provide health care to those who cannot afford it or whose health insurance or financial resources are insufficient to cover medical needs.
Application deadline: Rolling application process.
>> Austin Creative Alliance, the Artists Emergency Relief Fund
The candidates: Artists who can show loss of income due to cancellation of specific, scheduled commissions, performances or contracts due to coronavirus/COVID-19 precautionary measures. Artists who receive funding are asked to contribute to the ACA by donating artistic work, creative services, or volunteer time in the future. Priority is given to ACA members and those facing housing uncertainty.
Support: Grants up to $500.
Application deadline: Rolling application process.
>>The Craft Futures Fund —> NEW
The Craft Futures Fund will support craft communities throughout the United States and their creative responses to COVID-19.
These one-time, unrestricted grants of $5,000 will be disbursed to craft-based education projects that seed resilience, foster community, and amplify impact.
>> THE RED BACKPACK FUND —> NEW
Since its inception, Spanx and The Spanx by Sara Blakely Foundation have been dedicated to elevating and supporting women through entrepreneurship. Knowing the ripple effect that empowering women can have to strengthen communities, the foundation donated $5 million to support female entrepreneurs in the wake of COVID-19 and teamed up with GlobalGiving to establish The Red Backpack Fund. GlobalGiving is making at least 1,000 grants of $5,000 each to female entrepreneurs in the U.S. to help alleviate the impact of the crisis. The fund is open to public donation, so anyone can partner with us to bolster these businesses in their hour of need.
THERE ARE NO TERRITORIAL RESTRICTIONS
>> THE PHOTOGRAPHER FUND
A $25,000 fund to help photographers impacted by COVID-19. Assistance of up to $500 per person will be offered at the organization’s discretion to determine who gets the funds.
Self-employed photographers who are facing financial hardships are invited to apply.
>> QUEER WRITERS OF COLOR RELIEF FUND
This fund is for queer writers of colour only, not organizations or nonprofits, who are in need of financial assistance right now.
Their goal is to make disbursements once per day after $5,000 is received. Again, the total goal is $100,000 to help at least 100 writers.
>>ARTISTS AT RISK (AR) —> NEW
ARTISTS at RISK (AR) is a non-profit organization at the intersection of human rights and the arts. AR is dedicated to mapping the field of persecuted visual art practitioners, facilitating their safe passage from their countries of origin, hosting them at “AR-Residencies” and curating related projects, including the “AR Pavilion”.
They accept urgent applications at any time.
>>Rapid Response Fund —> NEW
This rapid response fund supports the personal expenses of Muslim artists and activists whose livelihoods are being negatively impacted by this current moment. The application is temporarily closed, but they encourage people to check back again soon.
The candidates: Muslim artists and activists.
Support:
- $500 grants to individuals through a short application process.
For the first round of rapid response grants, Pillars distributed $15,000 in grants to 30 individuals. For the second round of rapid response grants, Pillars is distributing $25,000 to 50 additional.
>> The Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Emergency Grant program —> NEW
The Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Emergency Grant program is intended to provide interim financial assistance to qualified painters, printmakers, and sculptors whose needs are the result of an unforeseen, catastrophic incident, and who lack the resources to meet that situation. Each grant is given as one-time assistance for a specific emergency, examples of which are fire, flood, or emergency medical need.
This program has no deadlines.
Support:
- The maximum amount of this grant is $15,000; an award of $5,000 is typical.
The article was created thanks to the Arts Council Emergency Response Fund: for organisations (non NPO). Contemporary Lynx organisation is supported by Arts Council England.
