COVID-19 Relief Funds for Artists You Can Support
View of the paint-splattered floor of Jackson Pollock’s studio in East Hampton, New York, 1991. Photo by Susan Wood/Getty Images.
Artists around the world are grappling with the financial fallout of the COVID-19 epidemic. With museums, galleries, and fairs temporarily closed or operating at reduced capacity online—and many of the service industry jobs that some artists rely on for steady supplemental income gone—countless artists need financial support now more than ever.
In an effort to help artists shoulder some of this massive burden, numerous arts organizations are stepping in to provide artists with emergency support, funds for medical expenses, and other crucial resources. Below are six initiatives, all of which are accepting some form of donation, that are committed to helping artists through this difficult time. (A more exhaustive list of resources, with additional regional funds, can be found at Creative Capital and the New York Foundation for the Arts.)
Arts Leaders of Color Emergency Fund
Accepting donations: Yes, here
Size of grants: $200
Apply here on a rolling basis
The Arts Administrators of Color Network (AAC) has created the Arts Leaders of Color Emergency Fund to support Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) artists and administrators facing financial challenges due to COVID-19. The AAC, which emphasizes networking and community building in the arts space, will provide short-term and immediate assistance to those who self-identify as BIPOC. The AAC is accepting donations indefinitely, and will give one-time $200 grants on a first-come-first-served basis.
The art handling and shipping company Dietl International has developed a platform to help art technicians who have been laid off during COVID-19. The company regularly employs technicians who are artists themselves; its new platform, which will continue beyond the temporary COVID-19 closures, allows the artist-technicians’ work to be viewed and purchased directly from them.
Fritz Dietl, the founder and president of Dietl International, said he was looking for “creative and meaningful ways” to help members of the community. He added, “The freelance techs supporting us and our clients year-round are an amazing group of people. We wanted to do something that would support them and bring attention to this group of people.”
Artist Relief
Accepting donations: Yes, here
Size of grants: $5,000
Apply here through April 23rd for the first cycle of grants
Seven arts organizations—Academy of American Poets, Artadia, Creative Capital, Foundation for Contemporary Arts (FCA), MAP Fund, National YoungArts Foundation, and United States Artists—have teamed up to form a national COVID-19 fund called Artist Relief. The fund will operate through September, providing $5,000 grants to professional artists in any discipline facing financial hardships because of the pandemic.
“The social safety net fails so many workers in this country, including artists,” said Moira Brennan, the executive director of the MAP Fund. “As arts funders, we have a clear responsibility to help artists survive this crisis. It’s an honor for the MAP Fund to join our colleagues in getting it done.”
ArtBridge COVID-19 Artist Relief Fund
Accepting donations: Yes, here
Size of grants: $250–$500
Applications currently closed due to volume of applicants; donations are still open
The arts organization ArtBridge, which offers programming and funding to allow artists to transform New York City construction sites, will continue this support throughout the pandemic. While giving as much funding as it can to artists in need, ArtBridge is accepting donations, as its own operations have been slowed by COVID-19. Its ongoing fundraiser will provide grants of up to $500 to individual artists. Applications for the ArtBridge Fund are currently closed, but the organization is still accepting donations to support future rounds of funding.
The Safety Net Fund
Accepting donations: Yes, here
Size of grants: Up to $500 per person per month
Apply here on a rolling basis
The Safety Net Fund aims to support artists in the Bay Area in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis. The fund was made possible through a monetary sponsorship from the California Intersection for the Arts, and will grant a maximum of $500 per person per month on a first-come-first-served basis. The Safety Net Fund is open to artists who are Bay Area residents, can show they’ve made work in the past six months, are ineligible for unemployment benefits, and have earned less than $1,000 in the previous month.
Artist Relief Project
Accepting donations: Yes, here
Size of grants: $200, one time
Apply here on a rolling basis
The Artist Relief Project will continue granting one-time emergency relief stipends of $200 to eligible artists as long as donated funds keep coming in. The fund is open to artists in any discipline who have been impacted by “COVID-19-related cancellations and closures,” according to the fund website. The only two requirements for the fund are that applicants must show they are an artist by sharing their work and resume, as well as sharing the fundraiser with their own networks.
