By CLTure News

April 8, 2020 (Updated)

A coalition of national arts advocates including Creative Capital, Academy of American Poets, Artadia, United States Artists, Foundation for Contemporary Arts, MAP Fund, and National YoungArts Foundation, have announced a new relief campaign to help artists nationwide during these dire times. The new Artist Relief fund will provide rapid $5,000 grants to assist artists confronted with financial emergencies due to the impact of COVID-19.

The fund has launched with $10 million including $5 million in seed funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, matched with $5 million in initial contributions from an array of arts foundations across the country.

“In hard times like these, we turn to the arts to illuminate and help us make meaning and find connection. Without immediate intervention, individual artists and the arts ecosystem of which they are the foundation could sustain irreparable damage,” said Elizabeth Alexander, President of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. “As artists confront these new fiscal realities, we are proud to support this vital effort to address artists’ urgent needs. We call on others to join us in supporting artists so they may continue to be our lights, chroniclers, and connectors throughout this crisis and beyond.”

The fund is scheduled to operate through the next six months, as organizers monitor the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. All artists living in the U.S. are eligible to apply for the $5,000 grant. Applicants must be 21 or older and able to receive taxable income regardless of their citizenship status, living and working primarily in the United States over the last two years. Artists demonstrating the most severe financial needs will be prioritized, with an emphasis on funding widely across disciplines and geographies. Applications will be reviewed and assessed for eligibility in collaboration with cultural nonprofits across the country, who will assist in the determination and selection process.

The grant application is now open, and tax-deductible donations can also be made with 100 percent applied directly to relief efforts.

Learn more at ArtistRelief.org.

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