At Occhi Magazine, we feature various artists that enrich society and impact culture. Now more than ever, we have to make sure these artists can take care of themselves so they can create, without having to worry about where their next meal is coming from or how to pay rent. Below are some organizations to assist artists during the pandemic. We will continue to update the list but please feel free to share this link with anyone who needs it. This is not an exhaustive directory so please contact us with news or links to other agencies or funding platforms so we can extend our support. As we rely on the works of artists to get us through these difficult times, let’s take the time to support them. Thank you!
The Occhi Team
US Links
The Artists’ Charitable Fund assists painters and sculptors with emergency medical bills. The fund covers a portion of the bill, paying the sum directly to medical providers.
The Jazz Foundation of America has established a COVID-19 Musicians’ Emergency Fund to aid musicians and their families with living expenses. Any musicians in crisis, including those who have lost income due to canceled gigs, are encouraged to get in touch with an advocate through the foundation’s website.
The Foundation for Contemporary Arts
Emergency Grants COVID-19 Fund gives one-time grants of $1500 for artists who have had performances or exhibitions canceled or postponed because of the pandemic. There is a rolling application process.
The Blues Foundation Hart Fund is specific to blues musicians. The HART Fund offers financial assistance for health-related expenses, and artists need to call or email directly to apply.
Authors League Fund has helped professional authors, journalists, poets, and dramatists who find themselves in financial need because of medical or health-related problems, temporary loss of income, or other misfortune. The Fund exists to help professional writers continue their careers with dignity by providing no-strings-attached “loans” to pay for pressing expenses. Repayment of this emergency support is not required. They are accepting applications from writers experiencing income loss due to COVID-19.
Motion Picture Players Welfare Fund The SAG-AFTRA Motion Picture Players Welfare Fund (SAG-AFTRA MPPWF) provides emergency financial assistance and enhances the welfare, training, education, and artistic life of the performer. SAG-AFTRA MPPWF emergency financial assistance is available to members in the New York region and the following locals: Atlanta, Chicago, Miami, Michigan, Missouri Valley, Nashville, New England, New Orleans, New York, Ohio-Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Twin Cities, and Washington-Mid Atlantic.
Black Art Futures Fund (BAFF) A collaborative funding project headed by philanthropist and arts leader DéLana R.A. Dameron has decided to suspend its current and third application cycle in an effort to more quickly execute its mission: moving critical funds to small, community-based Black arts organizations who may be severely impacted by the precautionary measures taken nationwide in an effort to curtail the Coronavirus outbreak.
Academy of Country Music Lifting Lives Response Fund ACM Lifting Lives is the philanthropic arm of the Academy of Country Music dedicated to improving lives.
Canadian Links
Canada Council for the Arts: Digital Originals
Micro innovation grants. The Canada Council for the Arts and CBC/Radio-Canada are teaming up once again, this time to launch Digital Originals, a new fast forward initiative to help artists, arts groups and organizations pivot their work for online sharing.
SOCAN: $2-million Enhanced Emergency Program for SOCAN Members
Assistance is primarily aimed at SOCAN’s songwriters and screen composers whose ability to sustain their income has been compromised by the impact of the crisis.
Tegan and Sara Foundation: Community Grants
$20K in funding for rapid response to COVID-19, to fund projects meeting the immediate needs of those most affected in the LGBTQ+ community, whether through making resources for the community available digitally, creating spaces online for art, positivity, and conversation, and more.
Writers’ Trust of Canada: Canadian Writers’ Emergency Relief Fund
Emergency funding to Canadian writers facing lost income because of the global COVID-19 pandemic.
UK Links
The Arts Council
Association of Independent Music (UK)
Name of Fund: Aim Crisis Fund for Independent Music Contractors
The Association of Independent Music (AIM) has announced that AIM and its members have launched a support fund aimed at the contractors and freelance workers in the independent music industry whose source of income has been severed without warning due to lost work in April and May as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. AIM Rightsholder members can now invite their artists and their artists’ managers to nominate candidates to be pre-approved on this basis.
Help Musicians (UK) Name of Fund: Coronavirus Financial Hardship Fund
The £5million pound Coronavirus Financial Hardship fund has been created to alleviate some of the immediate financial pressures that many professional musicians are currently facing with regard to their mounting household expenses. Eligible musicians can apply for a one-off payment of £500 if they are suffering significant financial hardship.
Help Musicians (UK) Covid-19 round of Help Musicians’ Do It Differently Fund
Grants of £3,000 are available to help professional musicians aged 18 and over with no significant backing, who are finding their health, and performance and teaching commitments affected by the Coronavirus. The Covid-19 round of Help Musicians’ Do It Differently Fund offers a bespoke package of funding and expert advice, including wellbeing and development services, to help musicians adapt and sustain their music through specific projects or activities during this period of isolation. This might include new ways to distribute music, build an online presence, reshape current business plans, or refocus on creative ambitions. Groups of 6 members or less can also apply. There will be multiple rounds of the Fund over the next three months but applications can only be made once.
Rank Foundation (UK)
Name of Fund: Emergency and Resilience Funds
In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, The Rank Foundation has temporarily suspended its major grants program to focus on the immediate operational needs of its network. The Foundation has launched two funds to help existing network and current grant recipients:
- The Emergency Fund is for immediate grants of up to £750 to purchase equipment, technology or memberships;
- The Resilience Fund will provide grants to cover cash flow, fundraising, and loss of income, and to help with increased demand for services.
Initially, funding will only be available to the Foundation’s RankNet members, but public access may be given at a later date.
Creative Scotland (Scotland) Name of Fund: Creating Sustainable Development
Funding of between £1,000 and £50,000 is available to support arts organisations, cultural agencies, individual artists and creative people from the arts, screen and creative industries who are affected by the coronavirus in Scotland. . The aim of the fund is to allow organisations and individuals to find ways of working in response to the current changing conditions due to coronavirus. A total of £7.5 million has been made available and can support activity for up to twelve months.
Creative Scotland (Scotland)
Name of Fund: Bridging Bursaries (Arts and Creative)
Creative Scotland has announced that its Bridging Bursaries (Arts and Creative) funding programme will shortly re-open for applications. The fund will offer financial support for freelance artists and creative practitioners who are most deeply impacted and disadvantaged by the cancellation of work and loss of earnings due to the coronavirus. Grants of between £500 and £2,500 will be available to help support immediate financial needs, particularly for those who are least likely to benefit from the Government support packages. The fund will re-open for applications on the 20th April 2020 until the 25th April 2020 but may close earlier if demand outstrips the funds available.
Arts Council Northern Ireland (Northern Ireland
Name of Fund: The Artists Emergency Programme
The Arts Council of Northern Ireland has opened a funding programme to support artists and performers during the COVID-19 crisis. The Artists Emergency Programme (AEP), worth £500,000, offers freelance artists, creative practitioners and performers the opportunity to apply for grants of up to £5,000 each.
Several UK organisations have created new grants or tweaked existing ones because of the coronavirus crisis
Ireland
The Irish Music Industry COVID-19 Relief Fund to support Irish music creators has been set up by the Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO). The Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and First Music Contact (FMC), who will administer the fund.
European Union Links
Creative Europe is the European Commission’s framework programme for support to the culture and audiovisual sectors. Following on from the previous Culture Programme and MEDIA programme, Creative Europe, with a budget of €1.46 billion (9% higher than its predecessors), will support Europe’s cultural and creative sectors.
Creatives Unite is one place to find all initiatives/ information related to the cultural and creative sectors in the EU in response to the COVID crisis
Africa
The African Arts Trust is a charitable trust set up to support visual artists by the collector and philanthropist, Robert Devereux, following the successful fundraising auction of his private collection of post-war British art at Sothebys, London in 2010. The trust is based on years of frequent travel to Africa and the recognition that there is a wealth of talented visual artists whose opportunities are stifled by the lack of resources available locally in the visual arts sector.
The Africa Art Lines fund is open to artists, independent artistic and cultural groups/organizations (non-governmental) founded and managed by artists and/or cultural operators from Africa.
Asia
Hong Kong
Hong Kong Arts Development Council (HKADC) Emergency Grants Hong Kong Arts Development Council (HKADC) first launched the “Support Scheme for Arts & Cultural Sector” before Chinese New Year to strengthen support towards small and medium-sized arts organizations and arts practitioners whose activities and work were canceled or impacted in 2019.
Singapore
South Korea
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
Record Label Industry Association Of Korea
Australia & New Zealand
Australia Council For The Arts 2020 RESILIENCE FUND: SURVIVE (For Australian individuals, groups and organizations to offset or recoup money lost due to canceled activity)
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