$10 million Artist Relief Fund announced

Americans for the Arts committed to supporting the arts across America

Today, a consortium of funders announced the creation of the Artist Relief Fund, a $10 million national emergency relief fund for artists and creative workers that will provide $5,000 no-strings-attached grants.

It is intended for anyone who earns income from their creative or artistic practice and who has also been affected by COVID-19.

Americans for the Arts was brought on as the research partner in that effort. In that role, it was asked to develop and deploy the COVID-19 Impact Survey for Artists and Creative Workers, which is designed to: capture financial and creative impact of COVID-19 on creative workers, highlight the resiliency and generosity of the creative sector, and make sure that the 5 million creative workers in the U.S. are supported and heard during this ongoing crisis and the eventual recovery. This new survey is a counterpart to our ongoing Economic Impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) on Arts and Cultural Organizations survey, which over 11,000 organizations have completed to date. The South Carolina Arts Commission has been encouraging participation from the outset in lieu of conducting its own survey within the state.

In addition to ensuring creative workers can sustain their practice, the goal in collecting data is to provide research that will support federal policy efforts in the next phase of stimulus and COVID-19 recovery; policies that are specific to individual creative workers.

The SCAC invites you to share the Artist Relief Fund webpage and funding application, as well as the survey, with any artists or creative workers you know who have been negatively impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.