The coronavirus crisis has been devastating for artists, documentary filmmakers, and those working at independent cinemas — i.e. professionals who don’t tend to have a lot of extra money on hand during hard times. Fortunately, there is news of some much-needed financial relief. Emergency funds have been organized for women artists aged 40 or older, the documentary filmmaking community, and indie theaters.
Anonymous Was A Woman (AWAW) and the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) have teamed up for an emergency relief grant for women artists who have been impacted by COVID-19. “The program 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,” a press release has announced. “The program 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 working in digital/new media, drawing, film/video, installation, painting, photography, and sculpture are welcome to apply.
The application period will open at 10 a.m. EST on Monday, April 6, and close at 6 p.m. EST on Wednesday, April 8. Notifications will be sent by April 30. Funds will be presented to eligible applicants in the order in which applications are received. More info can be found at NYFA’s website.
American Documentary (AmDoc), the nonprofit behind PBS’ “POV,” is introducing a COVID-19 Artist Emergency Fund to support the indie documentary community. “This adapted fund of over $100,000 will provide rapid response grants up to $500 to assist artists with basic needs including food, immediate health needs, and insurance premiums,” according to a press release. “These one-time grants are a direct response to concerns about sustainability in the documentary field, with overall lack of adequate healthcare alongside loss of livelihood due to canceled production, festivals, and theatricals.”
Applications for AmDoc’s emergency fund are now being accepted, and will be considered on a rolling basis. Go to the org’s website for more information. If you’re interested in contributing to or supporting the fund, email Savannah Lennertz at slennertz@pov.org.
From Art House Convergence, with initial donations courtesy of the Criterion Collection and Janus Films, the Art-House America Campaign will support over 150 independent theaters across the U.S. that have been forced to close due to the pandemic. The program “aims to provide financial relief to struggling independent cinemas across the country so they can pay staff and their essential bills and survive until it is safe to reopen their doors,” per a press release.
The goal of the campaign is “to ensure that art houses are able to reopen when safe to do so.” Funds will go towards essential payments, such as payroll, insurance, rent, non deferrable loans, utilities, fundraising, and mortgages.
Eligible candidates will be U.S.-based theaters that operate year-round, and were open and operational for at least six months prior to the COVID-19 crisis. In order to be considered, a cinema “cannot be publicly traded or manage more than four separate theaters, and 75% of staff must be based in the metro area where the theater is located.”
Applications for the Art-House America Campaign will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and evaluated based on need. The campaign will end April 30. Funds will be offered as soon as an application has been approved.
Apply for the campaign here. If you’re interested in contributing, go to its GoFundMe page.
