COVID-19 Resources for Artists and Arts Organizations

Our arts community has been hit especially hard by the current crisis. Here is where you can find links to information and resources for individual artists and arts organizations, including opportunities for grants and low-interest loans, arts sector webinars, and tools for presenting online. Check back frequently as we’ll be adding more resources as they come our way.

General

• HERE is a table that provides info on accessing CARES Act funds from the perspective of a nonprofit arts org, a governmental arts agency, a commercial arts company, a self-employed individual artist, and as a taxpayer. 

Individual artists

General resource pages including grants and more

• California Arts Council Disaster Relief Resources for California Artist & Communities
• Covid-19 Freelance Artist Resource page 
• Kala Art Institute, Resources for Bay Area Artists
• Springboard for the Arts – Emergency Resources for Artists
• Americans for the Arts Resource and Response Center
• Creative Capital List of Arts Resources During the COVID-19 Outbreak 
• National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures – Responding to COVID-19: Arts Resources & Field Survey
• Alliance for California Traditional Arts Resources for Traditional Artists Affected by COVID-19

Grants pages

• California Arts Council Relief Fund for Artists and Cultural Practitioners – Due Tuesday, August 18 at 3 p.m. PDT.
• Center for Cultural Innovation Investing in Artists Grant – Due August 28
• Artist Relief Fund Grants
• New York Foundation for the Arts Anonymous Was a Woman Emergency Relief Grant
• New York Foundation for the Arts Emergency Grants for unexpected medical emergencies
• Foundation for Contemporary Arts Emergency Grants
• Adobe’s Grants and Resources page for Artists
• Bay Area Arts Worker Relief Funds for Workers in the Visual, Literary, Media, Film and Video Arts
• Center for Cultural Innovation Quick Grant – Reimbursement funds for professional development
• Center for Cultural Innovation CALI Accelerator – Grants of up to $1,000 to emerging arts professionals affiliated with a nonprofit arts organization, with a priority for those whose perspectives are not well represented by the conventional arts and culture field, to practice their leadership vision and voice.
• Craft Futures Fund – One-time, unrestricted grants of $5,000 to craft-based education projects that seed resilience, foster community, and amplify impact
• Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation Phase 2 Emergency Grant – For film industry workers who have been furloughed, are on reduced pay (50% or more), or laid off due to COVID-19
• Twenty Summers Emergency Art Fund – Nationwide initiative to support and promote artists and arts organizations
• The Actors Fund Emergency Financial Assistance – 
• Equal Sound Corona Relief Fund – Direct financial assistance to musicians who have lost work as a result of Corona-related event cancellations
• The Creator Fund – ConvertKit 
• CERF+ Relief Fund
• National Arts & Disability Center Arts & Accessibility Program
• MusiCares Covid-19 Relief

Unemployment

• Employment Development Department: Information on filing for unemployment/disability/Paid Family Leave due to COVID-19
• Employment Development Department: Pandemic Unemployment Assistance  – for unemployed Californians who are business owners, self-employed, independent contractors, have limited work history, and others not usually eligible for regular state UI benefits who are out of business or services are significantly reduced as a direct result of the pandemic.
• Hire Artists, connecting artists to buyers and supporters for online instruction and creative tasks.

Arts businesses

• Strategies for Running an Arts Business during COVID-19, webinar recording.
• SCORE Hispanic-Owned Business Resources

Arts Organizations

• Update: Paycheck Protection Program expansion & flexibility in coverage period and specific use requirements
• Paycheck Protection Program Loan Forgiveness Application and Calculation Form
• Americans for the Arts Economic Impact Survey
• Business Continuity for Nonprofits from Nonprofit Risk Management Center
• Loss of Income Calculator from Performance Arts Readiness, an emergency readiness organization with a variety of tools and resources
• Preparing for for Potential Impact of Coronavirus, readiness steps from ArtsReady
• American’s for the Arts webinar recording: What we know and how to move forward.
• The People’s Supper Guidebook for Virtual Gatherings
• Free Nonprofit Survival Guide: CoronaVirus Edition created by Viktoria Harrison to help nonprofits survive this pandemic
• Creative Work Fund grant for organizations in partnership with a lead artist

Webinars

• Americans for the Arts recorded webinars:

  • Because That’s Where the Money is: Fully Secured Borrowing for the Arts

     

  • Engaging Your Audience During and After COVID-19

     

  • Guidance and Q&A on the NEWLY Released Paycheck Protection Loan Forgiveness Application Forms and Flexibility Rules 

     

  • COVID-19 Federal Relief Funds for the Arts 101 Series

     

  • COVID-19 Federal Relief Funds for the Arts 101 Series | CARES Act Overview

     

  • COVID-19 Federal Relief Funds for the Arts 101 Series | Pandemic Unemployment

     

  • PPP Loan Forgiveness

• RECORDING: The Art of Numbers: Taxes for Self-Employed Artists
• Coping With Covid YouTube series from Creative Capital – includes timely topics such as Livestreaming for Artists, Financial Implications for Creative Individuals, Time Management for Artists During Challenging Times, and Centering Wellness and Self-Care for Creatives.

Grants and Loans

• Arts Council COVID-19 Emergency Relief Grants for previously funded arts organizations and current Create grantees only.
• Santa Cruz Small Business Development Association Economic Injury Disaster Loans
• Northern California Grantmakers Arts Loan Fund: COVID-19 Emergency Loans for organizations in the 11-county Bay Area.
• Arts and Culture Leaders of Color Emergency Fund – One-time microgrant of $200 for US-based BIPOC artists and administrators
• California Arts Council Administrators of Color Fellowship – Pilot program with stipend, with the intention of creating a pipeline for people of color across and throughout the arts sector
• National Endowment for the Arts CARES Act Grants

Fundraising

• Fundraising in Difficult Times handbook from Fractured Atlas