COVID-19 Artist Resources
Tools for Bay Area artists grappling with the repercussions of the pandemic.Intersection for the Arts recognizes the immense burden COVID-19 places on artists and their livelihoods. We also recognize that the arts sector is innovative and resilient and that together we will find a way through these times. Intersection provides the following resources to help artists navigate this moment:
Emergency Money
Actors Fund Entertainment Assistance Program
Funds available to union and non-union workers in entertainment and the performing arts.
Akonadi Foundation So Love Can Win Rapid Response Fund
The $1 million So Love Can Win Rapid Response Fund will provide general support grants between April and September 2020 to support the sustainability and vibrancy of Oakland’s racial justice movement ecosystem during the pandemic.
Artist Relief
A coalition of national arts grantmakers have come together to create an emergency initiative, Artist Relief, that will distribute $5,000 grants to artists facing dire financial emergencies due to COVID-19.
Artists' Fellowship Financial Aid
Relief and assistance to qualified applicants who are dealing with immediate medical emergencies.
Artists Now
$500 grants for artists who live in the Bay Area, who have been financially impacted by COVID-19, who are POC, Women, or identify as LGBTQIA+.
ArtsFund
Immediate relief grants for arts organizations negatively impacted by COVID-19.
Arts and Culture Leaders of Color Emergency Fund
Intended to help those pursuing careers as artists or arts administrators whose income has been directly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Arts Loan Fund
Loan can cover any emergency need identified by the borrower to help the organization stay solvent until Federal/State/County restrictions on social gatherings are lifted and events and programming can be resumed.
Bay Area Arts Worker Relief Funds
Two sources of support: one for workers in the performing and musical arts and one for workers in visual, literary, media, film and video arts. Program created for and by Bay Area arts practitioners. Funds organized by Theatre Bay Area and Independent Arts & Media.
ASJA Writers Emergency Assistance Fund
Funds available to writers who cannot work because they are currently ill or caring for someone who is ill.
Authors League Fund
Help for writers experiencing income loss due to COVID-19.
East Bay/Oakland Relief Fund for Individuals in the Arts
Up to $2,000 grants for residents of Alameda and Contra Costa Counties who work in the arts and are ineligible for unemployment.
The Blues Foundation HART Fund
For blues musicians and their families in financial need due to a broad range of health concerns.
California Jazz Foundation
Financial assistance for jazz musicians.
CA CARES: Humanities Relief and Recovery Grants
California Humanities will direct funds from the federal CARES Act, through the National Endowment for the Humanities, to meet the emergency relief needs of organizations and individuals in the humanities field in California.
CARES Act Grant Program
The National Endowment for the Arts will award funds to nonprofit arts organizations across the country to help these entities and their employees endure the economic hardships caused by the forced closure of their operations due to the spread of COVID-19. This program will be carried out through one-time grants to eligible nonprofit organizations including arts organizations, local arts agencies, statewide assemblies of local arts agencies, arts service organizations, units of state or local government, federally recognized tribal communities or tribes, and a wide range of other organizations that can help advance the goals of the Arts Endowment and this program.
Center for Cultural Innovation SF Arts & Artists Relief Fund
The San Francisco Arts & Artists Relief Fund is made possible by the San Francisco Arts Commission and Grants for the Arts.
CERF+ Emergency Relief Fund
Artists who have suffered from a recent, career threatening emergency, such as an illness, accident, fire or natural disaster, can apply for funding.
Comedy Gives Back Emergency Relief Fund
Small grants of up to $500 will be paid rapidly on a first-come, first-served basis to comedians who have lost gigs and income due to recent shutdowns.
Craft Futures Fund
One-time, unrestricted grants of $5,000 to craft-based education projects creatively responding to COVID-19.
Equal Sound Corona Relief Fund
Providing financial assistance to musicians who have lost income due to a cancelled gig as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak.
Foundation for Contemporary Arts COVID-19 Relief Fund
For those seeking relief for a canceled performance or exhibition.
Music Health Alliance COVID-19 Relief Resources
Emergency financial assistance is available for music professionals who are unable to pay their basic living expenses (health insurance/food/health care) over the next two months.
MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund
The Recording Academy and its affiliated charitable foundation MusiCares have established the COVID-19 Relief Fund to help our peers in the music community affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
Musicians Foundation
Gives grants for medical and allied living expenses in emergencies.
PEN America Writers' Emergency Fund
Providing small grants for professional—published or produced—writers in acute or unexpected financial crisis.
The Photographer Fund
A $25,000 fund to help photographers impacted by COVID-19. Self-employed photographers who are facing financial hardships are invited to apply for assistance of up to $500 per person.
Pillars Rapid Response Fund
$500 grants to support the personal expenses of Muslim artists and activists whose livelihoods are being negatively impacted by this current moment.
Queer Writers of Color Relief Fund
Between $100 and $500 to queer writers of color.
Rauschenberg Emergency Grants
The program provides one-time grants of up to $5,000 for unexpected medical emergencies.
The Safety Net Fund
The Safety Net Fund is a fiscally sponsored project of Intersection for the Arts designed to help support artists in the Bay Area during the COVID-19 crisis.
San Francisco Small Business Mini-Grant
Mini-grants ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 to neighborhood and women-owned businesses with less than $2.5 million in gross annual receipts that have closed or seen a 25% decline in revenue during the coronavirus outbreak.
South Asian Arts Resiliency Fund
Project grants of at least $1000 to assist United States based arts workers of South Asian descent (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka) in performing arts, film, visual arts, and/or literature.
SOZE Foundation Artist + Activist Relief Fund
Supports artists + activists whose work has been impacted by COVID-19.
Sweet Relief COVID-19 Relief Fund
Funds available to be used specifically for musicians and music industry workers affected by the Coronavirus. Funds raised will go towards medical expenses, lodging, clothing, food and other vital living expenses to those impacted due to sickness or loss of work.
Theatre Bay Area Performing Arts Worker Relief Fund
A resource for performing arts workers who are facing a loss of income due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
UNTITLED, ART Emergency Fund
Qualifications for the UNTITLED, ART Emergency Fund include financial assistance for freelance, hourly, and wage working artists vulnerable to the economic standstill. Funds of $250 per member of household will be distributed by the &Art& team in an effort to support the security and protection of artists who, in “normal times,” hold part-time or contract work to prioritize their art practice.
Business Resources
- California Small Enterprise Task Force Guide to COVID-19 Resources and Relief
- Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (EDD)
- Disaster Unemployment Assistance Fact Sheet (EDD)
- San Francisco OEWD Resources for Businesses and Employees Impacted by COVID-19
- Unemployment Insurance Eligibility Guide
- CDC Guidance for Businesses and Employers
- SBA Disaster Assistance Loans
- Race Forward statement on COVID-19 impact on communities of color
Legal Resources
- Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act)
- CARES Act Informational Table
- Families First Coronavirus Response Act (english explanation)
- Familias Primero Acta de Respuesta al Coronavirus (resumen en español)
- Protecting your Nonprofit from COVID-19 from Lawyers Alliance
- Leave and Pay Issues Related to COVID-19 from Fenton & Keller
- WAGE Guidelines for the Postponement of Cancellation of Work
Resource Databases
Please note that many of these databases contain duplicate information. We include them here for your perusal.
- Americans for the Arts Resource Center
- Alliance of Artist Communities Emergency Relief Programs
- Artists Thrive
- California Lawyers for the Arts Emergency Resources
- Creative Capital COVID-19 Resources
- Grantspace COVID-19 Emergency Resources
- Resources for Freelancers
- Kickstarter COVID-19 Crisis Resource Guide
- KQED Emergency Funds List
- National Endowment for the Arts COVID-19 Resources
- WomenArts Emergency Funds
Tools
- YBCA Artist Power Center
- Bay Area Crisis Navigator (resource newsletter)
- How to organize an online fundraiser
- How to revise your communications strategy
- How to plan a virtual event
- How to recession-proof your creative practice
- Hyperallergic Daily Report Coronavirus Impact on the Art World
- Quick Guide to Starting an Emergency Relief Fund
- Resources for Art Houses and Cinemas from Art House Convergence
- Resources for the Arts Education Field from Arts Education Partnership
- Performing Arts Readiness FREE Emergency Preparedness Webinars
- Stage Presence
- Tips and tools for event organizers
- Tips for using Instagram as an artist
- MoMA Courses
Take Action
Americans for the Arts Economic Impact Survey
This survey is designed to collect information about the financial and human impacts that the spread of the coronavirus have had on arts and cultural organizations.
Americans for the Arts Impact Survey for Artists and Creative Workers
This survey gathers information that is crucial to telling the story of creative workers and making sure that you are supported during this ongoing crisis and the eventual recovery.
DONATE to Bay Area Arts Worker Relief Funds
The Bay Area Arts Worker Relief Funds embrace two sources of support: one for workers in the performing and musical arts and one for workers in visual, literary, media, film and video arts. Program created for and by Bay Area arts practitioners. Funds organized by Theatre Bay Area and Independent Arts & Media.
DONATE to the Safety Net Fund
The Safety Net Fund is a fiscally sponsored member of Intersection for the Arts designed to help support artists in the Bay Area during the COVID-19 crisis.
Volunteer for East Oakland Collective COVID-19 Response
In light of COVID-19, East Oakland Collective has had to adjust normal food and supply distribution programs. They are currently resourcing food and supplies and using our office at 7800 MacArthur Blvd. as a resource and distribution hub.
Volunteer for East Bay Mutual Aid
East Bay Mutual Aid is essential for addressing people’s immediate needs. They are compiling a list of volunteers so people can be contacted as asks arise during the COVID-19 quarantine.
Bay Area Support
- California Small Enterprise Task Force Guide to COVID-19 Resources and Relief
- SF Bay Area Resources for Families and Students
- List of Relief Funds for Undocumented Workers
- California Immigrant Youth Justice Alliance Resources for Undocumented People
- Recursos para la comunidad indocumentada del Área de la Bahía
- COVID-19 Resources for Indigenous Peoples
- City of Oakland Guidelines for Homelessness and COVID-19
- East Bay Mutual Aid Assistance Application
- East Bay Disability Support Request Form
- Mutual Aid Fund for CA Elders
- Liberated Capital: A Decolonizing Wealth Fund
- How to help small businesses in the Bay Area
- Bay Area Venues
- SF Queer Nightlife Fund
- Oakland At Risk
3 ways you can support artists while we wait for the return of in-person arts & culture (and continue to do after!):
▪️SHOP. Whatever you want from Amazon could likely also be ordered from one of our local makers.
▪️SHARE. Think of an artist doing work you love. Now share their work.
▪️DONATE. If you're able, give money to support artists that have experienced a pause in revenue. Some ideas:
www.safetynetfund.io/
www.cciarts.org/EastBayOaklandRelief.htm
www.artsandmedia.net/cause/bay-area-relief-funds/
sfqueernightlifefund.org/
As freelancers and independent contractors, artists are some of the hardest hit by the current crisis, lacking the safety net that exists for many employees. Artists are also the creative forces that enrich our communities and make the Bay Area a more connected, more creative, and more enjoyable place to live our lives. Show your #support.
"Cultural workers are essential to the disaster recovery process." Read why:
"...California looks to workers like firefighters and nurses to save lives. But what about rebuilding those lives after they’ve been saved? Arts advocates say that’s where arts and culture workers prove to be essential." Shoutout to Intersection member and second responder Wendy MacNaughton for her virtual drawing classes!
California Arts Advocates Make Case for Artists as 'Second Responders' to Pandemic | KQED
www.kqed.org
When facing disasters, California looks to workers like firefighters and nurses to save lives. But what about rebuilding those lives after they’ve been saved?Our classic grant writing workshop gone virtual. Join grant expert Kevin Seaman for a 3-hour interactive workshop via Zoom on Tuesday June 2, 5:30 - 8:30pm.
Virtual Artist Grant Writing Workshop | Intersection for the Arts
theintersection.org
Our classic artist grant writing workshop, gone virtual.
Grantwriting is an activity charged by race, class, sex, and gender. Led by Evan @Kleekamp this workshop will deconstruct application questions and demystify what artists are being asked to perform on the page. ALMOST SOLD OUT - SIGN UP TODAY! https://www.cciarts.org/cgi/page.cgi/calendar.html?evt=908
3 ways you can #SupportArtists while we wait for the return of in-person arts & culture:
▪️SHOP locally.
▪️SHARE the work of an artist you love.
▪️DONATE, if you're able, to support artists that have experienced a pause in revenue.
"Cultural workers are essential to the disaster recovery process." Read why: https://www.kqed.org/news/11817285/california-arts-advocates-make-case-for-artists-as-second-responders-to-pandemic (shoutout to Intersection member and second responder @wendymac for her virtual drawing lessons!)
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