Artist Rescue Trust (A.R.T.), a philanthropically funded program dedicated to providing financial relief to professional artists and creatives affected by COVID-19, has launched a grant application for $150,000 to be distributed among 100 creators across the United States. The applications, qualifications for the funds and more information can be found at https://artistrescue.org/.
This new grant round follows the initial effort that launched A.R.T. in the summer of 2020 to help artists and creators hit hard by the pandemic. Through its continued partnership with Grant for the Web, A.R.T. is able to continue its mission to aid the arts community, making the grant and application process inclusive and equitable for anyone who’s actively creating but whose work has been halted by the challenges of this last year. Additionally, a core component of this relief grant involves providing grant applicants and recipients with access to educational resources about Grant for the Web’s Web Monetization initiative, empowering them with core skills or “teaching them to fish” for greater financial security in their careers moving forward.
The program was founded by current and former leaders from SXSW, Ushahidi, and Ocupop, who have combined forces to create a form of short-term UBI (Universal Basic Income) for the art community. The widespread cancellation of concerts, tours, and live events has had a disproportionate impact on creative communities across the country, especially those who rely on these events to pay their bills. Many professional artists supplement their incomes with gig work, freelance, or service industry jobs, which have also been severely impacted. A.R.T. exists to provide direct support to musicians and creators whose ability to perform, tour, and earn a living has been negatively affected by the novel coronavirus. Over three months, A.R.T. will provide $1,500 to 100 eligible applicants across the creative spectrum.
In addition to amplifying the stories, performances, and work these creators had hoped to share with the world before the pandemic, A.R.T. and Grant for the Web will work together to directly educate artists on generating sustainable income through Web Monetization.
A.R.T. is partnering with a variety of groups across the country to spread the word about this grant and education opportunity to as many communities of creators as possible, amplifying the effort to close gaps and open the grant application to all qualifying people equitably. Such entities include the Chamiza Foundation, an organization dedicated to supporting New Mexico's Pueblo Indian Tribes to help ensure the sustainability of their culture; the National Museum for Women in the Arts, the world's only major art museum solely dedicated to championing women artists, and the Recording Academy. Other supporters helping spread the word about this initiative include StageIt, NIVA, Texas Music Office, Songtradr, Songtrust, Tribe of Noise, Free Music Archive, Tunecore, and more.