First published March 21, 2020. Last updated April 22, 2020.
This list will be updated as new information arrives. If you know of a resource that I should add, please send an email.
Funding:
• In the memory of the late artist Lionel Reinford, ReImagine North of Main in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, starts relief fund for artists in north central Massachusetts who have lost revenue or job opportunities due to the pandemic: https://www.reimaginenom.com
• Massachusetts unemployment for gig workers & freelancers
https://www.mass.gov/how-to/apply-for-pandemic-unemployment-assistance?fbclid=IwAR2pMd40WEcnv-MA8DfTU9OhlcOuKyf_-6qM8KMTq1TZBZQs0lYjnMag1lQ
• City of Boston’s Artist Relief Fund (for Boston artists): https://www.boston.gov/news/boston-establishes-artist-relief-fund-response-coronavirus
• Cambridge Artist Relief Fund from Cambridge Community Foundation, City of Cambridge and others (for arts organizations and artists who live, work, create, and/or perform in Cambridge): http://cambridgecf.org/artist-relief-fund/
• Somerville Cares Fund from City of Somerville, the United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley, and the Community Action Agency of Somerville: https://unitedwaymassbay.org/covid-19/local-funds/somerville/
• Essex County COVID-19 Response Fund from the Essex County Community Foundation and partners. To support “nonprofit organizations working with communities that are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.” http://eccf.org/COVID-19ResponseFund
• Mass Cultural Council’s COVID-19 Relief Fund: “Grants of $1,000 will be available to Massachusetts individual artists and independent teaching artists/humanists/scientists who have lost income derived from their work as a direct result of COVID-19 related cancellations and closures.” Deadline to apply: April 22, 2020. https://massculturalcouncil.org/blog/covid-19-relief-effort-for-individuals/
• The Rhode Island Artist Relief Fund from Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, Providence Arts Culture + Tourism and the Rhode Island Foundation will award grants of up to $1,000 to help artists, teaching artists, arts administrators and other freelance arts and culture workers stay housed, fed, and safe in this time: https://risca.online/grants/artistrelieffund/
• Connecticut Artists Relief Fund: https://portal.ct.gov/DECD/Content/Arts-Culture/Funding_Opportunities/Relief-Fund-for-Connecticut-Artists
• Maine Artist Relief Fund: https://www.artsengageme.org/maine-artist-relief-fund
• Vermont Rapid Response Artist Relief: https://www.vermontartscouncil.org/grants/artists/rapid-response-artist-relief
• Brown University’s Brown Arts Initiative will award grants of $2,000 to Rhode Island-resident practicing artists whose income has been severely impacted by the effects of the COVID-19 crisis: https://brownartsinitiative.submittable.com/submit/163555/brown-arts-initiative-community-development-grant-application
• Worcester Creative Relief Fund from Worcester Cultural Coalition in partnership with the Greater Worcester Community Foundation: https://worcesterculture.org/worcester-creative-relief-fund/
• Cape Cod Arts Relief Fund from Arts Foundation of Cape Cod: https://artsfoundation.org/news/9052/
• Unemployment assistance from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development and the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance: https://www.mass.gov/resource/information-on-unemployment-and-coronavirus-covid-19
• Call for Talent: “CSQLive”: Central Square Business Improvement District in partnership with Cambridge Community Television is offering stipends for people to share “their expertise and talent” in public broadcast programming: https://centralsq.org/blog/call-for-talent-csqlive-coming-soon
• Boston Music Makers Relief Fund from The Record Co. (for musicians in Greater Boston): https://www.therecordco.org/relief
• Artist Fund for the Boston music community from Boston Music Awards and Jack Daniel’s: https://thisis617.com/home/
• Boston Dance Alliance Dance Relief Fund for “dancers, dancemaker/choreographers, or dance teachers who have experienced loss of income due to cancelled activities because of the Covid-19 pandemic.” The fund “will disburse stipends of $250 to assist with immediate basic needs. The fund will disburse grants on a first-come, first-served basis until April 15, 2020”: https://bostondancealliance.z2systems.com/np/clients/bostondancealliance/survey.jsp?surveyId=28
• Boston Singers’ Relief Fund from Boston Singers Resource (for New England-based classical music singers): https://www.bostonsingersresource.org/programs/bsrf
• Theatre Community Benevolent Fund: http://www.tcbf.org
• The Passim Emergency Artist Relief Fund for artists who “have played a gig for Passim (or taught in the School of Music) in the last 10 years.” Up to $500. https://www.passim.org/pearfund/
• The Dance Complex’s Artist Rental Relief Fund to support dance artists “by paying a portion of their rent” of spaces at the Cambridge facility. “Applications for this fund will be made available approximately 2 weeks prior to reopening as permitted by state government.” https://www.dancecomplex.org/donate/
• State of Massachusetts Small Business Recovery Loan Fund will provide emergency capital up to $75,000 to Massachusetts-based businesses impacted by COVID-19 with fewer than 50 full- and part-time employees, including nonprofits. “Loans are immediately available to eligible businesses with no payments due for the first 6 months.” https://www.mass.gov/news/baker-polito-administration-announces-10-million-small-business-recovery-loan-fund
• Gaming Mitigation Program from Mass Cultural Council “provides capital to non-profit and municipal performing arts centers in Massachusetts to preserve their ability to compete in a new, unbalanced marketplace.” Apply by April 17: https://massculturalcouncil.org/organizations/gaming-mitigation/application-process/
• Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding for nonprofit arts organizations via the National Endowment for the Arts: https://www.arts.gov/news/2020/national-endowment-arts-announces-cares-act-funding-support-arts-jobs-and-help-sustain
• “Economic Relief for the Creative Community in Federal COVID-19 Relief Bill,” a guide from MassCreative: http://www.mass-creative.org/covid19-5?utm_campaign=covid19_4&utm_medium=email&utm_source=masscreative
• The Rhode Island State Council on the Arts has extended its grant deadline from April 1 to April 15: https://risca.online/2020/03/18/grant-support-options-for-extended-april-15th-deadline/
• U.S. Small Business Administration: COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loans and Loan Advance, Debt Relief, Express Bridge Loans and Paycheck Protection Program: https://www.sba.gov/page/coronavirus-covid-19-small-business-guidance-loan-resources
• National artist relief fund from Academy of American Poets, Artadia, Creative Capital, Foundation for Contemporary Arts, MAP Fund, National YoungArts Foundation and United States Artists.. Offers “unrestricted $5,000 relief grants to assist artists facing dire financial emergencies due to the impact of COVID-19”: https://www.artistrelief.org
Organizational Planning:
• “Safe Harbors Program,” planned by the Mass Cultural Council, would be an assistance program offering resources, webinars, and online tools for organizations to understand their financial situation in the context of the pandemic and begin developing plans for future steps, decisions, and outcomes: https://massculturalcouncil.org/blog/covid-19-relief-effort-for-organizations/
Healthcare:
• “Massachusetts Health Connector offers extended enrollment for uninsured individuals to ease coronavirus fears”: https://www.mahealthconnector.org/massachusetts-health-connector-offers-extended-enrollment-for-uninsured-individuals-to-ease-coronavirus-fears
Hunger and Food Resources:
• From Project Bread in Boston, hunger and food resources for Massachusetts households, children and families: http://www.projectbread.org/news-and-events/news/covid-19-hunger-food.html
Home Heating Assistance:
• Information about the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development’s Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program as well as assistance from other organizations: https://www.mass.gov/service-details/learn-about-fuel-assistance
Legal Help:
• Pro Bono/Low Cost Legal Support: Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts based out of Arts & Business Council of Boston has “assembled an emergency response panel of large law firms that are ready and willing to advise artists and arts organizations on contracts, insurance, and labor and employment issues that are particularly relevant and concerning during this unprecedented time.” Contact Director of Legal Services Luke Blackadar for more information: luke@artsandbusinesscouncil.org.
Directories of Resources:
• From Mass Cultural Council: https://massculturalcouncil.org/covid-19-resources/
• From Somerville Arts Council: https://somervilleartscouncil.org/covid19
• From Boston Center for the Arts: hhttps://bostonarts.org/artists/opportunities/
• From Creative Collective in Salem, Massachusetts: https://www.creativecollectivema.com/covid19-resource-and-info-page
• From the Boston Society of Architecture: https://www.architects.org/covid-19-resources
• From New England Foundation for the Arts: https://www.nefa.org/covid-19
• From Brain Arts Org in Boston: https://brain-arts.org/blog?post=bao-resource-list-for-artists-impacted-by-covid-19-updates-ongoing
• From Massachusetts Nonprofit Network: http://massnonprofitnet.org/nonprofit-resources/coronavirus-massachusetts-nonprofits/
• From Philanthropy Massachusetts: https://philanthropyma.org/grantmakers-philanthropic-advisors/resources/disaster-and-emergency-relief-resources
• From New Bedford Art Museum: https://newbedfordart.org/artist-resource-list/
• From the The Rhode Island State Council on the Arts: https://risca.online/coronavirus-and-the-arts-resources-and-updates/
• Resources for Freelance Artists (info by geographic locale): https://covid19freelanceartistresource.wordpress.com
• From Artwork Archive: https://www.artworkarchive.com/blog/financial-relief-resources-for-artists-during-covid-19
• From Americans for the Arts: https://www.americansforthearts.org/by-topic/disaster-preparedness/coronavirus-covid-19-resource-and-response-center#impact
• From Creative Capital in New York: https://creative-capital.org/2020/03/13/list-of-arts-resources-during-the-covid-19-outbreak/
Surveys To Help Advocate For Relief:
• Americans For the Arts Survey of the Economic Impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) on Arts and Cultural Organizations: https://surveys.americansforthearts.org/s3/CoronavirusImpactSurvey
• Mass Humanities survey to identify needs for cultural organizations: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/228NS8B
Webinars and Other Advice:
• “How to Produce a Livestreamed Event” from HowlRound: https://howlround.com/how-produce-livestreamed-event
• “COVID-19 Preparedness for the Cultural Sector” from Mass Culural Council: https://youtu.be/sXeCGjPgb8c
• A Guide to Livestreaming: “Ways of Gathering in the Age of COVID-19. From HowlRound: https://howlround.com/ways-gathering-age-covid-19?fbclid=IwAR1bqsLF1IbaVJbPb_HwF2lV8lMjL0ydoRUBb0Jps8cXrT1gwlaaKz2ZpK0
• “How to Prevent ‘Zoombombing,'” advice from the Anti-Defamation League on how to prevent virtual meetings from being disrupted by graphic or threatening messages or actions: https://www.adl.org/blog/how-to-prevent-zoombombing
• “Social Justice in a time of Social Distancing” from the Design Studio for Social Intervention in Boston: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/53c7166ee4b0e7db2be69480/t/5e6900b6b689bb5bc5f5d474/1583939767600/Social+Justice+in+a+Time+of+Social+Distancing.pdf
• “Artists In a Time of Global Pandemic: For US-Based Freelance Artists and Cultural Workers in all Disciplines” from HowlRound: https://howlround.com/happenings/panel-artists-time-global-pandemic-asl-captioned
• “Emergency Preparedness and Response: COVID-19 and the Arts Ecosystem: A Grantmakers in the Arts Webinar.” Via HowlRound: https://howlround.com/happenings/livestreaming-emergency-preparedness-and-response-covid-19-and-arts-ecosystem-asl
• Free “Creative Economy Workshops” from Massachusetts College of Art and Design about entrepreneurial skills, digital marketing, and fund-raising for creative projects: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/massachusetts-college-of-art-and-design-6503215063?3utm_source=Artists+Resources&utm_campaign=Artist+Resource+Desk+-+March+2020&utm_medium=email#https://www.eventbrite.com/o/massachusetts-college-of-art-and-design-6503
• How to adapt “arts integration programs to today’s working and learning from home reality.” A “Culture Chat” from Mass Cultural Council Executive Director Anita Walker with Terry Wolkowicz, teaching artist and Education Director of New Bedford Symphony Orchestra. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpJsXly1qK4&t=2s
• “Embracing Distance Learning for Young Musicians.” A “Culture Chat” from Mass Cultural Council Executive Director Anita Walker with Christopher Schroeder, Executive Director of the Josiah Quincy Orchestra Program. https://youtu.be/nOXLaWPPRXA
• “What Does ‘Public’ Mean Right Now?” a “N+T Asks” online conversation from Now + There, with artist Silvia Lopez Chavez and New England Foundation for the Arts’ Kim Szeto. April 3 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Register: http://www.nowandthere.org/asks
• “Digital Storytelling for Nonprofits: DIY Filming and Editing” from Cambridge Community Television (CCTV): https://www.cctvcambridge.org/node/705150. Additional workshops: https://www.cctvcambridge.org/learn
• “Cambridge Small Business Virtual Town Hall” recorded by Cambridge Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui and Vice Mayor Alanna Mallon on March 26. The virtual event offered emergency information to residents and small businesses. It featured Congresswoman Katherine Clark, SBA Regional Administrator Wendall Davis, SBA Deputy Director Peter Kontakos, Cambridge Assistant City Manager – Finance David Kale, Pardis Saffari from the Cambridge Economic Development Department, and Gail Willett from the Cambridge Assessing Department. https://www.cctvcambridge.org/smallbusiness
• Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance Virtual Town Halls: https://www.mass.gov/forms/massachusetts-department-of-unemployment-assistance-dua-virtual-town-halls
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