Nonprofit and Artist Resources

Dear Arts  Family,

Though this is an unprecedented time of challenges and changes, support is coming through in so many ways. We’ve researched and aggregated as many resources as we could find for you here. This link will be updated regularly. And we’ll have more to announce on the subject so soon. Stay tuned, stay healthy.

Feel free to share any resources with us by sending to [email protected] →

Thank you for your support of our community.

Artist Resources

• How to apply for disability, unemployment, or family leave during the coronavirus pandemic, more information here.
• The Actors Fund has created a resource page for performing artists and entertainment workers seeking social services and financial assistance.
• CreativeEnabler.com created a Coronavirus/COVID-19 resource list for artists, creatives, and small businesses. Learn more.
• Creative Capital has created a list of Arts Resources to be used during the COVID-19 pandemic. More information here.
• If you are a freelance or gig economy worker looking for relief, check out Morgan Smith’s list of resources on Forbes. You can read her article here.
• San Francisco Mayor, London Breed, has announced an Arts Relief Program where $2.5 million in support will go to working artists, and arts and cultural organizations financially impacted by COVID-19. Learn more.
• Learn more about how freelancers can claim paid sick leave during the COVID-19 Crisis.
• Music creators and professionals based in Los Angeles, San Francisco, the Pacific Northwest and Texas regions can reference this article from the Recording Academy for funds and resources in your respective area. Read it here.

COVID-19 Emergency Grants and Relief Funds

• The Equal Sound Corona Relief Fund was set up to provide direct financial assistance to musicians who have lost work as a result of Corona-related event cancellations. More information.
• Bay Area Resident Artists: Apply for a grant (up to $500) from the Art Safety Net Fund here.
• Music Industry professionals seeking relief due to COVID-19 related cancellations can apply for MusiCaresⓇ COVID-19 Relief Fund here.
• Artists affected by unexpected medical emergencies can apply for a Rauschenberg Emergency Grant here.
• KQED has created a list of funds for creatives losing income during the coronavirus pandemic. More information.
• Curators impacted by COVID-19 can apply for this emergency grant from the Kinkade Family Foundation. Learn more here.
• If you are an undocumented worker in California and seeking relief, you can get assistance here.
• If you an artist residing in San Francisco full-time, and are NOT eligible for or currently on unemployment, you can apply for a grant from the SF Arts & Artists Relief Fund. More information.
• Freelance musicians can apply for micro grants from the New Music Solidarity Fund. Learn more here.
• Freelance workers can apply for the Freelancers Relief Fund (applications open on 4/2/20). More information.
• Performing artists that have lost income due to the COVID-19 crisis can apply for a grant from the Theatre Bay Area Performing Arts Worker Relief Fund. Access the application here.
• Individual artists who have had an engagement canceled or postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic can apply for a grant from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts’ COVID-19 Relief Fund. Learn more.
• The Arts and Culture Leaders of Color Emergency Fund provides grants up to $200 to artists and arts administrators of color affected by COVID-19. Apply here.
• Freelance photographers that are independent women or non-binary can apply for a grant from the Women Photograph COVID-19 Emergency Fund. More information.
• The Actors Fund Entertainment Assistance Program provides individual actor or entertainer grants to cover basic living expenses for a 2-month period. See if you’re eligible here.
• If you are an artist infected with COVID-19 and seeking financial assistance for intensive medical care, you can apply for a CERF+ Emergency Grant. More information.

Nonprofit Resources

• Several nonprofits collaborated to create this guide, available in English and French, which outlines Public Health information, State and local resources, data and content to support fundraising efforts. Learn more.
• Common Field wants to organize for both you and the broader field in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Share your ideas, needs and questions using their open form.
• The National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures (NALAC) wants to better understand how COVID-19 is affecting both independent cultural workers and those who may belong to nonprofit arts organizations. Complete their survey here.
• Get disaster loan assistance for businesses, private nonprofits, homeowners, and renters here.
• Bay Area nonprofits seeking information about applying for emergency funding can reference this page from the Silicon Valley Community Foundation.
• CCS Fundraising published a summary of their webinar, Principles of Fundraising: Navigating the Challenges Presented by Coronavirus, broadcast on 3/18. Download it here.
• A recent article by the Essex & Drake Fundraising Counsel discusses realistic expectations of fundraising. Read it here.
• If your organization is working remotely, check out this Techsoup blog with tips about data security.
• NEO Law Group discusses merging with another nonprofit during economic stress in their blog here.
• The Alder & Colvin firm shares legal advice through their resource list for nonprofits. Learn more.
• If you are on the Board of a nonprofit organization and looking for more ways to support, reference this blog post from BoardSource.

Emergency Funds for Nonprofits

• San Francisco nonprofits addressing racial bias, worker protection, homelessness and renter protection/housing security, or food security in can apply for a one-time grant from the San Francisco Foundation. More information.
• San Mateo and Santa Clara county organizations with a 501c (3) designation can apply for a grant from the Silicon Valley Community Foundation’s Regional Nonprofit Emergency Fund. Get the application here.
• If you are looking for advertising grants, Google Ads gives $10,000 USD of in-kind advertising to nonprofits every month. See if you are eligible here.
• Arts organizations, based in any of the 11 Bay Area counties, can apply for a COVID-19 Emergency Loan from the Arts Loan Fund. You must be a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization or be fiscally sponsored by one to apply. More information here.
• The Small Business Administration’s Disaster Loan is a $10K loan for nonprofits and businesses that can be converted to a grant, this article explains why artists and arts organizations should apply. Find the application here.

Things You Can Do

• Americans for the Arts is collecting information about the financial and human impacts that COVID-19 have had on arts and cultural organizations since the first U.S. case was confirmed on January 20, 2020. Complete the survey here.
• Americans for the Arts: Send a message to your Senator.
• Complete a survey that will support California Arts Council’s efforts to compile data on the impact of COVID-19.
• Enjoy this guide for enjoying art at home with your family.
• Ask Congress to include displaced entertainment workers in the relief package here.
• KQED sheds light on how Coronavirus cancellations threaten the livelihoods of independent artists. Complete their survey to share how your life has been affected.
• Contact elected officials using this letter template from the Teaching Artists Guild.
• Write a letter to Governor Newsom to put a moratorium on rent increases and evictions, suspend rent and mortgage payments, and prohibit utility cutoffs during the economic fallout of COVID-19.
• Sign the ACLU’s letter to demand the release of vulnerable communities from immigrant detention centers, jails, and prisons to stop the spread of COVID-19. Learn more.
• Learn more and get resources for the Bay Area’s undocumented population during the COVID-19 Crisis. Read this article by Lydia Chávez and Joe Eskenazi on Mission Local.

Funds to Contribute to

• Support artists residing in the Bay Area by donating to the Safety Net Fund.
• Donate to the Artist Relief Tree (ART) to benefit all artists.
• Support music industry professionals by donating to the MusiCaresⓇ COVID-19 Relief Fund.
• Give to San Francisco’s Response and Recovery Fund here.
• Donate to the Regional Nonprofit Emergency Fund from the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, benefiting nonprofits in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.
• Contribute to the Los Altos Community Foundation’s 2020 Nonprofit Relief Fund.
• Give to the East Bay Community Foundation’s COVID-19: A Just East Bay Response Fund.
• Support freelance musicians by giving to the New Music Solidarity Fund.
• Donate to the Freelancers Relief Fund to support independent workers.
• Contribute to the Theatre Bay Area Performing Arts Worker Relief Fund to support performing artists.
• Support musicians who have lost work due to the COVID-19 Crisis by giving to the Equal Sound Corona Relief Fund.
• Give to the Arts and Culture Leaders of Color Emergency Fund to support artists and arts administrators of color.
• Make a contribution to the Women Photograph COVID-19 Emergency Fund to support independent women and non-binary, freelance photographers.