As COVID-19-related shutdowns of businesses and venues continues to leave artists and performers without a source of income, the Cambridge Community Foundation and the city of Cambridge have partnered to establish the Cambridge Artist Relief Fund.
The fund aims to provide emergency financial aid to “arts and culture nonprofits, artists, and performers” with one-time grants of up to $1,000 for artists, and up to $5,000 for “Cambridge arts organizations that employ current artists and performers and/or train future ones.”
Applications will be open for six months, providing monetary support on a rolling basis. To complete the form, applicants must provide proof of residency or employment in Cambridge, proof of lost income, and a 100-word summary of their COVID-19-related financial hardships.
“These immediate efforts dovetail on the foundation’s long-term plans to protect the arts in our city including the creation of the Cultural Capital Fund, to strengthen and sustain our arts and culture ecosystem, foster creative placemaking with a focus on our cultural district, and invest in the next generation of Cambridge’s cultural creatives,” shares a statement on the relief fund’s website.
“The Foundation is able to move swiftly with the support of New England Development, who has matched our initial $25,000 seed investment,” the statement adds. “Rosemarie and Steve Johnson, long time Foundation donors, have also pledged $25,000. With sincere gratitude for the City of Cambridge’s leadership on this issue we are proud to also include the City of Cambridge as a $75,000 donor to this effort. The Cambridge Artist Relief Fund will continue to accept contributions on an ongoing basis.”
Artists and non-profits can apply for funding here; folks interested in donating to the fund can give here. Donation checks can also be mailed to the Cambridge Community Foundation, 99 Bishop Allen Drive, Cambridge, MA, 20139.