Artist Emergency Fund
ArtsMemphis, in partnership with Music Export Memphis, has an Artist Emergency Fund to support individuals within the sector who have lost income due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This fund is meant to assist:
- Self-employed artists of all arts disciplines (visual art, literary arts, film, dance, music, theater). Cancellations may include public events, private events, commissions, teaching engagements, etc.
- Artists contracted by nonprofit arts and culture organizations.
- Employees who have been laid off or furloughed by nonprofit arts and culture organizations.
Artists may request funding to compensate for work that was scheduled or contracted and cancelled or lost; documentation required. Funding requests should be related to gigs, contracts or employment that have been cancelled (not just postponed) since March 1, 2020 due to COVID-19. Currently, the fund is not available to compensate for potential future loss of business or income.
Para artistas en el Condado de Shelby que solo hablan español y necesitan ayuda de con la traducción de la aplicación, por favor enviar un correo electrónico a [email protected] con el siguiente título de mensaje: “Spanish translation help needed”. ArtsMemphis los conectara con un voluntario que les ayudara con la aplicación en español.
The Application is Open Now.
Grant applications will be reviewed on a bi-weekly rolling basis until funds are depleted.
Eligibility
Please choose the eligibility tab based on your artistic discipline.
First time music applicants may request up to $500.
Eligibility:
- The fund is available to applicants in the Greater Memphis Area, which includes metro-area towns in Arkansas and North Mississippi. Applicants must work in music in Memphis and be able to prove lost income from performances or jobs in Memphis.
- The fund is available to non-artist applicants working in live music industry roles, including talent buyers/booking agents, managers, and live event crew (i.e.: lighting, sound, instrument techs). This excludes food and beverage roles.
- All non-artist applicants must be able to prove employment or contract with a music venue or touring artist. Applicants are not eligible if they are receiving unemployment benefits or are still receiving a salary.
- The fund is available to applicants who can establish typical income from live music, understanding that all live music is suspended. (i.e.: rather than proof of a canceled gig, you may provide documentation from earlier this year or in late 2019 that indicates gigs, payment amounts, etc.)
- The fund is now available to repeat applicants. Artists funded in prior rounds are eligible to apply for a one-time repeat funding up to $250.
- Repeat applicants are not guaranteed funding and will be awarded based on total funds availability, prioritizing grants to new applicants.
- If you have other full-time employment that has not been disrupted, you are not eligible to apply.
If you have questions regarding music applicant eligibility, please contact Music Export Memphis at [email protected]
Eligibility for all other artistic disciplines AND for employees who have been laid off or furloughed by nonprofit arts and culture organizations.
Applicants may request up to $750.
Eligibility:
- The fund is available to:
- Artists (of all non-music related artistic disciplines) residing in Shelby County, TN
- Employees who have been laid off or furloughed by a Shelby County nonprofit arts or culture organization
- At this time, applicants are only able to apply one time.
- At this time, funding is not available for commercial artists.
- If you have other full-time employment that has not been disrupted, you are not eligible to apply.
Artistic Disciplines Definitions
- Craft – includes ceramics, fiber, glass, jewelry, metals, and textiles, etc. [Choose Visual Art as discipline in application]
- Dance – includes dancers, choreographers, and teachers of all genres
- Design Art – includes fashion, graphic, interior [Choose Visual Art as discipline in application]
- Folklife/Traditional Arts – includes storytelling, visual art, craft, and performance traditions informally learned and transmitted in contexts that are characteristic of ethnic, religious, linguistic, occupational, and/or religious groups.
- Media and Film Art – includes film-making, animation, documentary, and work created using technology or experimental digital media, podcasts, virtual reality, and web-based projects
- Museum Science or Humanities – includes the presentation, documentation, and/or record-keeping of items that are of artistic or cultural value
- Music – includes composers, musicians, vocalists, and teachers of all genres
- Theatre and Performance – includes actors, directors, playwrights, set and costume designers, lighting designers, and audio/visual operators who work in a theatrical or performance venue [Choose Theatre as discipline in application]
- Visual Art – includes installation, painting, performance art, photography, sculpture, sound art, video, mixed media, etc.
If you have questions, please contact Colleen McCartney at ArtsMemphis at [email protected] or (901) 578-2787.
Applicants who are receiving unemployment should consider how receipt of a grant payment might affect your unemployment payments prior to submitting your application. Visit https://www.tn.gov/workforce/unemployment/manage-my-benefits-redirect/certify-weekly.html for more information.
Request Process
- Applications will be accepted via an online form on a rolling basis until funds are depleted.
- If an applicant does not have internet access, they should call ArtsMemphis at 901-578-2787 and leave a voicemail with a call back number.
- Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.
Review Process
Grant applications will be reviewed on a bi-weekly rolling basis until funds are depleted.
- Funding decisions will be based on documented loss of income demonstrating a specific financial need, and funding availability.
- This is a competitive process as funding is limited. Successful applications will include clear and specific evidence of your loss of income.
- Submission of an application does not guarantee funding.
- Every effort will be made to distribute awards proportionately to the artistic disciplines represented by requests.
- Music Export Memphis will review all music related applications. ArtsMemphis staff will review all other applications and rely on the expertise of our partners in various artistic disciplines as needed.
- Due to the fluidity of this current situation, the eligibility, review and decision-making process may evolve in order to best serve our community.
Funding Process
- Applicants will receive e-mail notification of award decisions.
- Grant recipients will be asked to complete a secure document upload with banking information, proof of Shelby County residency, and a W9 form before funds will be distributed.
- Grant recipients must provide Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN). We will collect this information after you’ve been notified of your grant.
- Funds will be transferred within ten business days of award decisions, provided all documentation required is received from the award recipient.
- If applicant does not have a formal bank account, ArtsMemphis will make arrangements for payment.
Click here to be taken to the online application.
If this is the first time you are using the ArtsMemphis Grant Platform, please visit our Grant Application Platform page for video and written tutorials on creating your account, applying for funding opportunities, understanding your applicant dashboard.
This funding is made possible by: the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis COVID-19 Regional Response Fund, Assisi Foundation, Crosstown Arts, Hyde Family Foundation, Kresge Foundation and many individual donors.
Contact Us
If you have questions, please contact our Grants and Initiatives Department:
Tracy Lauritzen Wright, Chief Operating Officer [email protected]
Colleen McCartney, Grants and Initiatives Manager [email protected]
ArtsMemphis (901) 578-2787