Funding & Commissions Available to Artists Affected by the Coronavirus Crisis
Since the Coronavirus crisis began I’ve been trying to help artists and creatives who’ve lost much of their income to get some money in to their bank accounts. The first person I sent this list to received £450 the next morning, so if you need help please do apply. Feel free to add any relevant funds I’ve missed in the comments below.
Notes:
Update: all amounts listed are the sums you can apply for. Where a deadline (D/L) is described as ‘open’ this is because to the best of my knowledge the funder hasn’t yet published a deadline. I haven’t deleted ‘closed’ funds in case they re-open.
In the commissions section, most of these commissions have been set up in response to the virus and have short, straightforward application forms. Many of them are simply a creative way arts organisations have come up with to give away part of their core funding to help support independent artists.
I’m aware that these links are very UK/US focused, I plan to research more international funds and update the lists below. There are also a lot of smaller funds which I haven’t listed so as not to overload them.
UK Funds
National Arts Councils
Arts Council England: support for artists & freelancers (up to £2.5k) D/L 30 April
Arts Council of Northern Ireland: Artists Emergency Programme (up to £5k) D/L open
Creative Scotland & Screen Scotland: Bridging Bursary Funds (up to £2.5k) D/L closed
Arts Council Wales Urgent Response Fund for Individuals (up to £2.5k) D/L 6 May
Arts Funds
The Dancers’ Hardship Fund (up to £2k) D/L open
The Society of Authors: Authors' Emergency Fund (up to £2k) D/L open
Freelands Foundation Emergency Fund for visual artists (£1.5-2.5k) D/L 18 June
PRS for Music (UK): Emergency Relief Fund (up to £1k) D/L 15 May
AIM Crisis Fund for Independent Music Contractors ( up to £1k) D/L open
PRS Foundation (UK): Sustaining Creativity Fund (£750) D/L 11 May
Help Musicians UK: Coronavirus Financial Hardship Fund (up to £500) D/L open
Funds For Freelancers: for actors, creatives, ushers working in theatre (£tbd) D/L open
Bryony Kimmings: Gig Aid (£tbd) D/L open
The Musicians Union Coronavirus Hardship Fund (up to £200) D/L open
Abbie Spallen: Northern Ireland Artists Fund (£200) D/L open
Luke Barnes: Liverpool Artists Coronavirus Fund (£tbd) D/L closed
Amahra Spence: West Midlands Artists Coronavirus Emergency Fund (£200) D/L open
Wales Artist and Freelancers Coronavirus Fund (£300) D/L open
Middle Child: Hull Artists Coronavirus Fund (£200) D/L closed
Max Fagandini: Artists/Musicians Coronavirus Relief Fund (£200) D/L closed
Additional arts funds (amounts & deadlines unpublished)
Stagehand - The PSA Welfare and Benevolent Fund D/L open
The Theatrical Guild - backstage and front of house workers D/L open
Dance Professionals Fund D/L open
Equity Charitable trust - professional performers D/L open
The Royal Society For Musicians D/L open
The Royal Variety Charity assistance for anyone in entertainment industry D/L open
The Royal Literary Fund for published writers D/L open
(Fine) Artists General Benevolent Fund D/L open
International Funds & Commissions
CrossCurrents International Doc Fund - underrepresented emerging film makers ($10-30k grants) D/L 27 May
Eyebeam - Rapid Response for A Better Digital Future ($5k & $20k grants) D/L 21 May
The Nick Darke Award - UK & European scriptwriters (£6k award) D/L 4 May
Citizens For Europe Online - various grants (EU) (500-10k €) D/L open
Film Independent Emergency Filmmaker Support Fund ($500-5K) D/L open
Foundation for Contemporary Arts: COVID-19 RELIEF FUND (US) ($500 to $2.5k) D/L open
Field of Vision Documentary Freelancer Fund (up to $2k) D/L reopening 6 May
Crew Nation: Live Nation’s fund for concert crews around the world ($1000) D/L 1 May
ConvertKit: The Creator Fund (up to $500) D/L closed
Format: Photographer Fund ($500) D/L open
Patreon: What The Fund ($tbd) D/L 14 April
New Music Solidarity Fund: support for freelance performers ($tbd) D/L 31 March
Ijeoma Oluo: Seattle Artist Relief Fund Amid COVID-19 (US) ($100-$1000) D/L open
Arts Leaders of Color Emergency Fund (US) ($200) D/L open
Jazz Foundation of America COVID-19 Musicians’ Emergency Fund ($tbd) D/L open
MusiCares/ Recording Academy: COVID relief fund (US) ($tbd) D/L closed
Hear My Voice South Africa - Poetry Relief Fund (R1000) D/L paused
Musica Mexico ($tbd) D/L tbd
+ For more US based artist funding opportunities see this brilliant round up
UK Commissions
Commissions Above £1000
Digital Catapult: CreativeXR - immersive technologies (up to £20k funding) D/L 17 May
The Space Culture in Quarantine (£3-8k) D/L closed
Bristol Dance Futures: sign up at dancefutures@theatrebristol.net (£6k commissions)
The 2020 Phil Fox Award for Playwriting (£6k commission) D/L 16 June
Farnham Maltings: South East based theatre makers (grants of £500 - £5k) D/L 18 May
FLAMIN Fellowship for early-career filmmakers (£2.5k bursary) D/L 5 May
Grundy Gallery - commissions for artists in the northwest (£1.5k budget) D/L 15 May
a-n Bursaries: Time Space Money (£500-£1.5k bursaries) D/L 7 May
Unlimited - micro grants for disabled artists (£1k) D/L 5 May, 1 June, 6 July
Metal Liverpool - Remote Residencies (£1k stipend) D/L 15 May
UnShut - experimental performance festival (£300-£1k commissions) D/L 19 May
Commissions below £1000
Resonance: The Lockdown Edition, BAME composers & creators (£800 grant) D/L 8 May
Curatorial residency - wxmen, non-binary, POC & migrant artists/ curators (£700 honorarium) D/L 7 May
Disability Arts Online: three new kinds of commission (payments of £50-500) D/L 6 April
NEoN festival - emerging digital artists commissions (£500 fee) D/L 20 May
The Scottish Mental Health Arts festival (£500 commissions) D/L 1 May
Sound & Music COVID-19 Composer Awards (£500 grants) D/L 29 April
Live Art Development Agency (£400 commissions) D/L 7 May
Sanctuary Broadcast Commission: 20 min online performance (£300) D/L 30 March
Queens Hall Arts: micro commissions (£250) D/L 10 April
Scottee: paid mentoring & creative responses (payments of £100-250) D/L closed
Papatango: Isolated But Open - monologues (£100) D/L closed
Mainspring Arts - neurodivergent art commissions (£100) rolling deadlines April - June
Submit a piece to the Tiata Fahodzi blog (£100)
