COVID-19 | NYFA Partners with The Maurice Sendak Foundation to Create New Emergency Grant Program

The Sendak Foundation has seeded a program that will provide one-time grants of up to $2,500 to children’s picture book artists and writers.

The New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) has partnered with The Maurice Sendak Foundation (MSF), which has seeded a new emergency relief grant program for children’s picture book artists and writers who have experienced financial hardship from loss of income as a direct result of the COVID-19 crisis. 

The Maurice Sendak Emergency Relief Fund, administered by NYFA, will distribute unrestricted grants of up to $2,500 apiece until the total amount of the fund has been distributed. MSF has granted $100,000 to NYFA to begin the program. The initial goal for the fund is $250,000 with hopes that it will expand. Those interested in donating to the fund may do so here.

The application will open on Thursday, April 23 at 1:00 PM EDT, and will close once 600 applications are received. The program is open to children’s picture book artists and writers over the age of 21 who live in the United States and territories. Applicants must show that they have published at least one picture book in the last five years (2015-2020), or that they currently have a book under contract. A full list of eligibility and application requirements can be viewed here, and please click here to apply via Submittable.

MSF is a not-for-profit charitable organization that is devoted to promoting greater public interest in and understanding of the literary, visual, and performing arts. The Foundation supports the artistic legacy of Maurice Sendak and nurtures emerging as well as established artists in the fields of children’s literature and theater design.

“The Maurice Sendak Foundation is delighted to partner with NYFA by seeding The Maurice Sendak Emergency Relief Fund. As picture book makers (writers and illustrators) so generously offer up their works online to the public for free, we feel it’s important to recognize not only their selfless gesture but their needs in these unprecedented times,” said Lynn Caponera, President of The Maurice Sendak Foundation. “We hope the publishing community and individuals in the field will join in, donate and support the fund.”

On The Maurice Sendak Emergency Relief Grant, Michael L. Royce, Executive Director of NYFA, said: “We are proud to administer this emergency relief fund, which is so generously supported by The Maurice Sendak Foundation. It honors Sendak’s legacy by helping writers and artists to regain their financial footing in this incredibly challenging time, and in turn, continue his tradition of educating and delighting children.”

If you need resources, please check our Emergency Grants page on NYFA’s website. We are updating it regularly as new funding comes in. You can find more articles on arts career topics by visiting the Business of Art section of NYFA.org. Sign up for NYFA News and receive artist resources and upcoming events straight to your inbox.

Image: Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, Illustrated By: Maurice Sendak, Copyright © 1963 by Maurice Sendak, Copyright Renewed 1991 by Maurice Sendak. Used by permission of HarperCollins Publishers.