COVID-19 | New York City Art Foundations to Give $1,250,000 in Aid to Tri-State Area Non-Salaried Workers in the Visual Arts

Emergency Relief Program, Administered by NYFA, to Provide Grants of $2,000 to Cultural Workers Impacted by the COVID-19 Crisis.

The Willem de Kooning Foundation, the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, Teiger Foundation, and the Cy Twombly Foundation, as part of their respective COVID-19 relief efforts, have established an emergency relief grant program that will provide $1,250,000 in aid to Tri-State non-salaried workers in the visual arts who have experienced financial hardship from lack of income or opportunity as a direct result of the COVID-19 crisis. The program, initiated by The Willem de Kooning Foundation, will be administered in partnership with nonprofit arts service organization New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA).

The Tri-State Relief Fund to Support Non-Salaried Workers in the Visual Arts  will distribute one-time unrestricted cash grants of $2,000 each to freelance, contract, or non-salaried archivists, art handlers, artist/photographer’s assistants, cataloguers, database specialists, digital assets specialists, image scanners/digitizers, and registrars. Applicants must show proof of residency in Connecticut, New Jersey, and/or New York from the last two years. They must also have a minimum of five years experience in the aforementioned behind-the-scenes roles in the visual arts, and be able to show proof of critical financial need due to loss of income directly related to the COVID-19 crisis. Please click here for a full list of eligibility requirements and required application materials.

This emergency relief fund program will offer three rounds of applications: May 5-6, May 19-20, and June 2-3.

Speaking on behalf of the four foundations, Amy Schichtel, Executive Director of The Willem de Kooning Foundation, said: “We all rely on the expertise of these dedicated, hardworking individuals. We feel the imperative to acknowledge their importance by helping them get through this difficult time. While the missions of the four foundations are diverse, we are fully aligned in support of this critical objective. We hope that other foundations will join the initiative and support this fund.”

Michael L. Royce, Executive Director, New York Foundation for the Arts, expressed that the fund addresses the needs of cultural workers who may not qualify for traditional government relief: “A fund such as this is a critical stopgap for some of the most essential workers in the visual arts who are struggling to afford rent, food, and other basic needs. Unfortunately, given the temporary nature of their work, they are also among the most vulnerable during this time of crisis. We are grateful to The Willem de Kooning Foundation, the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, Teiger Foundation, and the Cy Twombly Foundation for their generosity in recognizing these workers, and are proud to administer this fund on their behalf.”

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: NYFA