Artist Relief, the coalition of national arts grantmakers, is proud to announce Sundance Institute as its first Field Partner. In this new partnership, Sundance Institute will lend its expertise in the worlds of film, media and theatre, invest directly into the relief fund to act as a regranting channel for independent artists in those fields, and support the overall development and refinement of Artist Relief’s efforts to assist artists affected by COVID-19.
A national, multidisciplinary partnership between Academy of American Poets, Artadia, Creative Capital, Foundation for Contemporary Arts, MAP Fund, National YoungArts Foundation, and United States Artists, Artist Relief is an emergency coalition to provide emergency $5,000 grants and information resources to artists in the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Artist Relief’s discipline-specific Field Partners will be integral to scaling the coalition’s initial efforts during this unprecedented emergency. Other partners will be announced in the weeks to come.
“We greatly admire the founding members of Artist Relief and their leadership in rapid, equitable funding of individual artists. They are the perfect vehicle to deliver the need-based giving that this moment demands. Sundance Institute is proud to join this collective initiative by investing directly into the fund and lending our expertise to ensure film, media, and theatre artists get the support they need during this unprecedented crisis,” said Keri Putnam, Executive Director of the Sundance Institute.
Artist Relief launched on April 8th with $10 million, consisting of $5 million in seed funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation matched with $5 million in initial contributions from an array of foundations across the United States. Its Field Partner program premiers alongside a sustained fundraising campaign designed to continually expand the coalition’s impact.
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“Sundance Institute is an immeasurably important cultural institution and titan in their field. We’re thrilled to welcome them to Artist Relief as we deepen our work to support artists in film, media, and theatre. We offer their example to other organizations looking to support their disciplines by strengthening platforms like Artist Relief so we can collectively manage the difficult months ahead,” said Deana Haggag, President and CEO of United States Artists, a coalition member of Artist Relief.
Since opening applications, Artist Relief has been met with an overwhelming response from the country’s artists. As expected, applications for the $5,000 emergency grant have dramatically outpaced Artist Relief’s resources, and underscored the urgent need to expand fundraising. At this time, Artist Relief is the only organization providing direct financial support to multiple artistic disciplines across the country. As it expands, the Field Partner program will grow to include like-minded organizations eager to regrant to their constituencies directly through Artist Relief, as well as play a key leadership role in the coalition’s advocacy and outreach strategies moving forward.
“Starting the Field Partner program is emblematic of the momentum taking hold in the field. We know that we must do more, and so we are mobilizing together,” said Carolyn Ramo, Executive Director of Artadia, a coalition member of Artist Relief.
Artist Relief is an emergency initiative, relying on the support of a growing number of foundations and individual donors, and will continue to evolve as the needs of the country’s artists shift over the coming months. Tax-deductible donations can be made at artistrelief.org; 100 percent of donations will be applied directly to aid.
