It’s no secret that, due to the spread of COVID-19, millions of Americans have filed for unemployment recently (a record 6.65 million people filed a new jobless claim in the week that ended March 28 [source: Washington Post]). As part of our continued effort to help the art community, we’d like to share with you some avenues of financial help.
Financial Help for Artists
1. Covid-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan Application
From the U.S. Small Business Administration / Disaster Loan Assistance
The eligibility list includes options such as “Applicant is an individual who operates under a sole proprietorship, with or without employees, or as an independent contractor” and others that might apply to you and your art business.
Click here to learn more about the disaster loan and apply here. Find additional options through the SBA here.
2. The Artists’ Fellowship Fund 
The Artists’ Fellowship provides emergency aid to professional visual artists and their families in times of sickness, natural disaster, bereavement or unexpected extreme hardship.
Note: Due to the overwhelming requests for aid from the COVID-19 pandemic they are temporarily limiting relief and assistance applications to those qualified applicants who are dealing with IMMEDIATE MEDICAL EMERGENCIES and their aftermaths. This restriction will be revisited periodically as conditions change.
Click here to learn about eligibility.
3. There are additional resources listed at SmugMug.com, a website for our extended family of artists, photographers. Please research the resources at Smug Mug before applying and submitting your personal information.
It’s Not All Bad News
The good news is that, although this is an incredibly difficult time in our lives – no matter where we are on the globe – this will be over eventually. For some optimistic insights, I’d like to share with you a few more resources that I think you’ll find helpful.
Watch: Survival Strategies For Artists and Galleries with B. Eric Rhoads and Jay Abraham
Watch: Art Historian Jean Stern of UC Irvine interviews Eric Rhoads on how artists can survive the COVID-19 period (click here to watch the interview)
Do you know of additional legitimate financial resources for artists? If so, please feel free to share them with us in the comments below.
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