New York Folklore is raising money to benefit the “New York State Folklore Covid-19 Relief Fund.” Your donations will make an impact. We hope to raise $10,000 by June 1, 2020 to assist folk and traditional artists with emergency grants.
The Initiative:
With the money raised, New York Folklore is awarding one-time grants of up to $500 to New York State’s folk, traditional and community-based artists impacted by Covid-19. Grants will help with specific short term financial needs (food, assistance with medical bills, rent, etc). This initiative is for all New York State residents and is an expansion of the New York City-based Folk Artists Covid-19 Relief Fund by The Center for Arts, Tradition, and Cultural Heritage (C.A.T.C.H.). C.A.T.C.H. has already raised significant funds and is now opening the application phase of their New York City-based initiative. Information on the New York City initiative for Covid-19 Relief can be found below.
Please join me today by donating to our emergency fund. Donate HERE https://www.gofundme.com/f/ny-folklore-covid
The Need:
Folk and traditional artists are some of the individuals who have been most financially affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and social distancing. While folk and traditional artists do not usually rely upon their art as their sole means of support, folk and traditional artists have experienced economic hardship due to the cancellation of community and public events, as well as the loss of revenue from art sales. In many cases, this loss is in addition to the loss of their primary income through restaurant and retail closings, furlough, etc. – which causes a two-fold impact on many artists’ livelihoods. Those tradition bearers who reflect already economically marginalized communities – Native communities, immigrants, and refugee communities – may not be in line for assistance by other Covid-19 relief funds. Our fund will specifically target artists from marginalized and at-risk communities.
For emergency funding specific to New York City, follow this link: https://catchnyc.net/covid-19-relief