Grit Fund Emergency Recovery Grants (ERG)
April 24 – May 15, 2020
With the partnership and support of the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Grit Fund is offering Emergency Recovery Grants (ERG) ranging from $500-$1,000 to Baltimore based artists who applied to the 2020 Grit Fund, Grit Fund Alumni, and artists whose income and opportunities have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.
TheERG Fund totals $100,000 and will provide approximately eighty grants to artists. These unrestricted $500-$1,000 grants may be used for immediate needs such as housing, utilities, food, childcare, healthcare, etc.
The Emergency Recovery Grant application is open Friday, April 24 through Friday, May 15, 2020, at 11:59pm.
Grant notification will be sent out no later than Friday, May 22, 2020.
Eligibility & Guidelines
All Baltimore based artists, including but not limited to current Grit Fund applicants and collaborators; and past awardees, are eligible to apply.
We request that applicants self-select whether they are in significant financial stress during this time. If your work has not been significantly impacted in the immediate moment, please do not apply.
To be eligible, you must be able to answer “Yes” to the prompts listed below.
- I am a self-identified artist residing in Baltimore City or Baltimore County;
- I am a practicing artist/arts-based cultural organizer able to demonstrate a sustained commitment to my practice, career, and a public audience;*
- I am experiencing financial emergencies due to the COVID-19 pandemic;
- I am 21 years of age or older;
- I can provide a W9 and Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN);**
*All applicants will be asked to include at least one of the following: a website and/or artistically relevant social media, CV/Resume, artist statement and/or bio as proof of recent artistic activity.
** This information will not be asked for until after the grant has been awarded.
The following is a list of eligible reasons for requesting a Grit Fund Emergency Recovery Grant. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Financial losses due to canceled events. Including, but not limited to:
- Performances, exhibitions, commissions, and screenings;
- Readings, panels, speaking and presenting opportunities
- Unrecoverable travel expenses related to creative work. This includes but is not limited to:
- Nonrefundable, prepaid transportation or lodging related to canceled conferences or covenings at which you were to present;
- Artist Residencies;
- Touring costs
- Lost income for teaching artists whose classes have been canceled
- Lost supplemental income because the industry in which you work has been shut down due to the COVID-19 crisis (ex. Service industry, retail, etc.)
- Loss of access to work due to childcare and school closures.
- The cost of transitioning in-person income-generating artistic endeavors to virtual or online platforms (eg. the purchase of equipment or software that would allow teaching artists to provide lessons online).
Note for artists who submitted applications for a 2020 Grit Fund:
- All 2020 applications will be held for the 2021 project funding cycle. You will have the option to edit, replace, and/or withdraw your 2020 application when the 2021 cycle is opened.
If you are unable to complete the application online, you are welcome to email your completed responses to: thegritfund@baltimoreartsrealty.com, subject line “ERG Application Submission”. Please do not use this option if you are able to submit via Submittable.