Resources
Seattle Artist COVID-19 Resource List
This is a curated list of grants, emergency assistance programs, and resources for artists and freelancers. This list was compiled by Seattle Rep staff members Kate Neville, Annika Perez-Krikorian, and Kaytlin McIntyre with the assistance of Playwright’s Horizons and Round House Theatre's resource guides.
Local Assistance Grants for Artists and Freelancers
Please note there is currently a waitlist.
Organized by Ijeoma Oluo with assistance from the Office of Arts and Culture, this fund provides small grants to individual artists across artistic disciplines. Priority may be given to artists from communities that have been historically and systemically economically disadvantaged in the Seattle Area: BIPOC artists, transgender & nonbinary artists, and disabled artists, but they will try to help as many Seattle artists in need as possible.
Artist Trust- COVID-19 Artist Relief Fund
Unrestricted cash grants of $500 - $5,000 for individual artists (curators, organizers, and producers are not eligible) who have lost wages, gigs, and can't pay living expenses. The Mayor's Arts Recovery Package contributed an additional $50,000 to this campaign. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and selected weekly.
Seattle Music Teachers Fund GoFundMe Campaign
For music teachers living and working in Seattle, this fund is meant to help with income lost due to cancelled lessons and other non-performance music work. Funds will be distributed in gifts of $250.
King County 4Culture Cultural Relief Fund
Grants up to $2,000 are available for emergencies related to the COVID-19 virus and to support the creative responses cultural workers offer in times of crisis. Individuals can apply through a simple application that will take around 15–30 minutes to complete. Applications will be reviewed weekly by a panel and applicants will be notified within 10 business days about their status. First round will begin April 1-May 15, with applications accepted on a rolling basis within that time frame.
Provides rapid-response funding to non-profit and fiscally sponsored arts groups and organizations that are facing financial hardship due to economic impacts related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This funding, in the form of grants, is provided by the CARES Act via the National Endowment for the Arts. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis between April 17 and May 31.
Humanities CARES Act Relief Fund
Grants of between $2,500 to $5,000 will be made to Washington State nonprofit cultural organizations that provide humanities programming, and that are facing financial hardship due to the coronavirus. Grants are for general operating expenses or specific projects. Applications will be reviewed weekly by a grant review panel, between the dates of April 15 – May 31.
National Grants
Includes grants and/or brokered assistance, such as booth fee waivers and discounts or donations on supplies and equipment after a career-threatening emergency such as illness. Artists interested in CERF+ emergency assistance must first complete an inquiry form. If it is determined that you may be eligible for assistance, you will be invited to apply.
Emergency Grants-Dramatists Guild
Provides one-time emergency financial assistance to individual playwrights, composers, lyricists, and bookwriters in dire need of funds due to severe hardship or unexpected illness.
Foundation for Contemporary Arts
Created a temporary fund to meet the needs of experimental artists who have been impacted by the economic fallout from postponed or canceled performances and exhibitions. For as long as the Board of Directors determines it is necessary and prudent to do so, the Foundation will disburse $1,000 grants to artists who have had performances or exhibitions canceled or postponed because of the COVID-19 virus. Currently, this fund cannot support performers, ensemble members, or designers who were working on a project that was canceled.
Provides one-time grants of up to $5,000 for unexpected medical emergencies. The grants are available to visual and media artists and choreographers who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents in the United States, District of Columbia, or U.S. Territories.
The Fund helps professional authors, journalists, poets, and dramatists who find themselves in financial need because of medical or health-related problems, temporary loss of income, or other misfortune. It provides no-strings-attached “loans” to pay for pressing expenses. Repayment of this emergency support is not required.
PEN America Writers' Emergency Fund
The PEN America Writers’ Emergency Fund is a small grants program for professional— published or produced—writers in acute or unexpected financial crisis. Depending on the situation and level of need, grants are in the range of $500 to $1,000.
Actors Fund Entertainment Assistance Program
The Actors Fund provides services and financial support to entertainment professionals facing personal or work-related problems. It is also a conduit for emergency financial assistance in times of pressing need or in response to catastrophic events. Eligibility for financial assistance requires an application, documentation of your professional earnings, and an interview.
The Musicians Foundation provides grants to U.S. musicians in any genre in a time of acute need due to personal, medical, dental, family crisis, natural disaster, or other emergency situation. Grants range in amount from $500-$3,000.
Art and Culture Leaders of Color Emergency Fund
Grants in support of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) artists and administrators (consultants, facilitators, box office staff, seasonal/temporary employees, etc.) who have been financially impacted due to COVID-19. All money raised will be distributed to individual artists/teaching artists who meet the requirements as stated in the application form.
Emergency financial assistance is available for individual artists/theater workers who are unable to pay their basic living expenses (food/housing/health care) over the next two months. While some of the funds are for members of entertainment unions, you do not need to be a union member to receive help from The Actors Fund.
To support artists during the COVID-19 crisis, a coalition of national arts grantmakers have come together to create an emergency initiative to offer financial and informational resources to artists across the United States.
Artist Relief will distribute $5,000 grants to artists facing dire financial emergencies due to COVID-19 and serve as an ongoing informational resource.
Equal Sound Musician Relief Fund
A relief grant for musicians who have lost income due to a canceled gig as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Recording Academy MusiCares Relief Fund
Music industry professionals may apply for grants up to $1000 to compensate for canceled work that was scheduled and lost.
The Arts Writers grant supports both emerging and established writers who are writing about contemporary visual art. Ranging from $15,000 to $50,000 in three categories—articles, books, and short-form writing—these grants support projects addressing both general and specialized art audiences, from short reviews for magazines and newspapers to in-depth scholarly studies.
Twenty Summers Emergency Arts Fund
For artists and arts organizations facing unmanageable financial loss as a result of the Coronavirus. Nominations can be submitted for both artists and arts organizations.
For Organizations
ArtsFund will provide grants that respond to the most immediate and critical needs among arts and cultural organizations. Organizations will answer a brief questionnaire expressing interest in the fund and providing some basic information about COVID-19’s impact on their operations, as well as the specific impact grant funds would have. Grants will be one-time, emergency relief payments. Award amounts will vary based on scope of programs, emerging needs, and total resources available. ArtsFund plans to distribute the grants in April.
King County 4Culture Cultural Relief Fund
Grants up to $5,000 are available to help alleviate the impact of unexpected costs and losses related to the COVID-19 virus. Organizations can apply through a simple application that will take about 15–30 minutes to complete. Applications will be reviewed by a panel weekly and applicants will be notified within 10 business days about their status. First round will begin April 1-May 15 with applications accepted on a rolling basis within that time frame.
Additional Resource Lists
National Endowment for the Arts
Remote & Freelance Job Search Websites
Most advanced search options; focuses on part-time and temporary work.
Search by multiple categories, including entry-level, flexible, and part-time. Positions availble in a variety of fields.
Search by job category. Mostly lists full-time positions, but there are some part-time and contract positions listed as well.
A new platform that gives practitioners from around the globe the chance to monetize their knowledge and offer services, both creative and practical. It is a commission-free marketplace, offering a wide range of online resources and tutorials.
Specialized field search sites (some with minimal or no experience required)
Eight online platforms for teaching English as a second language. Many opportunities with flexible hours and pay ranging from $19-$25 per hour. Most positions require fluency in English and a Bachelor’s Degree.
College essay coaching. Applications will open in April. There is a 4-hour-per-week minimum time commitment when volume allows, and they prioritize applicants who are generally available 10+ hours a week. Each paper has an associated fixed payment, based on the paper’s length and the editor’s pay tier. Trainees are paid an effective rate of $20 per hour and full members $25-$28 per hour. The average editor earns around $5,000 for the admissions season, with many earning $10,000+.
Transcription Work
Flexible hours; 15 hours per month minimum. Typists are paid one-half cent per word, with some shifts offering a 10% bonus. Payment is made twice a month.
Flexible hours, paid weekly, and you can choose your own schedule. Transcribe oral history interviews (with WWII veterans, women in academia, farmers, midwives…), focus groups, financial forecasts or quarterly reports, tech webinars, commencement addresses, interviews about NGO work, educational reform or health care access, or anything else you could think of, and even occasionally TV shows. Typing skills required, but no experience is necessary.
Flexible hours. Transcriptionists typically earn between $1,000 to $3,000 per month, depending on skillset and the type of work you choose to take on. Typing skills required, but no experience necessary.
Unemployment Resources
Employment Security Department of Washington State
Washington State Unemployment Eligibility Checklist
Seattle PI: Step-by-Step Guide to Filing for Unemployment
For Your Community
Resources for Undocumented Communities
Seattle Times Community Resource List
Free Classes and Performances
Dancing Alone Together: Free Dance Classes
National Theatre Live (at home!)
We're Gonna Die by Young Jean Lee
Marquee TV: One month of free streaming from international art venues
On the Boards TV: Free recordings of contemporary performances through the end of April
Audible: Free audiobooks for kids
Filmedonstage: List of free musicals and plays available to watch online (updated daily)
