After Governor Wolf declared a state of emergency in Pennsylvania, Erie Arts & Culture repurposed a fund that we had earmarked for "special projects." We used those funds to launch the Emergency Financial Relief Fund for creative and cultural professionals.
In the first 48 hours, we had 70+ requests for assistance. We decided to establish three grant cycles. On 3/23, we awarded $13,200 to 45 different individuals. Funds ranged from $150 to assist with groceries to $500 to assist with rent. We are closing out our second grant cycle tonight. We've already received over 90 applications for this second round of funding. Our hope is that this second round will carry folks through until independent workers are able to apply for unemployment benefits and the federal government disburses stimulus checks.
We started the fund with $39,600. We have started to receive small individual donations. Many of the individuals that received funds said that they would donate back to the fund after their situations stabilize. We also had a local winery commit to donating $2 to the fund for every bottle of wine they sell.
Situations are pretty dire for those artists that operate in the gig economy. Usually when things are slow they can rely on backup employment, whether it is general labor or the service industry. In moments like that, they don't even have that to turn to. I'm glad to see that their needs were taken into consideration in the CARES Act.
We're working now with PNC to develop a series of workshops, possibly starting out as virtual presentations, that are geared towards financially literacy and planning for creative and cultural professionals. Moments such as this reinforce the fact that many in our sector live paycheck to paycheck with no substantial financial safety net.
After the state launches the unemployment application for independent workers, we will develop a webinar with an employment lawyer that will address how creative and cultural professionals in Pennsylvania can apply and what documentation they should be prepared to provide.
All the deadlines for our teaching artist residencies have been extended by six months. Additionally, our project grants are eligible to be extended by six months, as well.
We had a fundraiser scheduled for the end of April. It's now postponed until mid summer.
Best Regards,
