COVID-19 Relief Grants

The FCA Emergency Grants COVID-19 Fund closed for applications on June 14, 2021.

In response to the abrupt closure on March 13, 2020 of all arts venues around the country, and the precarious position in which this left emerging and experimental artists, the FCA Emergency Grants COVID-19 Fund launched on March 18, 2020. Administered as a subset of FCA’s longtime Emergency Grants program, the COVID-19 Fund was a resource for experimental artists whose performances or exhibitions were either canceled or indefinitely postponed because of the pandemic.

The FCA Emergency Grants COVID-19 Fund provided $2,000 one-time relief grants to offset unplanned losses incurred by artists who were anticipating income from ticket sales, artist fees, or other earnings related to a scheduled performance or exhibition unexpectedly canceled or indefinitely postponed because of the coronavirus outbreak. In keeping with FCA’s “by artists, for artists” founding spirit, COVID-19 Fund applications were reviewed and processed by artists on staff, and grants were determined by an all-artist panel at remote panel meetings.

FCA disbursed 1,535 grants totaling $3,070,000 through the COVID-19 Fund. Given a steady decline in the need for this type of emergency relief, the Fund closed on June 14, and the Foundation focused its efforts on the COVID-19 Bridge Fund for the remainder of 2021.

We gratefully acknowledge the generous supporters of the FCA Emergency Grants COVID-19 Fund.