About the Emergency Gap Fund for Philly’s Black Working Artists
What: This fund disburses one-time grants of $500 to help Black working artists residing in Philadelphia stay stable and safe while weathering the impact of the COVID-19 crisis.
Why: The COVID-19 shutdowns disproportionately impact artists — often lower-income, freelance professionals whose work is event- or client-based — and Black people, who have fewer generational resources and savings to cushion blows to employment. Funds like these often replicate the same inequities in access. This fund is intended to counteract this trend.
Who: You are eligible for this grant if you are a Black person, residing in Philadelphia, who earns some income from their art form, and who has lost income because of the COVID-19 shutdowns.
How: You fill out our very short online application and wait to hear back from us. You will be asked to confirm that you meet the criteria above and share some basic information (a flier or business card) to show that you are a working artist.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to repay the funds? No.
Will I receive a 1099 form from The Village? You only receive a 1099 if your income from The Village during a single calendar year exceeds $600.
When will grants be awarded? Everyone who applies will be contacted by a Village representative to confirm or clarify information. Decisions will be made weekly, by Wednesday at 10am. Notifications will be made each Wednesday, by noon. The first notifications will go out Wednesday, 4/27/20.
How will payments be made? We prefer to make grants via PayPal. In some cases, we will mail a check to the recipient.
Is The Village a charitable foundation? No, The Village is a place-based, non-profit arts and culture organization.
Can I receive more than one award of $500 from this fund. Not at this time.
What if I don’t meet the criteria but am an artist in need of gap funding? Please visit our artist resource list here for other local and national funding opportunities.
Lots of organizations are struggling right now—how does The Village have money to launch this fund? The Village sees this as an immediate need in our community and therefore a logical and necessary extension of our pre-COVID-19 programming. We have raised funds specifically for this project from our funders and are seeking to raise more. Our goal is to match the funds and support more amazing artist entrepreneurs from around the city. You can support this fund here.