Cultural Solidarity Fund
In the spirit of coalition and resource sharing, New York City arts and cultural organizations of all sizes and structures came together to grow a joint Cultural Solidarity Fund. Administered by IndieSpace, with leadership by LEIMAY, and alongside a coalition of arts administrators and institutions, to date, they have provided over $1,000,000 in $500 relief microgrants to 2,030 artists and cultural workers. The microgrants prioritize Black, Indigenous, People of Color, immigrant, disabled, d/Deaf, and trans and gender-nonconforming individuals who have been most severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. As of spring 2024, there are still 204 unfunded applicants, with 42% self-reporting an urgency level of four out of five, and all facing childcare, financial, food, housing, and/or medical insecurity.
To ensure the funding of the remaining applicants and to encourage further coalition-based organizing, the Cultural Solidarity Fund has released a report entitled From Regranting to Redistribution: How the Cultural Solidarity Fund Moved Money & Why We Need Community-Centered Coalitions. This report, written by Sruti Suryanarayanan with Emma Werowinski, explains how the Cultural Solidarity Fund organized and redistributed thousands of relief grants across New York City.
This research was developed as part of a cohort of projects that investigate alternative ways in which government and private philanthropy can support individual artists and small-budget organizations. The goal is to inspire coalition building and bring attention back to the community members who are still in need. While philanthropy is moving on from a seemingly ended crisis, the Cultural Solidarity Fund is committed to leaving no one behind. Donate below.
We will not be re-opening applications at this time, and we are focusing our efforts in funding as many applicants we have received as possible.
