*** Emergency Aid for Creatives ***

For those affected by the California Fires, Hurricane Milton + Helene or are in General Distress. Funds for Writers, Craft Artists, Professional Dancers, Choreographers, Film Makers + More

Hey Writer Friends,

With all the folks that have been affected by recent fires, hurricanes or are in general distress, I wanted to do my part in sharing resources.

• This list will live in the archives so folks can have access at all times

• This list will be updated as I come across additional resources

As always, thank you for being here!

-K

*** US BASED ***

Disaster Emergency Financial Assistance

Assistance available to performing artists and entertainment industry workers.

This application is for those who have been impacted by the California Fires in the following ways:

• Loss of home

• Damage to home

• Extended mandatory evacuation

  • The organization will work with California-based applicants who don’t have access to the required documents to fulfill their application.

Info + Submission: HERE

Blue Roof Artist Temporary Shelter

Offering a free temporary room for artists who have been displaced or affected by the fires. This offer includes:

• Free access to wifi and communal spaces

• Temporary housing for artists needing a place to stay while they rebuild their lives and practices

• No costs for utilities or rent during this period

Info + Submissions: HERE

Rauschenberg Medical Emergency Grants

This program provides one-time grants for recent unexpected medical, dental, and mental health emergencies to artists in financial need* who are creating in the visual arts, film/video/electronic/digital arts, and choreography.

Compensation: Up to 5,000

Applications Due: Feb 20th

Info + Submissions: HERE

Rauschenberg Dancer Emergency Grants

provides one-time grants of to professional dancers facing dire financial emergencies, due to the loss or lack of recent/current live performance work, because of circumstances outside of their control.

Compensation: Up to 3,000

Submissions Due: Feb 11th

Info + Submissions: HERE

​​Foundation for Contemporary Arts Emergency Grant

• Urgent grants between $500–$3,000 for visual and performing artists who have sudden and unanticipated opportunities to exhibit or present with insufficient time to seek other sources of funding.

Info + Submissions: HERE

The Artists’ Fellowship

Provides one-time emergency aid to professional visual fine artists and their families in times of sickness, natural disaster, bereavement, or unexpected extreme hardship.

• Media such as sculpture, painting, drawing, printmaking, illustration, art photography, fine art ceramics, mixed media, installations, and video art are considered

• If you are unable to fill out an application online, contact the office by email at info@artistsfellowship.org

Info + Submissions: HERE

Writers Emergency Assistance Fund

WEAF offers grants to professional freelance writers who, because of illness, disability, natural disaster, or extraordinary professional crisis, are unable to work.

• you must be an established nonfiction freelance writer with clips in national publications and/or more than one book with a traditional publisher.

Compensation: $25,000, which is meant to cover 4-6 months of living expenses, and the money is unrestricted—you can use it to cover living expenses and other project-related fees.

Info + Submissions: HERE

Authors League Fund

The Authors League Fund helps authors, graphic novelists, journalists, critics, essayists, poets, short story writers, dramatists, and librettists.

• An emergency fund providing non-taxable charitable support. They help in times of urgent need, when a writer cannot afford to pay for necessities.

• This fund has professional guidelines.

  For example: They assist authors, including graphic novelists, with at least one book published by a traditional publisher. Authors with multiple titles are given priority.

Compensation: Based on Need

Professional Guidelines + Submissions: HERE

The Adolph & Esther Gottlieb Emergency Grant

Financial assistance to qualified painters, printmakers, and sculptors whose needs are the result of an unforeseen, catastrophic incident, and who lack the resources to meet that situation.

Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis.

Info + Applications: HERE

Dramatists Guild Foundation

Crisis Relief Grant

Designed to assist writers (playwrights, composers, lyricists, librettists)experiencing unexpected financial, personal, or medical crises. Financial assistance is available to support housing and utilities costs, medical bills, groceries, legal fees, and other essential expenses.

Compensation: Based on Need

Submissions open until Dec 12, 2025.

Info + Submissions: HERE

Dramatists Guild Foundation

Bridge Grants

One time need-based awards to support dramatists (playwrights, composers, lyricists, librettists) with non-emergency and essential daily life expenses including:
• Housing costs
• Utilities
• Groceries
• Accessibility support
• Transportation
• Dependent care
• Medications
• Holistic health care
• Mental health care
• Reproductive care

Compensation: 500 USD

Submissions open until Dec 12, 2025.

Info + Submissions: HERE

CERF+

Craft Artists Emergency Relief Grant

To qualify for an Emergency Relief Grant, applicants need to be craft artists who are 18 years of age or older. They must have been living and working in the U.S. or U.S. Territories for the past two years.

• Additionally, they should not have received an Emergency Relief Grant in the previous year or exceeded the maximum lifetime limit of 4 grants.

Compensation: CERF+ offers $3,000 Emergency Relief Grants to craft artists who experienced a recent and substantially disruptive emergency or disaster.

Applications: HERE

Carnegie Fund for Authors

The applicant must be an American author who has published at least one full-length work — fiction or nonfiction — that has been published by a mainstream publisher.

• A work may have been published in eBook format only, or in hardcover or softcover format, or in more than one format.

• Please note - Applicants cannot have eligibility determined by a work that they paid to have published.

Compensation: Based on need

Registration: HERE

Max’s Kansas City Project (New York State)

A one-time grant of between $500 and $1000 to assist self-employed artists who have a steady work history, but who are experiencing a temporary financial set back. 

• Must be residents of New York State. (Exceptions are made in some cases if applicant was affiliated with Max’s Kansas City.)

Please Note: Applicants whose arrears are so serious that assistance will not allow them relief from their difficulties are not eligible for assistance.

Please be specific as to what bill the grant is needed for. Grants of financial assistance do not go to the applicant. Payment goes directly to creditor/third party. 

Guidelines + Application Form: HERE

The Artists Fellowship

Provides one-time emergency aid to professional visual artists and their families in times of sickness, natural disaster, bereavement, or unexpected extreme hardship.

Compensation: Unlisted / Based on Need

Guidelines + Submissions: HERE

Clayton Memorial Medical Fund

The fund helps professional science fiction, fantasy, horror, and mystery writers living in the Pacific Northwest states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Alaska deal with the financial burden of medical expenses.

Compensation: Based on Need

Guidelines + Submissions: HERE