Money is tight, here's how to apply for it © Christine Roy

Artists, galleries and the thousands of self-employed and small companies working in the art world confront economic devastation as events and contracts are cancelled, and exhibitions and shops closed. Governments around the world are scrambling to prevent this unprecedented shutdown from decimating their economies.

Below is a summary of some key new emergency measures designed to help small companies and freelancers, with links to application procedures. We intend to keep this list updated and welcome information on any additional programmes.

US

Federal aid

The US Senate is still in negotiations on a bill providing $2 trillion in economic relief for businesses and workers. Among other provisions, the package would create a $367bn loan program for small businesses, send one-time checks of up to $1,200 to many Americans, set up a $500bn loan fund for industries and bolster unemployment insurance benefits.

The $1,200 payment would go to each individual taxpayer who earns up to $75,000 per year, to each head of household earning up to $112,500, and couples filing jointly earning up to $150,000; $500 would be allotted per child in these categories. Lesser amounts will be allotted on individual incomes up to $99,000.

According to people familiar with the legislation's provisions, the bill as it stands now includes $75m to be disbursed by the National Endowment for the Arts, $75m by the National Endowment for the Humanities, $50m by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and $7m by the Smithsonian Institution, which oversees 19 museums and nine research centres.

But US institutions have joined together to lobby Congress to include $4bn in aid for struggling arts groups across the country and to implement a universal charitable tax deduction to encourage individuals to donate. The American Alliance of Museums has launched a campaign urging people to contact members of Congress in support of this cause, and the Metropolitan Museum in New York, which is forecasting its own shortfall of $100m because of the coronavirus, is aiming to amplify the message with the social media tag #CongressSaveCulture. Tom Schuler, chief government affairs officer at the Met, anticipates that much of this lobbying will focus on a new round of legislation after the current rescue package is passed.

The US Small Business Administration (SBA) is working directly with state governors to open the way for targeted low-interest loans to small businesses and non-profits that have been severely affected by the coronavirus. Its Economic Injury Disaster Loan program provides small businesses with working capital loans of up to $2m that can offset a temporary loss of revenue. SBA also offers Lender Match, a free online tool that connects small businesses with approved lenders within 48 hours.

State and city aid

Some states and cities in the US are weighing other forms of economic relief for businesses experiencing a sharp decline in sales because of the spread of the virus and social distancing measures. New York City is offering no-interest loans of up to $75,000 to small businesses with fewer than 100 employees who have seen sales decrease by of 25%, as well as grants to small businesses with fewer than five employees to cover 40% of payroll costs for two months to help retain employees. Noting that New York City art galleries rely on networks of often freelance labourers, the New Art Dealers Alliance is meanwhile appealing to the city and New York State to provide further relief to commercial art galleries, artist-run exhibition spaces, not-for-profit exhibition spaces and artists and art workers reeling from the slowdown and the bricks-and-mortar closings. More information will be posted here as it becomes available.

On the West Coast, San Francisco has launched an Arts Relief Program, starting with $2.5m from the city, with private philanthropies encouraged to add their donations to expand the fund. Artists will be able to apply for grants of up to $2,000, while small and mid-sized organisations can apply for $5,000 to $25,000 grants as well as low-interest loans, with individuals and groups serving vulnerable communities to be prioritised. A website for applications is due to be launched this week.

Partnerships

Civic groups and municipalities across the country are offering grants to artists and other creative workers.The Seattle Artist Relief Fund organised at gofundme.com, for example, is funnelling money to people who have lost income due to cancellations and closings, from a minimum of $100 to an upper limit of $1,000 for each individual artist. (As of 22 March it had disbursed $45,000.) The Boston Artist Relief Fund, a partnership with the city, began taking applications on 12 March for grants of $500 and $1,000 to individual artists seeking to recoup losses, prioritising those that have not previously been funded through city-led grants. Small grants of up to $200 will also be paid rapidly on a first-come, first-served basis to affected artists and groups.

Unemployment benefits

Each state has its own requirements for applying for unemployment benefits. In many cases, it covers only about 50% of wages, even for minimum-wage employees. New York State has waived the seven-day waiting period for people who are out of work because of coronavirus closures or quarantines. California emphasises that after an applicant has filed a claim, he or she must continue to certify for benefits and meet eligibility requirements each week to receive payments.

Private support

In many cases, the private sector has stepped in to help people and businesses struggling because of cancellations and quarantines. Kickstarter has built a live archive of resources for artists, from best practices for remote work to emergency grants for those buffeted by the crisis to legal aid and advice on recession-proofing a creative practice. The Art Newspaper has compiled a list of resources and financial aid, and another is being maintained by the New York Foundation for the Arts that mainly details emergency grants. And crowdfunding efforts to aid creative people who have lost income are popping up across the country, as relayed by the organisation Americans for the Arts.

A coalition of donors has set up a $75m fund to aid non-profit arts, cultural and social service organisations in New York City that have been impacted by the epidemic. Called the NYC Covid-19 Response & Impact Fund and administered by the New York Community Trust, it will disburse grants and interest-free loans to small and midsize non-profits to help them meet city residents’ needs and to cover losses linked to the disruption of their activities. To be eligible, an organisation must be a 501(c)3 non-profit organisation based in New York City that already receives city or New York State money and has an annual operating budget up to $20m.

UK

Arts Council England (ACE) has announced that it will refocus some grant programmes to help compensate individual artists and freelancers for lost earnings; further details will be announced shortly.

Arts Council England has announced a £160m emergency response package to support individual artists, freelancers and cultural organisations: £20m will be for creative practitioners and freelancers, £50m for organisations outside ACE's National Portfolio group (arts bodies funded by the Arts Council), and £90m will support National Portfolio Organisations.

From the £20m fund, artists and creative practitioners will be eligible for cash grants up to £2.5k.   From the same fund, the Arts Council is also planning to make grants up to £4m to existing Benevolent Funds for cultural workers. "We plan to publish detailed guidance for the individual and non-NPO funds on the 30 March. A full set of criteria and guidance for applicants will follow," says ACE.

The Arts Council is suspending its main project funding stream—National Lottery Project Grants. "Every year, our National Lottery Project Grants are a vital source of income, especially for individuals and smaller organisations. However, at this time of crisis, we believe that this budget is best spent on sustaining the sector," says ACE.

The UK government has allocated one-off grants totalling £10,000 for small businesses in receipt of business rate relief. “On top of that, we will provide small businesses in the retail, hospitality, and leisure sectors with an additional grant scheme of up to £25,000. Any of these businesses with a rateable value of less than £51,000 can now get access to [this] government grant,” according to the Conservatives website. Under new plans announced by the Scottish government, small businesses with a rateable value of between £18,000 and £51,000 will be able to apply for a £25,000 grant.

a-n The Artists Information Company, the largest artists’ membership organisation in the UK, has produced a Covid-19 guidance document for artists and cultural institutions incorporating a list of available funding resources; this includes details of emergency finance packages such as a Covid Impact fund established by Creative Factory in Middlesbrough.

GERMANY

At times like this, it’s good to have a budget surplus. On 23 March, the German government signed off on a package of measures designed to help freelancers and small companies stave off bankruptcy or acute liquidity difficulties caused by the coronavirus shutdown. For the many self-employed and small companies in the world of arts and culture, these measures could prove critical to their survival. “We know what the needs are, we understand the desperation,” Culture Minister Monika Grütters said in a statement. “Help is coming, as quickly and unbureaucratically as possible!”

The package is to be approved by parliament this week. A number of other measures have already been agreed at the federal and state level. Here is a summary of the instruments available to freelancers and small companies in the arts and other industries.

Federal government aid and emergency loans

The government on 23 March announced funding of up to €50 billion for individual grants to freelancers and companies. The self-employed and firms with up to five employees can apply for a one-off grant of up to €9,000. Companies with up to ten employees can apply for a one-time grant of up to €15,000. This is designed to cover running costs such as rents on artists’ studios and loan repayments. Applicants must demonstrate that their current difficulties are caused by the coronavirus; companies experiencing financial problems before March 2020 are not eligible. The application procedure will be online and the payments are likely to be administered by states and municipalities, according to the Economics Ministry. Details of how to apply have yet to be announced.

The Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau, a state-owned bank, is offering low-interest loans on behalf of the federal government for companies suffering from the impact of coronavirus measures. The amount available for these emergency loans is unlimited. Companies must show that they were not in financial difficulties before 31 December, 2019. These loans are accessible via a company’s usual bank or financing partner. Click here, for more information.

Freelancers can request deferments in tax payments (apply to your tax office, or Finanzamt). Companies and freelancers can also request deferments in payments to the Künstlersozialkasse (artists’ social security fund).

In addition, freelancers and companies who suffer a loss of income because their work is currently banned under social distancing restrictions may apply for compensation from their local Health Office (Gesundheitsamt).

Bavaria

The state of Bavaria is awarding emergency assistance to freelancers and companies in need of urgent liquidity as a result of the coronavirus. Companies with up to five employees can apply for €5,000. The application form is available on the state Economy Ministry’s website.

Berlin

The state of Berlin approved a €100m emergency coronavirus package for the self-employed and small companies with a maximum of five employees on 19 March. Among those it aims to support are people working in the creative industries, the arts, education, tourism and retail. The Berlin Senate has said it can increase the amount available to as much as €300m. Applicants are asked to demonstrate that the grant or loan is required as a result of the coronavirus crisis. The maximum amount available per application is €5,000. Individuals may reapply after six months; companies can submit another request after three months. An application form can be obtained via Investitionsbank Berlin.

Hamburg

The Hamburg senate approved a range of measures on 19 March which the Culture Senator Carsten Brosda says should offer “quick and unbureaucratic” relief for artists and companies in creative industries. These include grants of €2,500 for freelancers and €5,000 for companies with fewer than 10 employees. They are to be administered by the Hamburger Investitions- und Förderbank.

Other states including North Rhine-Westphalia and Schleswig-Holstein have announced similar emergency programmes for the self-employed and small companies.

Private foundations are also beginning to step up: the Ernst von Siemens Art Foundation, for instance, has announced a plan to support freelance restorers and academics who may be the victims of austerity measures implemented by museums closed to the public. Museums can apply for grants of between €2,000 and €25,000 for limited restoration projects or academic work on exhibition catalogues and catalogues raisonnés. For more information, click here.

AUSTRIA

The Austrian government has approved a €38 billion funding package to support companies and workers whose income is jeopardised by coronavirus. This includes €4bn in emergency aid for workers on reduced hours and small and medium-sized companies, €9bn in credit guarantees, €15bn in emergency funding for branches that are particularly exposed and €10bn for tax deferrals.

Companies can apply for government funding to support workers on reduced hours for up to 90% of their usual income. Applications should be submitted via regional offices of AMS, the national service for job-seekers. A list of contact addresses can be found here.

Credit guarantees for small and medium-sized companies can be obtained from Austria Wirtschaftsservice, a federal state bank.

Applications for tax deferments by companies and individuals are available here. Self-employed people insured with the SVS can defer social security payments here.

In addition, the government is working to establish an emergency hardship fund for companies and the self-employed which will particularly benefit those in the arts. The details of this are not yet available.

Private foundations are coming together to help artists who are ineligible for government support. Applications for support from Stiftungen helfen Künstlern (foundations help artists) will be posted here in the coming days.

SWITZERLAND

The Swiss government passed a raft of measures on 20 March to help companies and individuals to weather the coronavirus crisis. In total, it has pledged around SFr40 billion (around $41bn) in aid. The following measures are relevant for companies and freelancers in the arts:

Self-employed people who suffer a loss of income because of official measures to combat the coronavirus (eg. cancelled performances) can apply for compensation. These payments will be administered by the cantonal Ausgleichskassen, or compensation funds. A list is available here.

Companies and freelancers can defer social security payments without incurring interest. Applications will be assessed by the cantonal Ausgleichskassen, or compensation funds. (For a list, see above.)

Small companies including single-person firms whose liquidity is endangered by the impact of coronavirus can obtain government guarantees for credit during the crisis. More information on liquidity support is available from the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).

Emergency funding of SFr 280m (around $281m) has been made available specifically for arts and culture. This includes non-repayable loans to cover the living costs of artists whose livelihoods are threatened by measures to combat the coronavirus. This funding will be administered by Suisseculture Social. The website currently says it is not yet able to process applications but is working on it. Non-profit-making cultural institutions such as foundations are also eligible to apply for interest-free loans to safeguard liquidity via their cantonal government.

FRANCE