Windham Region Chamber of Commerce

assistance

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GRANT RESOURCES FOR ARTISTS

Here are some national grant resources for artists who may need assistance especially during the pandemic.  If you know of any other resources, please let us know so that we can share.  Also, these grants all have different grant periods and deadlines, they may not all be active at this time.

Adolph & Esther Gottlieb Emergency Grant

What it is: Interim financial assistance (up to $15,000; standard award is $5,000) for unforeseen circumstances; one-time assistance for a specific emergency. This does not cover dental, chronic conditions, or art projects.

Who it’s for: Only eligible for visual artists (painters, printmakers, and sculptors) who are in a mature phase of their career (have been working for at least 10 years in their field).

Dates to know: Rolling application process.

 

Arts Leaders of Color Emergency Fund

What it is: Funds in the amount of $200 per person, on a first-come, first-served basis.

Who it’s for: Black, indigenous, and people of color artists or administrators in financial need.

Dates to know: Rolling application process.

 

CERF+ (Craft Emergency Relief Fund)

What it is: $3,000 in immediate financial assistance; discounts and donations for art supplies also available.

Who it’s for: Professional artists who have contracted COVID-19 and are in need of financial assistance. Applicants must be legal US residents and face a career-threatening emergency.

Dates to know: Rolling application process.

 

NYFA and Rauschenberg Emergency Grants

What it is: One-time grants of up to $5,000 for medical emergencies.

Who it’s for: Visual and media artists and choreographers who have eligible expenses which include, but are not limited to: hospital and doctor bills (including insurance co-pays), tests, physical/occupational therapy, prescription drugs specifically for the emergency medical condition, and emergency dental work.

Dates to know: Applications will be accepted and reviewed by the panel on a monthly basis beginning in late May/early June 2020.

 

Pollock-Krasner Foundation 

What it is: Grants for artistic merit and demonstrable personal or professional financial need. The size of the grant is determined by the artist’s individual circumstances.

Who it’s for: Artists must be actively exhibiting their work in galleries or museums. The foundation does not accept applications from commercial artists, video artists, performance artists, filmmakers, crafts-makers, or any artist whose work primarily falls into these categories.

Dates to know: Rolling application process.

 

Artist’s Charitable Fund

What it is: A non-profit fund that pays a portion of emergency medical bills directly to the medical providers.

Who it’s for: Painters and sculptors who have been affected by medical bills.

Dates to know: Rolling application process.

 

Artists’ Fellowship, Inc

What it is:  One-time grants to pay emergency medical bills.

Who it’s for: Artists who are dealing with immediate medical emergencies and their aftermaths.

Dates to know: Rolling application process.

 

Artist Relief

What it is: One-time $5,000 grants

Who it’s for: Artists facing dire financial emergencies due to COVID-19, including the lack or imminent endangerment of essentials such as housing, medicine, childcare, and foodDates to know: The fund will operate through September 2020. Grants will be available and distributed over six months to allow time for internal processing as well as communication to reach as many artists as possible

 

The Photographer’s Fund with Format

What it is: A $25,000 fund providing assistance of up to $500 per artist.

Who it’s for: Self-employed photographers facing financial hardships due to COVID-19.

Dates to know: Rolling application process, until funds are depleted.

 

Leveler

What it is: Peer-to-peer wealth redistribution in small increments. Applicants fill out a form explaining how they’ve been impacted and
and others who are in better financial positions can donate.

Who it’s for: People in the arts, hospitality, and gig economy who have been directly impacted by COVID-19. Funds go directly to the persons on the database via Venmo/PayPal.

Dates to know: Rolling application process and as funds are available.

 

Freelancers Relief Fund

What it is: Up to $1,000 in financial assistance per freelance household to cover lost income and essential expenses including food, supplies, utility payments, and cash assistance to supplement income loss.

Who it’s for: Freelancers who primarily reside in the United States who have experienced a sudden decrease in income of 50 percent or more as a result of COVID-19, due to cancellation, loss of work, or caring for family members. These include sole proprietors and limited liability companies where there is only one employee.

Dates to know: Rolling application process.

What it is: One-time grants of $1,500.

Who it’s for: Artists who have had performances or exhibitions canceled or postponed because of the pandemic.

Dates to know: Rolling application process.

 

Artist Relief Project 

What it is: One-time emergency stipend in the amount of $200.

Who it’s for: Any artist in any discipline who has been impacted by COVID19-related cancellations and closures may apply for assistance.

Dates to know: Stipends and support will be given on a first-come, first-serve basis, with the only limitation being how much is money able to be raised.

 

Art Interrupted Emergency Arts Fund

What it is: An emergency fund launched by the Massachusetts nonprofit Twenty Summers with grants for individual artists up to $500 and grants of $1,000 for arts organizations. Twenty Summers will also help promote artists’ work through video sharing and social media.

Who it’s for: Artists and arts organizations suffering from unexpected and severe financial loss as a result of COVID-19.

Dates to know: Rolling application process.

 

Patreon’s What the Fund

What it is: One-time grants to support artists, as chosen by a board of fellow creators. Patreon has donated $10,000 in initial funds and is accepting further donations.

Who it’s for: Any creator, anywhere in the world, who has been demonstrably impacted by the COVID-19 situation.

Dates to know: Accepting applications through today, April 14, 2020.

 

Women Photograph

What it is: Five grants of $5,000 to support photography projects.

Who it’s for: Visual journalists working in a documentary capacity. One grant will be earmarked for a non-binary or transgender photographer.

Dates to know: Application deadline is May 15, 2020.

 

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BUSINESS TAP SPECIALISTS

The Windham Region Chamber of Commerce would like to introduce you to our newest Business TAP Specialists.  All four of our team members are students at Eastern CT State University majoring in business and marketing.  Business TAP is a program where we work one on one with business owners to help them navigate the virtual world including helping them create social media pages, newsletters, blogs, virtual meetings and a commercial.  If you are interested in becoming a client, all services are free, please email the Chamber at info@windhamchamber.com or call 860-428-7739.  Here are the newest members to our team:

Joshua Buvelot

My name is Joshua Buvelot and I am a senior at Eastern Connecticut State University. My major is Business Administration with a concentration in marketing and finance. My goal after I graduate is to continuing growing my personal business.

John Ferrara

My name is John Ferrara, and I am a senior here at Eastern. I am from Northampton, Massachusetts and I am studying marketing and communications. I enjoy sports, the outdoors, and traveling and have a passion for environmental sustainability.

Olivia Puleo

My name is Olivia Puleo. I’m a senior at Eastern Connecticut State University and I’m majoring in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing and a minor in Business Information Systems. My goal after college is to get a job in Marketing for a company.

Matthew Mocker

My name is Matt Mocker and I am a Junior at Eastern Connecticut State University. My major is Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing and a minor in Business Information Systems. My goal for after graduation is to further enhance my knowledge of business and grow multiple streams of income.

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BUSINESS “TAP”-Technology Advancement Program

For the past year the Windham Region Chamber of Commerce has been working with hundreds of individuals, business owners and artists helping them navigate our new “virtual” world created by the pandemic.  It was shocking to learn that many of our clients did not even have email addresses, did not understand that they had a Google Business listing (or what that was), never created a social media platform (with some exceptions who had Facebook pages to showcase their kids and pets), could not figure out how to un-mute themselves on zoom, and found it difficult to locate important information and applications for COVID assistance.  You may be saying, “no way” but it is true, life does actually exist outside of the internet!

Our program, Business TAP, Technology Advancement Program, pairs up a client with a “marketing specialist” who will meet with them, figure out their needs and expectations to better promote their business, and then make suggestions on what technology would be most useful.  The specialist will then work with the client in creating a Facebook page, for example, but more importantly, will teach them how to use the platform, how to post, what to post and when to post, to reach the client’s goals.  They also leave both written instructions and video instructions so that clients can refer back to them if needed.

“The goal of the program is to introduce virtual tools to help businesses grow in a world that has become more virtual than in-person, and to teach, instruct and consult so that the client will be able to continue to promote their business on their own.  The only eligibility requirement is that the client understand that we are not here to do the work for them, we are here to teach them about scary technology so they can do it for themselves, a ‘we will teach them to fish, not give them the fish’ kind of strategy,” said Diane Nadeau, President/CEO of the Windham Region Chamber of Commerce.

The types of assistance vary according to the type of business, the knowledge the client already has about technology, and their expectations.  Sample skills include creating Facebook, Instagram, Linked-In sites, sending newsletters via Constant Contact, updating their Google Business site, learning how to use Zoom for meetings, webinars and videos, and Facebook live.  The Chamber will also create a one minute commercial video for each client that showcases their business.  When complete, the business will be featured by the Chamber on all of our virtual platforms and will be able to use the video however they chose.

This program has been supported by our partners, Eastern CT State University, Liberty Bank Foundation and The Last Green Valley.  If you would like to become a client please contact the chamber at info@windhamchamber.com or call 860-428-7739.  This program is free and is open to any business in the Windham Region.

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Windham Region Chamber Joins SAVE SMALL BUSINESS COALITION

The Windham Region Chamber of Commerce is proud to announce that it has joined the nationwide movement to save small businesses and is the first chamber from Connecticut to do so.  The Save Small Business Coalition is a group of over 200 chambers of commerce and business associations across the nation created to address the issues and concerns generated from the COVID pandemic.  This coalition is not about one single industry, this is about all small businesses across the nation that need funds right now to stay afloat to maintain the continuity of their business.   We are asking for extraordinary emergency action by the Government to empower an urgent solution that currently doesn’t exist.

For many months, communities across our nation have seen their local businesses make difficult decisions to reduce hours, lay off employees, and sadly, in some cases, close their doors for good.  Many businesses have not qualified for disaster loan programs and some cannot afford to incur additional debt.  With guidelines changing constantly and business owners trying desperately to meet the requirements, an environment of financial uncertainty has been created.

The SSBS’s latest call to action has been a letter to congress asking for an immediate “Phase 4” bill that includes:

Paycheck Protection Program Extension and Enhancement:

  • Broaden the definition of forgivable expenses to include costs associated with protecting employees and customers and expand the period during which expenses qualify for loan forgiveness.
  • Simplified good faith certification for loan forgiveness of loans under $150,000.
  • Expansion of eligible borrowers to include all non-profits including 501(c)(6) organizations with no more than 300 employees as long as PPP funds are not used for lobbying.
  • Authorization of a second round of loans for small businesses experiencing revenue reductions of 35% or more.

 

Workforce Development:

  • Provide $1.3 billion to assist job seekers access employment, education, training, and support services through a combination of new and existing programs.

 

Business Liability Protection:

  • Protection from COVID-19 related exposure liability for those employers who follow applicable federal, state, or local government guidelines for the protection of their employees and/or customers.
  • Protection from liability claims arising from COVID-19 medical care for healthcare workers and facilities.

 

State and Local Aid:

  • Assist state and local government’s experiencing one-time COVID-related expenses and revenue shortfalls based on fixed share of actual costs and revenue shortfalls within an overall funding cap.