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Date: 4/27/2021
NORTHAMPTON – After handing out a round of grants in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020, the Northampton Arts Council announced on April 15 it was accepting applications for a second round of grants.
Northampton Arts Council Executive Director Brain Foote said council decided to distribute a second round of relief funds because many artists have been unable to display their work in person.
“Most artists have been unable to perform or host an art opening or a gallery. Their income is their interaction with the public most of the time so we thought we should support the artists that are the lifeblood of our culture community around here by offering a relief grant again this year,” he said.
Foote added that in order to qualify, applicants must be an individual artist that has experienced a loss of income due to the COVID-19 pandemic and is also at least 18 years old.
“In order to qualify you must be an individual artist, a teaching artist, or an arts organizer working in any artistic discipline who has facilitated an arts project, program, workshop, or arts exhibition in Northampton, Florence or Leeds in the past three years. They also have to be experiencing a loss of income and be 18 years or older,” he said.
To raise funds for the grants, Foote said the Arts Council is currently running a fundraiser through Mighty Cause.
“This year it is through Mighty Cause and we are going to try to raise about $40,000 for the community. We already started it, but we have not really pushed it yet,” he said.
During last year’s fundraiser Foot said the council raised enough money to give out over $300 to 129 artists.
“Last year the board started the fund at around $10,000 and then we did a community fundraiser. We gave out 129 microgrants to artists in need and we raised about $42,570; I think it came out to about $330 per person,” he said.
With the application process just starting, Foote said the council has not advertised the applications but will be more active as the deadline approaches.
“It is about a month-long open application, so as it goes on, we will be pushing more of the fundraising aspect as well as trying to find as many people as we can to apply,” he said.
Applications close on May 15 and any interested artists are encouraged to apply online at northamptonartscouncil.org.