Creatives Rebuild New York (CRNY), a new grants initiative formed to revitalize New York's struggling arts sector, has opened applications for two programs: Guaranteed Income for Artists and Artist Employment. Funded in large part by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, with support from Ford Foundation and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, the $125 million program will provide income for 2,700 New York artists.
"Artists are critical to the health of our economy," states the CRNY website. "Arts and culture contribute $120 billion to New York State’s economy and are a main driver of the state’s $177 billion tourism industry. The sector also accounts for nearly half a million jobs. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, New York State lost 50 percent of its performing arts jobs over the course of 2020. In New York City, the figure is 72 percent—more than any other industry. To fully recover the health of our economy and our communities, we must place artists at the center of large-scale investment and relief efforts."
The Guaranteed Income for Artists program will provide $1,000 payments per month for 18 months to 2,400 artists. The no-strings-attached grants are based on financial need.
The Artist Employment program will fund employment for up to 300 artists in collaboration with dozens of community-based organizations across New York State for two years. Participating artists will receive a salary of $65,000 per year, plus benefits, with dedicated time to focus on their practice. Participating organizations will receive funds that range between $25,000 and $100,000 per year to support artists’ employment.
Applications for both grant programs are currently open through March 25. Guidelines and submission forms are available at CreativesRebuildNY.org.
