Awesome Raleigh Durham is excited to provide both our April and May grants to the NC Artist Relief Fund. So many of the awesome applications we receive are from the creative community and we know these relief funds are needed now. These grant funds will help at least 10 artists in our community.

The NC Artist Relief Fund is a collaborative effort between Artspace, PineCone, Theatre Raleigh, United Arts Council, and VAE Raleigh. This fund has been created to support creative individuals who have been financially impacted by gig cancellations due to the outbreak of COVID-19. 100% of donated funds will go directly to artists and arts presenters in North Carolina. Musicians, visual artists, actors, DJ’s, dancers, teaching artists, filmmakers, comedians, and other creative individuals and arts presenters are experiencing widespread cancellations due to this global pandemic. Many North Carolina artists rely on markets, performances, classes, and exhibitions in order to pay the bills directly aligned with their costs of living.

As COVID-19 outbreak continues its path across our state and the globe, a lot of people will be staying close to home in order to try to flatten the curve and help prevent the spread of this virus. Social distancing is one of the most effective methods we can use to stop the virus from spreading and protect the most vulnerable members of our community. These actions are necessary to preserve public health, but they are financially troubling for members of our cultural community. We have created this fund to help artists plug financial holes during this time of chaos.