The City of Oakland has partnered with multiple private funders to launch the East Bay/Oakland Relief Fund for Individuals in the Arts, which makes $625,000 available directly to artists, and cultural and nonprofit arts workers in Alameda County and Contra Costa County.
Individual grants are capped at $2,000 each, and are unrestricted, meaning the funds may be used in any way that alleviates financial burdens as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The application cycle runs from May 18–June 5.
“With this relief fund, we’re investing directly in our most vulnerable artists and culture workers, who have been incredibly hard-hit by the COVID-19 crisis,” Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said in a statement, adding, “I’m grateful to this public/private partnership of funders who’ve stepped forward to support our diverse artistic communities.”
The fund is led by the Kenneth Rainin Foundation together with the Akonadi Foundation; City of Oakland, Cultural Affairs Division; Richard Diebenkorn Foundation; Fleishhacker Foundation; Gerbode Foundation; William and Flora Hewlett Foundation; Nion McEvoy and Leslie Berriman; Oakland COVID-19 Relief Fund; Shuler-Heimburger Family Fund at East Bay Community Foundation; Phyllis C. Wattis Foundation; and individual donors.
Details on the fund and instructions for applying can be found here.
