PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA CONTACT:
ASHLEY DEHOYOS,
CURATOR, DIVERSEWORKS
The Idea Fund Shifts its Regranting Fund to Create Emergency Relief Grant
60+ $1,000 Grants to be distributed to Greater Houston Area Artists
(Houston, TX, April 10, 2020) The Idea Fund is pleased to announce the creation of The Idea Fund – Emergency Relief Grant. The online application portal opens on Monday, April 13, and closes April 27, 11:59 PM. 60+ $1,000 grants will be awarded through an online application process. The deadline to apply for consideration is Monday, April 27, 2020, 11:59 PM.
The Idea Fund’s Emergency Relief Grant is conceived as an emergency grant to assist artists whose income has been impacted by COVID-19, including job cuts or furloughed employment; lost income from canceled exhibitions, performances, and lectures; and to provide needed assistance with basic expenses such as food, rent, medical costs, and child care during this unprecedented time.
This will be the 13th Round of Idea Fund grants. For this round, emergency relief grants replace project-based grants. Since the program’s inception in 2008, The Idea Fund has provided direct support for 133 artist projects, involving 456 artists in the state of Texas, that exemplify unconventional, conceptual, participatory, and guerrilla artistic practices that occur outside traditional frameworks of support.
“The Idea Fund has had a significant impact on the creative communities of Texas and especially within the Greater Houston Area. We are excited about the Emergency Relief Grant and to be able to support our local creative community who we know have been greatly impacted by COVID-19.” says, Ashley DeHoyos, DiverseWorks Curator.
The shift from project-based grants to individual emergency relief grants comes with support from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, which has authorized its re-granting partners to re-allocate their grants to create and administer COVID-19 emergency relief funds in their communities. The Idea Fund – Emergency Relief Grant will replace The Idea Fund’s Round 13 regranting program cycle. The Idea Fund project-based grants will resume in spring 2021 with Round 14.
“We are thankful to the Warhol Foundation for allowing these funds to be reallocated to respond to our current health crisis. We expect artists to show up and be the ones on the frontlines so often – it is nice to remain on the frontline for them and offer this much-needed support.” –Ryan Dennis, Project Row Houses.
“We are so happy to be able to support our community of Houston area artists during this time. We hope that this will provide some relief.We are always grateful to the Warhol Foundation for their support.” -Mary Magsamen, Aurora Picture Show
Funding Level: $1,000
Geographic Eligibility: Artists must reside in one of the following Texas counties: Harris, Galveston, Brazoria, Fort Bend, Waller, Chambers, Liberty, or Montgomery.
For more information on The Idea Fund’s Emergency Relief Grant including grant guidelines and how to apply please visit The Idea Fund – Emergency Relief Grant.
ABOUT THE IDEA FUND AND REGIONAL REGRANTING PROGRAM:
The Idea Fund is part of the Regional Regranting Program of The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. The Regional Regranting Program aims to support vibrant, under-the-radar artistic activity by partnering with leading cultural institutions in communities across the country. The program reaches a sizable population of informal, non-incorporated artist collectives and supports their alternative gathering spaces, publications, websites, events and other projects. The sixteen re-granting programs, developed and facilitated by organizations in Albuquerque, Baltimore, Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Houston, Kansas City, Miami, Minneapolis, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Portland (OR), Portland (ME) and San Francisco provide grants for the creation and public presentation of new work. Together, this network of programs has funded more than 800 artist projects.
The Idea Fund is a re-granting program administered by DiverseWorks in partnership with Aurora Picture Show, and Project Row Houses and funded by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.