While we may not be sharing space or holding hands for weeks/months, we’re leaning into the strength of our community during this uncertain time. Photo: Melisa Cardona.
Updated April 6, 2020
As the spread of COVID-19 in the US moved from a possibility to a reality, and the World Health Organization named this as a pandemic on March 11, we began gathering what will be a growing list of resources from our members and partners throughout the field. We’ll keep updating this as more resources and information become available.
ROOTS RESPONSE
Two key expansions to the Artistic Assistance applications (due April 3 at 5 pm EST), in response to community needs around COVID-19. Click here for more info!
Each week on Mondays in March & April at 6:30 pm EST/5:30pm CST, we will be Porch Sittin’ – hosting virtual space for our beloved community to gather. On the Porch we hold space for it all – connection, concerns, resource sharing, and mutual support. We are a powerful community, and we trust that our collective strength and wisdom will help guide us through this uncertain time. You can register in advance, here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining.
The Solidarity Fund provides financial assistance to ROOTS members experiencing financial need including – but not limited to – loss related to COVID-19, theft, natural disaster, health emergency, or an inability to pay an outstanding bill.
As we launch the Solidarity Fund, we are also looking to replenish it, and enthusiastically welcome your contributions. Complete the short form here to donate!
Accessing Resources for Individuals, Artists, and Organizations [National/State by State]
- Federal Assistance Guide, developed by League of American Orchestras
Read for: important information about families first paid leave, unemployment benefits, small business disaster relief, and access to federal funding that supports workers in the gig economy, such as self-employed artists to find relief amidst the COVID-19.
Resources From Artists & Cultural Organizers:
- Wash Your Hands, Dori Midnight [Poem]
Read for: a grounding in the sacred work of self & community care in a time of spreading illness. “We are humans relearning to wash our hands. / Washing our hands is an act of love / Washing our hands is an act of care / Washing our hands is an act that puts the hypervigilant body at ease”
- COVID-19 Freelance Artists Resources [Resource Guide]
Read for: a wealth of resources specifically for freelance artists, and those interested in
supporting the independent artist community. Includes sources of advocacy, emergency funding, health & mental health resources, temporary/remote job opportunities, and more.
- COVID-19 Writers Resources [Resource Guide]
Read for: a listing of a variety of funding options for support of the literary community including writers of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, plays, and for translators, freelance writers and journalists.
- The Photographers Fund [Relief Fund]
Read for: guidelines for support fund for photographers who may be facing financial difficulties due to COVID-19.
Read for: resources for women-identifying visual artists over the age of 40 in the United States and territories, and aims to address the unique challenges faced by artists in middle age or older, particularly at this critical time.
- Demands from Grassroots Organizers Concerning COVID-19, Transformative Spaces [Article/Organizing Platform]
Read for: a social justice perspective on organizing around the needs of those most vulnerable during a pandemic; a list of demands you can use for local organizing, drafted by grassroots organizers in collaboration with doctors, scientists and nurses.
- National Preparing for Potential Impact of Coronavirus, Arts Ready
Read for: preparing arts facilities, staff, and audiences/stakeholders for the impact of COVID-19, including temporary closures and event cancelations.
Community/Self Care
- COVID-19 Community Care Resources, Another Gulf is Possible [Multi-Lingual Resource Guide]
Read for: Care tips & immune-boosting recipes; a wide, beautiful, justice-minded collection of resources & food for thought from the across the cultural organizing ecosystem.
- Decolonizing Community Care in Response to COVID-19, NDN Collective [Toolkit]
Read for: a guide on building community, reflection, and ways to utilize indigenous practices to facilitate individual and collective healing.
- Anxiety Reducing Yoga Practice with Aya-Nikole Cook, Haji Healing Salon [Video]
Watch for: a 50-minute introduction to yoga practice that shares tips on grounding. Grab a yoga mat, towels, or blankets and participate in your home.
- Asian-American Feminist Antibodies: Care in the time of Coronavirus [Zine]
Read for: a collection of stories, essays, artwork, and a mutual aid toolkit that offers ways to make meaning of the coronavirus pandemic through longstanding practices of care that come out of the Asian American community.
Gathering Spaces
Financial Supports:
- Effective Monday, March 16, 2020, Comcast is offering 2 months free to new Internet Essentials customers in response to recent and anticipated emergency measures associated with the Coronavirus (COVID-19). Click here for more details.
- Important tax and employment info for freelancers, gig workers and the self-employed
From Media, Government & Nonprofit Sector:
- Get the Facts on Coronavirus, CBC News [Video]
Watch for: a breakdown of what it is, where it came from, how it spreads and what you can do to protect yourself.
- Preparing for Coronavirus, Scientific American [Article]
Read for: basic scientific information about the COVID-19, and commonsense approaches to preparation and prevention. And this perspective: “We should prepare, not because we may feel personally at risk, but so that we can help lessen the risk for everyone.”
- Coronavirus 101: What You Need To Know To Prepare And Prevent, Life Kit Podcast, National Public Radio [Podcast]
Listen for: General information about risks and spread; tips on prevention and preparation.
- Nonprofit Guide to COVID Planning, Georgia Center for Nonprofits, [Article]
Read for: Information for nonprofits focused on employee care, limiting stakeholder risk while engaging in your programs and services; and navigating disruptions that may impact finances and mission delivery.
Read for: basic information about risk, prevention, symptoms, and spread; current updates; what you need to know about keeping homes, workplaces, public gathering spaces safe.