Organizations extend creative industry relief fund
March 27,2020
Reposted from FortWorthTexas.gov
Hear Fort Worth and Film Fort Worth, with assistance from United Way of Tarrant County, expanded a creative industry relief fund to help support musicians, visual artists and filmmakers who have lost work due to COVID-19.
The initiative spearheaded by Hear Fort Worth is an extension of Fort Worth musician Rachel Gollay’s Artist and Service Worker Relief Fund, which raised $10,000 and provided support of $200 per qualified applicant.
Visit Fort Worth, parent organization of Hear Fort Worth and Film Fort Worth, will manage the application process and United Way of Tarrant County will spearhead collection of donations and fund distribution.
“Members of the creative community have been ambassadors for our city and we need to support them in this crisis,” said Mitch Whitten, executive vice president of marketing and strategy at Visit Fort Worth. “We want to support musicians, artists and filmmakers who have lost so much work and income. We’re grateful to Rachel Gollay for starting this initiative and to the United Way for helping us expand it.”
United Way of Tarrant County will host the donation and application page on their website. The goal is to reach $20,000; however, the fund will stay open as long as donations continue to come in. Gifts to the fund will be 100% tax-deductible, with tax acknowledgements provided by United Way of Tarrant County for any individual donations of $250 or more.
Fort Worth Weekly, the local music resource featuring local musicians, is the first promotional partner for the effort, helping spread the word through its publication, website and network.
“United Way of Tarrant County is honored to partner with Visit Fort Worth to assist the creative community who have been impacted by COVID-19,” said Leah King, president and CEO of United Way of Tarrant County. “With so many artists relying on hourly or one-time income from large social gatherings in establishments now closed, this population has been hit hard by the virus. We encourage the community to support this initiative.”
The fund is open to Fort Worth musicians, filmmakers and visual artists. Qualified applicants will be eligible for a one-time grant of $300.
Learn more on the United Way of Tarrant County website.