Artist Emergency Fund

Artist Emergency Fund

Status: Active (newly launched)

Geographic Scope: Shelby County and Memphis area

Overview: A new emergency assistance fund created by ARTSmemphis and Music Export Memphis to support individual artists during unexpected and catastrophic emergencies. This is the first-ever Artist Emergency Fund of its kind in Memphis.

Purpose:
The fund supports artists—defined as individuals earning a majority of their income through artistic practice—in times of unexpected and catastrophic emergency, particularly those that upend the artist's ability to practice and earn income from their craft.

Eligible Emergency Types (examples include but not limited to):

Medical emergencies

Catastrophic property damage (e.g., fire)

Theft of gear or equipment required to perform or create

Eligibility:

Individual artists earning majority of income through artistic practice

All career stages eligible

Non-musician artists: Administered by ARTSmemphis

Musician artists: Administered by Music Export Memphis (all genres and types)

Funding Background:

Created with lessons learned from COVID-19 pandemic when ARTSmemphis and Music Export Memphis distributed nearly $900,000 to 800 artists

Recognizes that artists are more vulnerable to financial crises due to lack of insurance and savings

Partner Organizations:

ARTSmemphis (non-musician applications)

Music Export Memphis (musician applications)

Contact:

ARTSmemphis: info@artsmemphis.org or 901.578.ARTS

For full details: artsmemphis.org

Additional Notes:
This represents a significant shift toward direct support of individual artists, part of ARTSmemphis' stated mission to fund more artists directly.