CERF+ Covid-19 Relief Grant

CERF+ the Artists Safety Net — The COVID-19 Relief Grant provides $1,000 to artists working in craft disciplines who are facing dire circumstances due to food, housing, and/or medical insecurities as a result of the ongoing pandemic.

In the first three cycles of the program, we awarded 888 grants to artists in 48 states, 3 territories, and the District of Columbia.

A fourth round of the Covid-19 Relief Grant will open on August 10, 2021. At that time a link will become active on this page that will take you directly to the application.

Requirements

To be eligible for a “CERF+ Covid-19 Relief Grants”, applicants must:

Work in a Craft Discipline
CERF+ broadly defines eligible artists to include those who create work using historically recognized craft materials such as clay, glass, textiles, wood, metal; as well as those whose work expands on these historical definitions through the incorporation of non-traditional materials, new technologies and experimental approaches.

CERF+ is equally committed to the preservation of folk and traditional arts, as rooted in, and reflective of, the cultural life of a community. We recognize and support the ways that information is often passed on from one generation to the next and celebrate practices rooted within a common ethnic heritage, geographic region, religious affiliation or occupation.

CERF+ serves artists at all stages of their careers and seeks to support people from diverse educational and cultural backgrounds. Eligibility is not determined solely by the amount of money an artist generates from their work and we recognize that many individuals have careers that rely on multiple streams of income and financial support.

Craft objects may be functional or nonfunctional, but both types derive part of their meaning from their association with traditional functional forms such as chairs, vessels, garments or implements, and/or their association with cultural tradition. Qualities that contribute to the success of a craft object include the skill of the maker, the use of the material, the refinement of the design, the originality of expression, its cultural significance – or all of these.

Reside and work in the U.S. or U.S. Terrorities for the last two years

Dire Financial Emergency
Experience a dire financial emergency as a result of Covid-19 including food, housing, or health insecurities.

Conflict of Interest
Current employees, board members, consultants, immediate family members of CERF+ are not eligible to apply for this grant.

Application Instructions

Cycle 4:

August 10, 2021 at 9:00 a.m. (ET) – Application Cycle Opens
August 31, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. (ET) – Application Cycle Closes
September 1, 2021 through September 12, 2021 – Application Review
September 13-20, 2021 – Notifications Made

*Due to the high volume of applications, we are not able to assist with submissions after the deadline. In order to avoid any difficulties, please submit your application in advance of the last day.

A committee will review applications based on dire financial need (food, housing, or health insecurities). Priority will be given to eligible artists who have traditionally been underserved by the grantmaking community including people of color and folk and traditional artists.
Awardees will receive an email notification and must complete a grant agreement. Payments will be issued as either a check and mailed directly to the address provided on the grant agreement.