LOS ANGELES, CA.- California Community Foundation together with the J. Paul Getty Trust and a coalition of local artist-endowed foundations announced today the launch of the Relief Fund for L.A. County Visual Artists, a collaborative effort to support the region’s visual artists who are struggling due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The artist relief fund will distribute $655,000 to visual artists who represent the various and diverse communities of Los Angeles County and have been severely impacted by the current crisis. It was created with CCF endowment funds and by repurposing the biennial Fellowship for Visual Artists program, which began in 1988 with a founding gift from the J. Paul Getty Trust. Additional support has been provided by a group of premier artist-endowed foundations based in Los Angeles, including the Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts, the Sam Francis Foundation, and the Shepard and Amanda Fairey Foundation.

The artist relief fund is being administered by the Center for Cultural Innovation (CCI), a non-profit intermediary focused on the financial well-being of those in the arts.

“During the current crisis we are becoming ever more aware of the vital role artists play in our society. They guide us through dark times, they challenge us to think critically, and they stimulate us to imagine new futures,” says Joan Weinstein, director of the Getty Foundation, an operating program of the Getty Trust. “We’re grateful to the artist-endowed foundations who clearly recognize the unprecedented economic challenges our artists are facing and have joined us in this effort to sustain them.”

Getty and California Community Foundation have been long-time collaborators in support of the arts in Los Angeles. They announced earlier this month that they would work together on a fund supported by $10 million from the Getty and administered by CCF to provide emergency relief and recovery grants to non-profit museums and visual arts organizations in Los Angeles County. This partnership and the contributions of artist-endowed foundations to the new artist relief fund reflect a shared belief that the arts are central to the vitality of the region.

“Artists are often among the most vulnerable in our region, particularly those from underserved populations across Los Angeles. For these reasons, the artist relief fund will focus on financial need with priority consideration given to the region’s cultural and geographic diversity,” says Antonia Hernandez, president and CEO of the California Community Foundation. “We encourage others who can contribute to donate to the fund and help us sustain artists and build healthier communities for all Angelenos.”

Eligible applicants may apply for up to $2,000 in one-time support, and grants can be used toward any expenses that alleviate financial pressures. The application may be accessed here: https://www.cciarts.org/LAEmergencyRelief.htm

To be eligible for the artist relief fund, applicants must be visual artists who are permanent residents of Los Angeles County and not currently enrolled in school. Applicants will be asked to demonstrate their artistic practice through an online presentation of their work and to describe their financial needs. Artists are asked to apply only if they are facing immediate needs, to reserve as much of the Relief Fund as possible for those facing significant financial threats.