PAAL Grants Over $25,000 To Artists With Families In 2020 Alone

 

Parent Artist Advocacy League (PAAL) has awarded over $25,000 in grants to artists with families in 2020 alone. The grant program started in their 2018-2019 FY, and has since awarded a cumulative of over $30,000 in childcare and emergency grants for artists with families. $20,000 in grants awarded in 2020 went directly to applicants of the PAAL COVID Emergency Relief Fund, which launched in mid-March in direct response to the COVID shutdown. The fund quickly surpassed its original goal of $5,000 thanks to the passionate and invested support of Sustainable Arts Foundation, ArtEquity, PlayPerView, Spectrasonics, Broadway Babysitters, Vasthy's Friends, and the invaluable individual donors who gave small amounts in large numbers.

"PAAL started with a group of moms who wanted to make real change in our field, and now we have a gender-inclusive organization that fights for justice and hope through community and financial support of for parents and caregivers," adds founder and mom Rachel Spencer Hewitt, "allowing PAAL to be a central resource has allowed organizations and individuals to find a space where action meets need directly, and artists with families can see they're not alone. We're growing this program so that parents and caregivers have the support they need to be with us when the theater is open again."

The applications for the PAAL COVID Emergency Relief Fund are ongoing. Two rounds have closed for award distribution, and the third round of applications is currently open on the PAAL site. The grants are awarded based on need, and the next rounds will be awarded in 2021. Over 50 recipients have received grants through PAAL's grant programs to date.

50% of applicants reported an annual income below $35,000 before the shut down. Applicants also shared an average individual financial loss of $17,000 for the year. The PAAL COVID Emergency Grants provided support for medical bills, food and shelter, and supplies necessary for art-making and continuing work.

PAAL created the first all-gender, all-discipline national PAAL Childcare Grants for individuals and institutions in 2018, and the program continued through 2019. The individual grants have always designated specific, increased support for mother artists of color, and the institution grants function as match grants for institutions who budget a minimum of $250 for childcare/caregiver support that PAAL matches for a minimum total of $500. In 2020, the grant program awarded the 2019 childcare grants and pivoted to providing emergency relief. The grant program will continue through 2021 to provide childcare and elder care grant support to individuals and institutions as artists with family responsibilities need emergency funding or return to work and need financial support for care.

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