Musician and Artist Resources

City of Austin Economic Development Department Small Business Resource Directory

The City of Austin Economic Development Department maintains list of local, state, federal and community resources for small businesses, sole proprietors and non-profits impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Visit the Small Business Resource Directory and filter by “Disaster Relief” to find immediate support for your business or non-profit organization.

Artists' Fellowship, Inc.

The Artists’ Fellowship provides emergency aid to professional visual fine artists and their families in times of sickness, natural disaster, bereavement or unexpected extreme hardship. 

Authors League Fund Grant

The Authors League Fund helps professional writers continue their careers with dignity by providing no-strings-attached “loans” to pay for pressing expenses. Repayment of this emergency support is not required.

Austin Creative Alliance Artist Emergency Relief Fund

The Artists Emergency Fund aids Austin artists facing immediate housing and/or food instability and unexpected medical expenses, with the goal of keeping working artists in Austin as the cost of living continues to rise. 

Broadcasters Foundation of America Emergency & Disaster Grants

The Broadcasters Foundation of America provides Emergency & Disaster Grants to radio and television broadcasters find themselves in acute financial need and do not have insurance to cover their losses after a natural disaster, such as a hurricane, tornado or wildfire, extreme flooding, house fire, or other serious misfortune. 

Dramatists Guild Foundation (DGF) Grant

The Dramatists Guild Foundation Grant offers emergency financial assistance to individual playwrights, composers, lyricists, and librettists in dire need of funds due to severe hardship or unexpected illness.

Entertainment Community Fund

The Entertainment Community Fund's emergency financial assistance program provides temporary financial assistance to those with documented financial need due to unforeseen circumstances. 

findhelp

Find financial assistance, food pantries, medical care, and other free or reduced-cost help in your area, anywhere in the US.

Foundation for Contemporary Arts

Foundation for Contemporary Arts announces the FCA Emergency Grants COVID-19 Fund, which will provide relief grants to artists facing loss of income as a result of canceled performances or exhibitions due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Gospel Music Trust Fund

The purpose of the Gospel Music Trust Fund is to give financial assistance in the nature of gifts in time of need, in the event of an emergency or major catastrophe, terminal or severe illness without efficient insurance, to individuals who derive or have derived a substantial portion of their income from the field of gospel music.

Hero Initiative for Comic Creators

The Hero Initiative for Comic Creators offers financial support for comic book writers, pencilers, inkers, colorists, or letterers who worked on a work-for-hire basis for no less than 10 years. 

International Bluegrass Music Association - Bluegrass Trust Fund

The International Bluegrass Music Association Trust Fund Board of Trustees created the Bluegrass Trust Fund which offers COVID-19 crisis assistance. 

Jazz Foundation of America

The Jazz Foundation of America Fund offers financial support, housing assistance and pro bono medical care for musicians who have made a living playing blues, jazz and roots music. 

Motion Picture & Television Fund

The Motion Picture and Television Fund provides temporary financial assistance for needs created or complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Motion Picture and Television Fund can also help with issues including health insurance, mental health assistance, rent, food, and other essentials. 

New York Foundation for the Arts

The New York Foundation for the Arts  & Robert Rauschenberg Foundation maintains a list of awards and grants for individuals impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Pinetop Perkins' Foundation Assistance Fund

The Pinetop Assistance League provides financial assistance to elderly musicians for medical and living expenses. Preference is given to blues artists, though musicians in other genres may be eligible depending on available funds. 

SAG-AFTRA COVID-19 Disaster Fund

The SAG-AFTRA Foundation has created the COVID-19 Disaster Fund for eligible SAG-AFTRA members who have been impacted by this pandemic. 

Southern Smoke Foundation

Southern Smoke Foundation provides funding to individuals in the food and beverage industry who are in crisis.

Sweet Relief Fund for Musicians and Music Industry Workers

The Sweet Relief Fund provides immediate assistance for musicians and music industry workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Funds can be applied towards medical expenses, lodging, clothing, food, and other vital living expenses to those impacted due to sickness or loss of work.

Texas Travel Industry Recovery Grant Program 

Businesses in the tourism, travel, and hospitality industries can apply for a recovery grant of up to $20,000. Apply for the Texas Travel Industry Recovery Program. 

The Blues Foundation

The Blues Foundation established the HART Fund (Handy Artists Relief Trust) for blues musicians and their families in financial need due to a broad range of health concerns.

Additional Resources

• Americans for the Arts 
• ArtistReliefProject
• Austin Community Foundation
• Cerf+ Emergency Relief Fund 
• The Equal Sound Corona Relief Fund
• Freelance Artist Resources List
• Joan Mitchell Foundation
• Local Initiatives Support Corporation
• Mid-America Arts Alliance 
• Music Health Alliance
• National Endowment for the Humanities 
• Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant 
• The Photographer Fund  

City of Austin Small Business Division

The City of Austin Economic Development Department's Small Business Division provides business training, educational events, and coaching to empower entrepreneurs and small business owners. The Small Business Division's mission is to foster job creation and support the growth of new and existing businesses by providing capacity-building information, tools, and resources.

Small Business Preparedness is a resource site to aid and assist businesses in creating a plan for disaster recovery as well as finding help after economic and natural disasters. 

BiGAUSTIN

BiGAUSTIN is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing comprehensive training services, one-on-one assistance, and loans to individuals who want to achieve self-sufficiency by starting their own business.

Austin Music Foundation

The Austin Music Foundation provides free online programs for the Austin music community.

Austin Texas Musicians

Austin Texas Musicians has been working around the clock with City leaders and our music nonprofit partners to help inform, create, and navigate efforts related to COVID-19.

Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants 

Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants can help individuals find a certified public accountant to assist with planning and reaching financial goals. 

Lawyer Referral Service of Central Texas

The Lawyer Referral Service of Central Texas, Inc. is a nonprofit service that can help business owners find Austin area attorneys.

State Bar of Texas Legal Disaster Hotline

The State Bar of Texas toll-free legal hotline, 800-504-7030, connects low-income people affected by a disaster with legal aid providers in their area. The hotline is answered in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese. Individuals may also contact the State Bar’s Lawyer Referral & Information Service at 800-252-9690 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays.

Texas Legal Answers

Texas Legal Answers is a free online platform where individuals can pose specific questions related to disaster civil legal issues and have them answered by volunteer attorneys.

Texas Accountants and Lawyers for the Arts

Texas Accountants and Lawyers for the Arts provides Texas artists and arts organizations with legal and accounting assistance to enable them to maximize their potential, shape our cultural landscape, and contribute to the creative economy.

Texas RioGrande Legal Aid

Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (TRLA) provides free legal services to individuals facing most forms of civil legal problems, including bankruptcies and foreclosures, accessing public benefits, and litigating for civil rights. Specializing in more than 45 civil legal practice areas, TRLA represents clients in cases ranging from landlord-tenant disputes handled through Justice of the Peace courts to complex litigation heard in state and federal courts.

Austin Chamber COVID-19 Legal Resources

The Austin Chamber of Commerce compiled a list of legal resources offered by their member organizations. Several Chamber members created COVID-19 resource kits for businesses and developed COVID-19 response teams to help businesses remain operational during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Austin Tenants Council

Operating under the philosophy that everyone has a right to safe, decent, and fair housing, the Austin Tenants Council fulfills thousands of requests each year for help with housing problems. Austin Tenants Council programs focus on housing discrimination; tenant-landlord education and information; and housing repair and rehabilitation.

Housing Opportunities for Musicians and Entertainers (HOME)

Emergency housing assistance grants are available for a maximum of $500, payable directly to landlord, mortgage company, or utility companies. Applicants must be at least 55 years old and have a minimum of 20 years as a working musician to qualify.

City of Austin Eviction Protections

The City of Austin’s RENT Program is closed. Sign up to the RENT Assistance Program Portal to be notified if additional funding becomes available. Find helpful resources for home owners, renters, and more. 

Travis County Eviction Protections

Travis County has numerous online resources for tenants facing eviction, as do the county’s Justice of the Peace Precinct Offices. A more extensive description of tenant rights in Travis County can be found through the Travis County Law Library and Self-Help Center. While not a substitute for consulting an attorney, the site provides easy-to-understand kits for appealing an eviction, filing appeal bonds, and the record expungement process. 

findhelp

Find medical care, and other free or reduced-cost help in your area, anywhere in the US.

Health Alliance for Austin Musicians

The Health Alliance for Austin Musicians (HAAM) maintains a COVID-19 resource page for local musicians, including resources for those in need of health insurance and telehealth services.

SIMS Foundation

The SIMS Foundation provides mental health and substance use recovery services and support for musicians, music industry professionals, and their families.