Harlem-based Black media non-profit Black Public Media (BPM) has launched the BPM Emergency Relief Fund to provide financial assistance to Black creatives facing crises brought on by unforeseen emergencies.<\/p>\n
The organization will kick off the new initiative \u2013 which will act as a permanent reserve \u2013 by devoting its year-end campaign drive to raising US$20,000 for the fund to help support artists in need.<\/p>\n
The BPM Emergency Relief Fund will offer assistance to Black creatives currently working on BPM-funded projects \u201cor those within their archive of projects\u201d that have been impacted by the novel coronavirus pandemic, natural disasters and medical emergencies.<\/p>\n
Interested donors can visit the\u00a0BPM website<\/a>\u00a0to make contributions of any size, with all donations made to the fund going directly to support Black artists in need.<\/p>\n In addition, all proceeds from purchases made at the BPM Shop in December will go directly to the ERF.<\/p>\n Eligibility requirements will be announced next year, alongside the date when the fund will begin accepting financial requests.<\/p>\n \u201cThe sudden changes brought to everyday life because of COVID-19 and the shutdown of many aspects of the arts communities exposed how vulnerable many creatives are to drastic changes to their livelihood,\u201d said BPM executive director\u00a0Leslie Fields-Cruz<\/a>\u00a0in a statement. \u201cWith our new Emergency Relief Fund, we aim to help the independent artist community survive unanticipated emergencies even as the pandemic eases.\u201d<\/p>\n The Emergency Relief Fund was created in response to BPM\u2019s efforts to assist independent Black creatives devastated by financial emergencies during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 Relief Fund \u2014created in Spring 2020 \u2014 saw the non-profit award a total of $30,000 in grants ranging from $250 to $1,000 to 36 creatives.<\/p>\n