HELP MUSICIANS have launched a Coronavirus Financial Hardship Fun for musicians who are affected by the ongoing crisis.
With the Coronavirus set to have an unprecedented impact on the lives of musicians and their careers, a £5m fund has been put in place to help alleviate some of the immediate financial pressures that many professional musicians may currently be facing.
Eligible musicians are encouraged to apply for a one-off £500 payment through this online form. In order to get the help to those who need it the most, the charity have advised that musicians should only apply if they are suffering significant financial hardship at this difficult time.
Help Musicians’ Chief Executive James Ainscough said: “For almost one hundred years, Help Musicians has worked hard to make a meaningful difference to the lives of musicians, and there has rarely been a time where that has been as important as it is now. Our Health & Welfare team has received hundreds of calls and emails over the last week from musicians needing urgent financial support. The Coronavirus Financial Hardship Fund has been created to provide emergency financial aid to musicians in an urgent manner at this critical moment.
“We continue to work in collaboration with many industry partners to keep the vital resource website coronamusicians.info up-to-date, and our usual channels of person-centred aid continue. Given the magnitude of the situation, only the government can fully provide what musicians require to survive the months that lie ahead. We are shocked at the government’s reticence to help some of the most vulnerable workers, and we are fully supportive of the campaign for meaningful help to be provided. In the meantime, we hope however that this emergency funding option will help thousands of musicians in the weeks ahead.”
Find out who Help Musicians are able to support and more advice here.
