The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation in New York City has announced that its $3 million COVID-19 relief grantmaking program in support of performing artists has highlighted the extent to which artists are struggling to support themselves in the face of the pandemic.

The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Performing Artist Recovery Fund at the New York Community Trust awarded grants of $10,000 each to three hundred artists in the fields of contemporary dance, jazz, and theater to cover urgent needs such as rent, healthcare and medical costs, transportation, child care, and debt payments. According to DDCF and NYCT, 61 percent of applicants said they needed funds to cover basic living expenses, 55 percent needed housing assistance, and 34 percent could not cover the cost of basic health care. More than eight in ten applicants (83 percent) had lost significant income due to canceled performances, while 35 percent had lost salaried positions and were collecting unemployment benefits. And nearly one in ten applicants whose incomes were derived from careers as generative artists had been forced to take jobs outside of their professional fields.

DDCF also noted that its partnership with NYCT helped ensure that the grants reached a diverse group of artists. Of the three hundred recipients, 70 percent identified as African American/Black, Arab, Asian, Hispanic/Latinx, or Native American; less than half identified as male; 41 percent identified as female; 5 percent identified as transgender or gender non-conforming; and 9 percent as people with disabilities.

"Many performing artists are facing crushing debt, possible evictions when the moratoriums end, or serious health issues, particularly with no insurance to help," said NYCT vice president for philanthropic initiatives Kerry McCarthy. "They are concerned that they will have difficulty restarting their careers and finding performance venues — and it seems there will be an ongoing need for assistance to get them back on their feet."