2026 DreamCreative Emergency Grants, Loans, and Resources Round-Up

Craft Emergency Relief Fund (CERF+)

CERF+ offers resources to artists working in craft disciplines including emergency relief grants, preparedness (Get Ready) grants, and access to preparedness resources. One of the eligibility requirements for the Emergency Relief Grant is having had a recent career-threatening emergency such as serious illness, injury, or significant loss from theft, fire, flood, or other disaster. CERF+ also administers additional relief programs depending on the nature of the emergency and available funding.

Learn more and apply.

Etsy Disaster Relief Fund

Etsy sellers may be eligible for financial assistance administered in partnership with CERF+ if they experienced a federally declared natural disaster and are U.S.-based sellers with an active Etsy account in good standing at the time of the disaster. Program availability and grant amounts may vary by disaster and funding cycle. 

Learn more and apply.

⭐ North Carolina: WNC Craft Futures Fund

The Center for Craft’s WNC Craft Futures Fund supports craft artists and organizations in Western North Carolina impacted by Hurricane Helene. The fund includes phased programs focused on emergency relief, recovery, and long-term rebuilding for makers in the region. Program details for future funding phases will be announced in 2026. 

Learn more and apply.

🌟Artistic Freedom Initiative

The Artistic Freedom Initiative provides pro bono legal assistance to artists whose freedom of expression is threatened. Support includes legal aid for persecuted or censored artists, assistance with resettlement and work authorization in the United States, and legal support for artist-activists whose work advances human rights and social change. 

Learn more and apply.

🌟Pro Bono Legal Clinics for Visual Artists

Center for Art Law offers pro bono legal consultations for visual artists through its Visual Artists’ Legal Clinics. Clinics provide guidance on artist–dealer relationships, legacy and estate planning, immigration issues, copyright and fair use, and other art law matters. The Center operates multiple clinics each year in partnership with volunteer attorneys, arts professionals, and local organizations, with new clinics responding to emerging legal issues in contemporary and digital art.

Learn more and apply.

🌟Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts

Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts (VLAA) provides pro bono legal services to low-income artists and nonprofit arts organizations across all artistic disciplines. Services include legal consultations, clinics, mediation, and placement with volunteer attorneys when additional support is needed. VLAA also offers specialized programs for artists over age 60 and patent-related legal assistance, with eligibility based on income guidelines.

Learn more and apply.

American Society of Journalists & Authors (ASJA)

The mission of the Writers Emergency Assistance Fund (WEAF) is to help established freelance writers who, because of advanced age, illness, disability, a natural disaster, or an extraordinary professional crisis, are unable to work. A writer need not be a member of ASJA to qualify for a grant. However, applicants must establish a record of past professional freelance nonfiction writing over a sustained period of years, which means qualifications generally similar to those of ASJA members. WEAF does not award grants to beginning freelancers seeking funding for writing projects, nor does it fund works-in-progress of any kind.

Learn more and apply.

Authors League Fund

The Authors League Fund helps professional writers and dramatists who find themselves in financial need because of medical or health-related problems, temporary loss of income, or other misfortune. The Fund gives open-ended, interest-free, no-strings-attached loans. These loans are not grants or scholarships meant to subsidize personal writing projects.

Learn more and apply.

The Book Industry Charitable (Binc) Foundation

The Binc Foundation financial assistance program helps booksellers, including comic shop employees and owners, with specific unforeseen emergency financial needs. The Foundation assesses each request to determine a course of action to provide relief to the bookseller. All grants are paid to third-party vendors and not directly to the bookseller. 

Learn more and apply.

Carnegie Fund for Authors 

The Carnegie Fund offers grants-in-aid to qualified commercially published book authors who have suffered financial emergency because of illness or injury (their own or that of spouses or dependent children) or who have suffered some equivalent misfortune. Grant amounts vary according to need.

Learn more and apply.

The Direct Aid Fund by Lampblack

Every week, Lampblack will give up to $100 to a Black poet, storyteller, or essayist in need.

Learn more and apply.

⭐ Hero Initiative for Comic Creators

The Hero Initiative provides financial assistance to comic book creators facing medical emergencies or severe financial hardship. Support may include help with essential living expenses, medical aid, and pathways back into paid work. Eligibility is limited to professional comic creators with a documented work-for-hire history and demonstrated financial need. 

Learn more and apply.

Human Rights Hellman/Hammett Grants

Human Rights Watch administers the Hellman/Hammett grant program for writers who have been victims of political persecution and are in financial need. Hellman/Hammett grants typically range from $1,000 to a maximum of $10,000. The grants are awarded annually after the nominations have been reviewed by a selection committee composed of authors, editors, and journalists who have a longstanding interest in free expression issues. Nomination forms (available online) should be sent to the New York office of Human Rights Watch by Feb. 15 annually.

Learn more and apply.

PEN America U.S. Writers Aid Initiative

The U.S. Writers Aid Initiative offers emergency grants to professional writers in the United States facing urgent financial hardship. Grants support short-term needs resulting from crises (not writing-related expenses) and are awarded quarterly through PEN America's Writers Emergency Fund. Eligible applicants include authors, poets, playwrights, translators, and journalists with a demonstrated professional track record, such as published books, journal contributions, produced plays, or contracted works.

Learn more and apply.

Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) Emergency Medical and Legal Fund

The SFWA Emergency Medical Fund offers interest-free loans to members facing unexpected medical expenses, as well as limited legal assistance. Active SFWA members are eligible to request assistance from the Fund.

Learn more and apply.

⭐ We Need Diverse Books Emergency Grants

We Need Diverse Books provides emergency grants to diverse authors, illustrators, publishing professionals, and K – 12 educators facing dire financial hardship due to events such as job loss, medical emergencies, or natural disasters. Grants typically range from $250 to $1,000. Eligibility varies by applicant role and requires a demonstrated professional background and U.S. residency. 

Learn more and apply.

Pacific Northwest: Clayton Memorial Medical Fund 

The fund helps professional science fiction, fantasy, horror, and mystery writers living in the Pacific Northwest states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Alaska deal with the financial burden of medical expenses. The fund generally follows the standards of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) for Active or Associate membership in determining professional status. 

Learn more and apply.

Broadcasters’ Foundation of America 

The Broadcasters Foundation of America provides Emergency & Disaster Grants to radio and television broadcasters who 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.

Learn more and apply.

Directors Guild Foundation (DGF) 

The DGF provides confidential, no-interest loans to Guild members in good standing who are in need of emergency financial assistance. This program allows members to maintain their privacy by ensuring their anonymity during a difficult time.

Learn more and apply.

Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Foundation

The SAG Foundation provides assistance to eligible SAG-AFTRA members during times of crisis and personal need, offering emergency financial aid, as well as grants for health coverage in cases of catastrophic injury or illness or need for COBRA coverage.

Learn more and apply.

Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Assistance Fund (MPPAF)

The MPPAF serves members of the motion picture entertainment industry (exhibition, distribution, and trade services) who are encountering an illness, injury, or life-changing event. Services include temporary financial aid for emergency needs, monthly stipends for frail or disabled low-income senior veterans, social service counseling, and additional long-term support services for qualified individuals.

Learn more and apply.

California: Ad Relief of Greater Los Angeles

Ad Relief of Greater Los Angeles (formerly the Advertising Industry Emergency Fund) provides aid in times of need to members of the Southern California advertising and promotions industry and their families. Persons eligible for aid must have been employed for a continuous period of one year by an advertising or promotions entity within the Greater Los Angeles area.

Learn more and apply.

American Federation of Musicians (AFM) Lester Petrillo Memorial Fund

The Lester Petrillo Memorial Fund provides a modest grant to temporarily or permanently disabled musicians who are members of the AFM. 

Learn more and apply.

American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) Relief Fund 

The AGMA Relief Fund provides support and temporary financial assistance to members who are in need. Financial assistance is available for rent, utilities, mental health and medical care, as well as other basic living expenses. Grants are made case-by-case, based on need. 

Learn more and apply.

Blues Foundation Handy Artists Relief Trust (HART) Fund 

The Blues Foundation has established the HART Fund for blues musicians and their families in financial need due to a broad range of health concerns. The Fund provides for acute, chronic, and preventive medical and dental care, as well as funeral and burial expenses.

Learn more and apply.

Gospel Music Trust Fund 

The Gospel Music Trust Fund provides financial assistance in the event of an emergency, major catastrophe, or 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.

Learn more and apply.

Opry Trust Fund

The Opry Trust Fund provides financial assistance in time of extraordinary need, emergency or catastrophe to individuals who are or have been employed full-time in a facet of the country music industry (i.e. performer, songwriter, publisher, radio, session musician, etc.). Examples of distribution needs include: medical bills, living expenses, rent or mortgage, and utilities.

Learn more and apply.

Jazz Foundation of America Musicians' Emergency Fund

The Musicians' Emergency Fund program provides jazz and blues artists with an experienced social worker to assess his/her situation and provide rapid assistance including financial support, legal services, housing counseling, and more.

Learn more and apply.

Music Maker Relief Foundation 

The Musical Sustenance Program offers emergency funds, monthly living stipends, and assistance in obtaining social services to artists working in the Southern musical tradition, focusing on those 55 years or older with an annual income of $18,000 or less.

Learn more and apply.

MusiCares Foundation

MusiCares provides a safety net of critical assistance for music people in times of need. MusiCares’ services and resources cover a wide range of financial, medical, and personal emergencies, including addiction resources.

Learn more and apply.

Musicians Foundation

The Musicians Foundation assists professional musicians with at least five years in the industry with grants for medical and allied living expenses in the case of emergency situations. 

Learn more and apply.

Pinetop Assistance League (PAL) for Elder Musicians 

Provides financial assistance to elderly musicians for medical and living expenses. The Pinetop Assistance League does not disburse funds direct to individuals. Payments are made by check to the creditor on your behalf.

Learn more and apply.

Sweet Relief Musicians Fund 

Sweet Relief Musicians Fund provides financial assistance to all types of career musicians who are struggling to make ends meet while facing illness, disability, or age-related problems. Sweet Relief offers assistance to all who reach out. While financial grants may not be available to every applicant, other resources including information, counseling, and financial services are additional options each artist may take advantage of. 

Learn more and apply.

California: California Jazz Foundation

To request a Financial Assistance Application or an Emergency Medical Referral, applicant must show at least five years of primary employment as a jazz artist and California residency. 

Learn more and apply.

⭐ Oklahoma: Red Dirt Relief Fund 

Red Dirt Relief Fund supports Oklahoma music professionals through emergency financial assistance, preventive care, and wellness resources. Assistance may cover critical needs such as housing, utilities, medical and dental expenses, addiction treatment, and other essential costs. Eligibility requires Oklahoma residency and a documented history of professional work in the music industry or related production roles. 

Learn more and apply.

Pennsylvania: Jazz Bridge 

Jazz Bridge assists jazz and blues musicians living in the Greater Philadelphia Metro area who face financial, health, housing, and similar crises. The organization also supports musicians by providing paid performance opportunities through live neighborhood concerts and special event presentations.

Learn more and apply.

⭐ Tennessee: Music Export Memphis Artist Emergency Fund

The Music Export Memphis Artist Emergency Fund supports musicians in Shelby County facing catastrophic, unforeseen emergencies that threaten their ability to continue their artistic practice. The fund offers short-term financial assistance to eligible working musicians, with a flexible, trust-based application process. 

Learn more and apply.

American Guild of Variety Artists (AGVA) 

AGVA offers its current and previous members emergency aid through the AGVA Sick & Relief Fund.

Learn more and apply.

Dancers’ Resource

The Dancers’ Resource was created in response to the unique situation dancers face due to the physically demanding nature of their work, coupled with the significant financial challenges of earning a living in dance. Support includes counseling, healthcare referrals, educational seminars, emergency financial assistance, and more. 

Learn more and apply.

Dramatists Guild Fund 

The Dramatists Guild Fund awards one-time emergency grants to individual playwrights, lyricists, and composers in need of temporary financial assistance due to unexpected illness or extreme hardship. To be considered for a personal grant, you must have had a play or musical either presented for a paying audience anywhere in the United States or Canada, and/or published by a legitimate publishing/licensing company; or be an active member of The Dramatists Guild. 

Learn more and apply.

Entertainment Community Fund

The Entertainment Community Fund (formerly The Actors Fund) assists those working in theater, film, television, radio, music, dance, opera, and circus throughout the U.S. The Fund offers a broad spectrum of programs including emergency financial assistance, affordable housing, health care and insurance counseling, secondary career development, senior care, and more. Programs are administered through offices in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, and eligibility varies by program.

Learn more and apply.

Rauschenberg Dancer Emergency Grants

One-time grants of up to $3,000 to professional dancers facing dire financial emergencies, due to the loss or lack of recent/current live performance work because of circumstances outside of their control. Grants are for up to three months of essential expenses; you must demonstrate an urgent and critical need for emergency support in order to apply.

Learn more and apply.

California: Theatre Bay Area

The Mary Mason Lemonade Fund is a confidential resource for San Francisco Bay Area theater practitioners with terminal or life-threatening illnesses who are in need of supplemental financial assistance to improve the quality of their lives as they deal with medical conditions.

Learn more and apply.

⭐ Massachusetts: Theatre Community Benevolent Fund 

The Theatre Community Benevolent Fund provides confidential financial relief to theater practitioners in Greater Boston and surrounding areas facing catastrophic events such as severe illness, housing emergencies, or natural disasters. Assistance is offered with dignity and discretion to artists with limited resources during times of crisis. 

Learn more and apply.

⭐ Minnesota: Metro Region Emergency Relief Fund

The Metro Region Emergency Relief Fund, administered by the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council (MRAC), provides $500 grants to artists in the Twin Cities metro area facing unexpected expenses or loss of income due to personal or professional emergencies or natural disasters. The application process is designed to be straightforward, with multiple funding rounds offered throughout the year.

Learn more and apply.

⭐ Minnesota: Regional Emergency Relief Funds

Artists and creatives across Minnesota may access emergency relief grants offered through regional programs coordinated by Springboard for the Arts. Funding supports urgent financial needs and is available on a rolling basis, with eligibility and award amounts varying by region. 

Learn more and apply.

⭐Rhode Island: Interlace Emergency Grants

Interlace Emergency Grants provide small, unrestricted monthly grants to Providence-area visual artists facing urgent financial emergencies, such as housing instability, utility shut-offs, or medical expenses. Awards typically range from $50 – $500, with artists eligible to receive up to $500 per calendar year. 

Learn more and apply.

⭐  Tennessee: ARTSmemphis Artist Emergency Fund

The ARTSmemphis Artist Emergency Fund provides unrestricted cash grants to artists in Shelby County experiencing unexpected, career-threatening emergencies. The fund supports artists working across multiple disciplines, including visual arts, music, dance, theater, literature, and film, with eligibility based on residency, professional practice, and the nature of the emergency. 

Learn more and apply.

⭐ Washington: Emergency and Unforeseen Grants

Emergency and Unforeseen Grants support King County artists and cultural organizations facing unexpected expenses or crises that jeopardize their ability to continue their work. Funding decisions are made based on demonstrated need and the immediacy of the situation. 

Learn more and apply.

⭐ Emergency Survival Fund for LGBTQ2S Artists, Performers, & Tip-Based Workers

This emergency fund provides rapid financial assistance to LGBTQ2S artists, performers, and tip-based workers who are unable to meet basic needs such as food, medicine, rent, or utilities. Funds are intended to address immediate survival needs rather than replace lost income, with applications accepted on a rolling basis as funding allows. 

Learn more and apply.

⭐National Coalition for Arts Preparedness and Emergency Response (NCAPER) 

NCAPER is a national coalition dedicated to strengthening the arts sector’s ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters. Through free tools, planning resources, and coordinated information sharing, NCAPER supports artists, arts organizations, funders, and cultural workers navigating emergencies and building long-term resilience.

Learn more and apply.

Foundation for Contemporary Arts 

Emergency grants ranging from $500 to $3,000 are available by application to U.S.-based artists in all disciplines who have sudden opportunities or unexpected expenses to present work to the public. Artists should apply six to eight weeks before funding is needed for last-minute support.

Learn more and apply.

Rauschenberg Medical Emergency Grants 

One-time grants of up to $5,000 for recent unexpected medical, dental, and mental health emergencies to artists in financial need who are creating in the visual arts, film/video/electronic/digital arts (not performers), and choreography, and who live in the U.S., District of Columbia, U.S. Territories or tribal nations. Cycles continue bimonthly through at least June 2026.

Learn more and apply.

Renaissance Entertainers, Services, and Crafters United (RESCU) Foundation

The RESCU Foundation was established to promote and maintain the health and medical well-being of the participants of Renaissance Fairs, historical performances, and other artistic events through several programs including financial assistance and counseling for emergency medical needs.

Learn more and apply.

Yéego Action Grant 

Grants between $100 and $1,000 are available for individual Native artists and culture bearers facing an artistic emergency, sudden expense, or professional opportunity. Offered by First Peoples Fund, this monthly grant supports creatives whose work is impacted by hardship — not intended for funding new or ongoing projects. 

Learn more and apply.

Colorado: Martha Kate Thomas Fund for Artists

Grants from this fund will be awarded to artists who live or work in Boulder County from any of these priority groups: artists with unforeseen needs due to special circumstances, Artists of Color, artists with disabilities, Indigenous artists, and/or new generation artists (18 – 30 years old). Grant awards will not exceed $3,000. Art forms can include but are not limited to: Music, Theater, Dance, Film/Video, Literature, and Visual Art.

Learn more and apply.

⭐ New York: Max’s Emergency Relief & Resource Fund 

Max’s Emergency Relief & Resource Fund provides one-time grants to self-employed artists in New York State experiencing a temporary financial setback. Grants typically range from $500 to $1,000 and are paid directly to third-party creditors to address urgent housing, medical, or legal expenses.

Learn more and apply.

Pennsylvania: Erie Arts & Culture Emergency Financial Assistance Fund 

Creative and cultural professionals of all disciplines who have experienced a disruption to their income stream can request up to $500 in assistance from Erie Arts & Culture. Awarded funds can be used to assist with basic living expenses, such as housing, utilities, or groceries. The objective is to provide financial support in moments of crisis to those in the sector who are experiencing financial hardship.

Learn more and apply.

⭐ Wisconsin: Chippewa Valley Artist Relief Fund

The Chippewa Valley Artist Relief Fund provides emergency assistance to artists and creatives in the Chippewa Valley facing income disruption due to event cancellations, loss of work, or other financial hardship. Funding supports artists working across performing, visual, digital, and related creative fields, with eligibility based on current program guidelines.

Learn more and apply.

Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation, Inc.

The Emergency Assistance Program provides interim financial assistance to qualified artists whose needs are the result of an unforeseen, catastrophic incident, and who lack the resources to meet that situation. An applicant must be able to demonstrate a minimum involvement of 10 years in a mature phase of his or her work in the disciplines of painting, sculpture or printmaking. The maximum amount of this grant is $15,000; an award of $5,000 is typical.

Learn more and apply.

Artists’ Fellowship, Inc.

The Artists’ Fellowship, Inc. is a private, charitable foundation that assists professional fine artists (painters, graphic artists, sculptors) and their families in times of emergency, disability, or bereavement.

Learn more and apply.

⭐ California: Artists’ Benevolence Fund

The Artists’ Benevolence Fund provides financial assistance to working artists living in Laguna Beach who have experienced a catastrophic event that prevents them from working.

Learn more and apply.

⭐ Colorado: Artists’ Charitable Fund

Artists’ Charitable Fund assists Colorado-based visual artists with at least five years of professional practice by helping cover medical, dental, and vision-care expenses. Support is provided directly to medical providers and is intended for artists facing health-related financial hardship. 

Learn more and apply.

⭐ Texas: Emergency Artists’ Support League (EASL)

The Emergency Artists’ Support League provides confidential financial assistance to professional visual artists in North Texas experiencing an emergency. Eligibility requires a demonstrated record of professional artistic activity, residency in the eligible counties, and documentation of financial need. 

Learn more and apply.