AAF Launches Artist Solidarity Fund

Yinka Olatunbosun

The African Artists’ Foundation (AAF) has launched the Artist Solidarity Fund, a series of grants which would be disbursed by the Open Society Initiative for West Africa beginning from June 21 till Monday July 12, 2021.

The initiative was founded on the reality that artists and creatives are particularly vulnerable during an economic downturn. Hence, the Artist Solidarity Fund will bridge some of these gaps for a number of creatives on the continent with three opportunities sectioned into Emergency, Education and Project Support Funds.

The Emergency Support Fund grants 10 artists $300 each to meet urgent financial needs as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The funds will be channelled into studio space rent, art materials and projects.

The Education Support Fund targets seven artists with a sum of $1000 each towards skills acquisition in the arts from accredited institutions or programmes. While the Project Support Fund grants artists or organisations a sum of $20,000, $10000, $5000 and $1000 for short or medium-term visual projects that address pressing social issues.