Michigan Artist Relief Fund
Tax deductible
*THIS FUND IS CURRENTLY CLOSED AND WILL BE RELAUNCHING SPRING 2021! PLEASE VISIT MICHIGANMUSICALLIANCE.ORG FOR DETAILS ON HOW TO DONATE AND APPLY!*
SUMMARY
The Michigan Music Alliance is starting a fund to address the current needs of Michigan based musical artists whose incomes are being adversely impacted by COVID-19. With events of all types being canceled to reduce the spread of COVID-19, people who make income fully through gigs and freelance music work are losing critical opportunities to support their well-being.
Please consider donating to the fund to help support artists in your community during this time. To find out more about how musicians have been impacted uniquely by COVID-19, please read this article: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/live-music-concerts-coronavirus-risks-losses-965482/
If you'd like to make a donation, see the options below, use PayPal, or visit our Go Fund Me. All proceeds from the "Support Michigan Music" tees shirts are also going towards this fund. To purchase one, visit our website.
*IF YOU HAVE APPLIED FOR FUNDING, WE WILL GET BACK TO YOU. Please be patient, as it takes some time to work with Go Fund Me to obtain the money we have raised. Applying multiple times, or sending emails will slow down the process. We are hoping to distribute all funds by May 1st.
To keep things fair and also manageable, we are going to pay out a maximum of $500 to each qualified individual. Please apply only once.
To apply, you will need:
1. Your signed W9 as a PDF
2. A request amount (max $500 per cancelled gig)
3. A PDF contract of the gig that was cancelled as a result of COVID-19
4. A PDF version of communication that the gig was cancelled as a result of COVID-19
5. A short bio explaining who you are and what you do
Application Requirements for Assistance:
1. You must live in the state of Michigan
2. You must prove live performance as a musician is your primary source of income
3. Have a cancelled gig by the venue or promoter due to COVID-19 in March 2020
4. The gig must be in Michigan
5. You must be ineligible for unemployment
FAQ
Who are you? Is this legit?
Michigan Music Alliance and Walk the Beat are both 501c3s based in West Michigan. Our main activity at MMA is providing music business education programming and community building events, but since we had to cancel everything for the next two months, we decided to set up a fund to help people instead.We teamed up with Walk the Beat to help us manage the funds since they have more experience granting money directly to those in need. Crooked Tree Creative is helping us with graphics, press, and getting the word out.
Is this legal?
Yes. As a 501c3 we can collect tax deductible donations. We will be asking for W9s from everyone applying for funding. Anyone related to a board member or employee of Walk the Beat or Michigan Music Alliance can not apply for the fund.
Who can apply?
Any Michigan dwelling, full-time gigging musician who can be legally paid in the US who has had work cancelled by the COVID-19 outbreak. We need a W9 so we can track these payments. We will be asking artists if they are willing to share how the fund helped them so donors can see the impact first hand.
How does the money work?
We receive donations via the Go Fund Me. Anything coming in from any of these ways is going directly into the special bank account for the fund. When a musician applies for assistance, their info goes into a spreadsheet.The entry is automatically time and date stamped. These entries are screened by our MMA board and then funds are released if the applicants fits the qualifications. We want to do our best to help as many people as possible, so we are hoping to turn applications around as quickly as we have funding. It looks like we will be sending money out via PayPal, but this may change as the system improves.
If you have questions, please reach out to us via email at [email redacted].
Additional resources for freelance musicians: https://docs.google.com/document/u/1/d/1htY4q6Aq2cg1OU7p2Q6i9x8EZy-aOxgLooUp6kgxZzw/mobilebasic?fbclid=IwAR1Bfo73YxwafZjEGj9ZtfBhxS3rI2e7wTNC5g4p_vw8bTZrCa3KjBxkM0Q
SUMMARY
The Michigan Music Alliance is starting a fund to address the current needs of Michigan based musical artists whose incomes are being adversely impacted by COVID-19. With events of all types being canceled to reduce the spread of COVID-19, people who make income fully through gigs and freelance music work are losing critical opportunities to support their well-being.
Please consider donating to the fund to help support artists in your community during this time. To find out more about how musicians have been impacted uniquely by COVID-19, please read this article: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/live-music-concerts-coronavirus-risks-losses-965482/
If you'd like to make a donation, see the options below, use PayPal, or visit our Go Fund Me. All proceeds from the "Support Michigan Music" tees shirts are also going towards this fund. To purchase one, visit our website.
*IF YOU HAVE APPLIED FOR FUNDING, WE WILL GET BACK TO YOU. Please be patient, as it takes some time to work with Go Fund Me to obtain the money we have raised. Applying multiple times, or sending emails will slow down the process. We are hoping to distribute all funds by May 1st.
To keep things fair and also manageable, we are going to pay out a maximum of $500 to each qualified individual. Please apply only once.
To apply, you will need:
1. Your signed W9 as a PDF
2. A request amount (max $500 per cancelled gig)
3. A PDF contract of the gig that was cancelled as a result of COVID-19
4. A PDF version of communication that the gig was cancelled as a result of COVID-19
5. A short bio explaining who you are and what you do
Application Requirements for Assistance:
1. You must live in the state of Michigan
2. You must prove live performance as a musician is your primary source of income
3. Have a cancelled gig by the venue or promoter due to COVID-19 in March 2020
4. The gig must be in Michigan
5. You must be ineligible for unemployment
FAQ
Who are you? Is this legit?
Michigan Music Alliance and Walk the Beat are both 501c3s based in West Michigan. Our main activity at MMA is providing music business education programming and community building events, but since we had to cancel everything for the next two months, we decided to set up a fund to help people instead.We teamed up with Walk the Beat to help us manage the funds since they have more experience granting money directly to those in need. Crooked Tree Creative is helping us with graphics, press, and getting the word out.
Is this legal?
Yes. As a 501c3 we can collect tax deductible donations. We will be asking for W9s from everyone applying for funding. Anyone related to a board member or employee of Walk the Beat or Michigan Music Alliance can not apply for the fund.
Who can apply?
Any Michigan dwelling, full-time gigging musician who can be legally paid in the US who has had work cancelled by the COVID-19 outbreak. We need a W9 so we can track these payments. We will be asking artists if they are willing to share how the fund helped them so donors can see the impact first hand.
How does the money work?
We receive donations via the Go Fund Me. Anything coming in from any of these ways is going directly into the special bank account for the fund. When a musician applies for assistance, their info goes into a spreadsheet.The entry is automatically time and date stamped. These entries are screened by our MMA board and then funds are released if the applicants fits the qualifications. We want to do our best to help as many people as possible, so we are hoping to turn applications around as quickly as we have funding. It looks like we will be sending money out via PayPal, but this may change as the system improves.
If you have questions, please reach out to us via email at [email redacted].
Additional resources for freelance musicians: https://docs.google.com/document/u/1/d/1htY4q6Aq2cg1OU7p2Q6i9x8EZy-aOxgLooUp6kgxZzw/mobilebasic?fbclid=IwAR1Bfo73YxwafZjEGj9ZtfBhxS3rI2e7wTNC5g4p_vw8bTZrCa3KjBxkM0Q
Organizer
Elle Lively
Organizer
Grand Haven, MI
Spread the Music Foundation Inc (Walk The Beat)
Registered nonprofit
Donations are typically 100% tax deductible in the US.
