The Jerwood Foundation has announced the launch of the new £1 million Jerwood Blue Sky Fund, which will be donated to and administered by Help Musicians and the Theatre Artists Fund. The fund will be used to distribute grants to arts freelancers who have suffered lost income due to the COVID-19 pandemic and have been unable to secure other support.
The Theatre Artists Fund, co-founded by director Sam Mendes, aims to support UK theatre freelancers requiring financial aid due to the widespread closures of theatres during COVID-19. While Help Musicians provides financial support for professional UK musicians across all genres.
Jerwood Foundation Chairman Alan Grieve, CBE, commented: “It is now a year since theatre and music venues first had to close. It is a real tragedy that this fund is even necessary and so vital, but COVID-19 is sadly still wreaking havoc and loss in the arts. Jerwood Blue Sky Fund will support the Theatre Artists Fund and Help Musicians, both of which are doing excellent work helping a vast number of creative and technical freelancers at this exceedingly difficult time.”
“There is a bright light and blue sky at the end of the tunnel, but we still have an uncertain road to travel before the much-loved venues can reopen, let alone at their full capacity. So now is the hour to be decisive and act. All of us who love theatre and music are determined to see a vibrant rebirth of the performing arts.”
For the Theatre Artists Fund, the Jerwood Blue Sky Fund will enable them to reopen grant applications in order to continue offering support to theatre freelancers for the remainder of the pandemic.
Help Musicians, meanwhile, will use the contribution as the founding donation for the fourth phase of its Financial Hardship fund, which will provide funding for professional musicians from May to September 2021.
