The Rauschenberg Foundation Is Launching Emergency Medical Grants for Artists Who Need Help Paying for Healthcare

Just in time for the proliferation of the COVID-19 virus, a new
grant for artists has been announced to provide some relief for
unexpected bouts of illness. The Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, in
partnership with the New York Foundation for the Arts, has launched a new program for emergency
medical grants, which has been in the works for several months,
according to a spokesperson for New York Foundation for the
Arts.

The Rauschenberg Emergency Grants—expected to be
rolled out in late May or early June—will provide visual artists,
media artists, and choreographers up to $5,000 worth of assistance
for medical emergencies. Applicants must be US citizens or
permanent residents.

The grant program was created in the spirit of Rauschenberg’s
philanthropic legacy, including his efforts to corral a group of
artists to create work for local hospitals in exchange for granting
New York artists access to healthcare. Though Rauschenberg’s
nonprofit organization Change, Inc. was dissolved in 2019, this new
program is meant to carry on its founding principles, said the
director of the Rauschenberg Foundation, Kathy Halbreich. The
program “directly reflects Bob’s own concern for the well-being of
fellow creative practitioners,” she said in a statement.

The one-time grants are eligible to cover hospital and doctors
bills, tests, physical and occupational therapy, prescription
drugs, and emergency dental work. Grant recipients will be
determined based on demonstrated need, and the impact of the funds
to allow artists to carry on working. The impetus for the program
is based on artists’ personal experiences. “For many artists,” said
Michael Royce, executive director of the New York Foundation for
the Arts, in a statement, “healthcare expenses take a back seat to
other pressing needs like food, shelter, studio or practice space,
and art supplies.”

The post The Rauschenberg Foundation Is Launching Emergency
Medical Grants for Artists Who Need Help Paying for Healthcare
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