Six weeks after the devastating Los Angeles wildfires, a relief fund led by Getty has dispersed $14.3 million to more than 1,700 artists and arts workers, the arts organization said Tuesday.
LA Arts Community Fire Relief Fund was established on Jan. 15 to help individuals who lost residences, studios, archives and more in the Palisades and Eaton fires.
Among the recipients, 85% applied as artists and 15% as arts workers. The majority — 78% — of the group were impacted by the Eaton fire and 22% by the Palisades fire. Most of the applicants received the amount they requested, with a maximum of $10,000.
The Fund is administered by the Center for Cultural Innovation (CCI), which manages funding, advocacy and research support on behalf of individuals in the arts.
“Understanding how severely our cultural community has been impacted by the fires, we designed a program that would quickly get funds to those who needed it most,” Angie Kim, president & CEO of CCI, said. “We involved everyone possible to conduct outreach, connecting with arts employers, hiring community artists, coordinating with other relief funders, and attending neighborhood gatherings. We appreciate the trust Getty and the many funders placed in CCI to foster community and build relationships as a foundational step toward recovery.”
CCI worked with arts organizations such as Side Street Projects in Altadena and Armory Center for the Arts in Pasadena to offer guidance to those interested in applying.
“It was important that the Armory and Side Street Projects came together to uplift our artist communities in the face of profound loss,” Leslie Ito, executive director of the Armory, said.
“With warmth and empathy, our fundraising team sat with artists, offering tea, encouragement and the support they needed — both emotionally and technically— to apply for this crucial relief fund to help them move forward with their practice and their lives,” Ito added.
Donators included the Mellon, Frankenthaler, Warhol and Ford foundations and Qatar Museums, as well as numerous galleries, corporations, philanthropists and individuals from 28 countries.
