DEI Mutual Aid Fund for BAM Staff
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OUR NEW FUNDRAISER IS HERE!!!
https://www.gofundme.com/f/2021-dei-mutual-aid-fund-for-bam-staff
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Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Mutual Aid Fund for BAM Staff - For Staff, By Staff
Current and former BAM workers can request funds here.
As the pandemic continues to affect BAM workers in many ways, including the end of pandemic unemployment assistance, and we are all faced with an uncertain future, we are reigniting the DEI Mutual Aid Fund for and by BAM Staff. Members of BAM’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Task Force and BAMunion bargaining committee formed the Fund in 2020 to raise money to support BAM staff affected by COVID-19. This staff-initiated fund prioritizes Black, Indigenous, and other workers of color at BAM and seeks to support any BAM worker, current or former, who has been impacted by COVID-19. This includes but is not limited to full-time, part-time, temporary, and seasonal workers. All money raised is distributed to individuals to help cover immediate expenses.
All responses will be kept confidential. If you know someone who may need assistance, please let them know about the survey, or email us at [email redacted] so they can reach out directly.
Support the Fund
If you can, please join us in supporting our community by donating to the fund. All donations are fully tax-deductible! We understand this continues to be a difficult time financially for many. No donation is too small, and if you are not in a position to contribute financially, please consider sharing on social media. Together we make up the vibrant BAM community that we all value so much. Thank you for being our friends and colleagues and neighbors, you make our lives, and the cultural world of NYC a better place.
Report on 2020 Fundraising
We have felt incredibly blessed to be able to support the BAM community and to help out so many of our colleagues over the last year. The outpouring of financial support from so many of you, those of you we know and those we don’t, from board members, staff at all levels, and the larger BAM public has been overwhelming and deeply inspiring. Information on the timeline and distribution can be found in our 2020 annual report linked above.
If you have questions about the DEI Mutual Aid Fund for BAM Staff including the application process, timeline, distribution of funds, how to support, etc. please contact us at [email redacted]
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Previous information
Amid the COVID-19 outbreak, there has and will be a huge economic impact on the arts community and staff in our Black and brown communities.
During the COVID-19 outbreak, arts organizations around the world have cancelled major events, and in light of this, many working in the arts have been laid off, furloughed, or faced a drastic reduction in hours, especially teaching artists, building maintainers and facilities workers, ushers, and box office staff. Among those organizations that have drastically cut staff is the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), which has furloughed or laid off over 85% of its workforce and has reduced the pay and hours of the remaining staff by between 20-80%. Though we wish we could help many around the world we feel we have the bandwidth to make a more drastic impact within our own community—former and current BAM staff members. This includes, but is not limited to, full time, part time, temporary and seasonal staff/former staff. This fund puts money directly in their pockets, money that is needed for bills, medicine, food, transportation, and more!
Staff at BAM, including members of the staff-initiated Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) task force, and members of the union bargaining committee have set up the DEI Mutual Aid Fund for BAM Staff, which folks can donate directly to in support of former and current BAM staff including teaching artists, temporary and seasonal employees, and administrators (artists, box office staff, building maintainers, security, interns, stagehands, etc.) who have been financially impacted due to COVID-19. Creatives practicing and teaching their art as well as the administrators who are supporting that art without a doubt need our financial support right now to weather this unexpected and uncertain storm.
Data is showing that Black and brown communities are being hit hardest by COVID-19. Recent data from the New York City Health Department shows that the highest rates of COVID-19 cases have been reported in zip codes with predominantly Black and brown residents. Because of this we are prioritizing the needs of Black, Indigenous, and POC staff as those communities have been the hardest hit by this pandemic.
We intend to help at least 350 individuals who have been financially impacted by the current COVID-19. Priority will be given to Black, Indigenous, and POC staff, but we hope this relief fund will help as many staff members as it can.
All money raised will be distributed to individuals who have met the requirements as stated in the application form. We will circulate and post a link to apply for funds in the upcoming weeks with further information. We hope to begin distributing money on July 15.
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Timeline and funds distribution
We began fundraising and accepting requests for support on June 8.
Requests and donations are being continuously monitored as they come in and we are meeting daily to discuss if and when we might need to stop taking requests or increase our goal.
In our commitment to a fair, transparent mutual aid process that prioritizes Black, Indigenous, and POC (BIPOC) communities, we are following a similar funds distribution model to the COVID-19 Mutual Aid Fund for LGBTQI+ BIPOC Folks (https://www.gofundme.com/f/covid19-relief-fund-for-lgbtqi-bipoc-folks). We want to acknowledge their incredible work, which was very inspiring for us as we developed this fund.
In Round 1, we will redistribute $100 to every qualifying Black, Indigenous, and POC who applies for funding. We hope to begin distributing money on July 15.
In Round 2, if there are more funds available after the first round, we will prioritize additional fund distribution to applicants who are (in no particular order):
- Black, Indigenous, or POC
- Not currently receiving income from BAM
- Disabled, immunocompromised, or chronically ill
- Food, housing, or healthcare insecure
We will move folks who live at the intersections of these identities or experiences to the front of the line.
Round 2 funds will be distributed according to the following formula:
Give every person who asked for $101-400 the full amount requested
Give every person who asked for $401+ 60% of the amount they requested, or $400, whichever is greater.
Individual grants will be capped at $1500.
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Organized by: Kaitlyn Chandler, Sky Olson, Emily Searles, Cynthia Tate, Jesse Trussell, Mica Verendia
Logo Designer: Kimberly Lum
