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Penn Museum workers ARE the Museum! And we need your help!
Updated on March 12th, 2021
Due to exhausting our current funding, March 12th will be our last disbursement for now until/unless additional funds are raised. The application form will be turned off until we are able to continue disbursements. If, however, you are a qualifying applicant and have an emergency need of assistance, please email the Penn Museum Workers Fund directly at [email redacted].
On November 20th, the Museum furloughed some of our staff for the second time in 2020 due to Philadelphia’s COVID-19 restrictions. During this exceptionally difficult stage of the pandemic, as the holidays arrived and home heating costs increased, we decided to raise funds to support our impacted colleagues.
On January 8th, 2021 the Museum reopened and the second staff furlough within one year ended. However, members remain impacted. Some workers are still struggling from previous furloughs or periods of hour reductions. Other former colleagues became separated from their positions as a direct or related result of COVID-19. Recent and impending expirations of many government protections put in place at the beginning of the pandemic, as well as the possibility of future shutdowns and furloughs, may have negative impacts on individuals in the coming months. With this in mind, the fund will remain open for donations and disbursements will continue for the foreseeable future.
This is an independent, coworker-initiated mutual aid fund formed to support our Penn Museum colleagues who have been financially impacted by COVID-related furloughs and cut-backs, or who are otherwise experiencing financial hardship related to the pandemic. The funds are open to any impacted current or recently separated Penn Museum workers including University staff and contractors.
How you can help
Please donate! Thanks to the generosity of many, the Fund has already met its initial goal of raising $2,000 in December as well as its secondary goal of raising $4,000 within the first month! Since hitting the initial goals, we’ve decided to plan for distribution through at least February and have increased the overall goal to $6,000. The fundraiser will continue as long as there is a need and funds available.
You can also help by spreading the word about this campaign to encourage further donation as well as applications for funding. Please feel free to share through social media, or by directly contacting friends, family, and colleagues. No amount is too small.
Are you an impacted Penn Museum worker?
If you are a worker at the Penn Museum, or worked there until recently, and you have been furloughed, your position ended, lost hours, or have otherwise experienced financial hardship due to COVID-19, you are eligible to request financial assistance by filling out this form. In addition to Museum staff, contractors and Restaurant Associates associated with the Museum are invited to apply.
Impact from COVID closures can take many forms and the effects of lost wages may be felt long term. If you have suffered financially at any time in the past year due to the pandemic, especially through furloughs, reduced hours, separation, etc., including staff who may have voluntarily reduced hours or taken unpaid time off to provide care for a family member or for their own medical care, please consider applying for support from the Fund.
How will funds be distributed?
Starting January 1st, disbursements will be made on a bi-weekly basis on the second and fourth Friday of each month until the Fund is exhausted. The next scheduled payout of up to five individual $100 disbursements will be March 12th. Applications must be received by 12:00 PM the day before the scheduled disbursement, or they will be held until the next payout date. If more applications are received than funds allow, first-time applicants will be given priority.
Previous recipients can reapply for additional funding as many times as needed. If necessary, priority will be given to new applicants. Requesters will be notified when their applications are received and have been reviewed. We are committed to a transparent process. While we will update you on grants disbursed on this GoFundMe, all grant applicants and recipients will remain anonymous.
Want to do more?
We have been inspired to launch this fund by other important initiatives that provide museum worker aid, including the Greater Philadelphia Museum Worker Fund, the Impacted PMA Worker Fund, and the Milwaukee Art Museum Workers Fund. If you are able to donate further, we hope that you consider contributing to these funds.
Penn Museum objects pictured above, left to right:
Top Row
-African ebony carving of the Tree of Life - five intertwined figures (#2016-21-13)
-Chinese print of Ho Ho Erh Shen and He He er Sheng, twin gods of Harmony, China, early 20th century (#51-53-7)
-Egyptian sandstone Ba statue of male "twins," Nubia, 1st century BCE—4th century CE (#E7009)
-Aztec terracotta model of a temple, Mexico, 1300-1521 CE (#87-42-992)
2nd Row
-Cypriot terracotta figurine from the Sanctuary of Apollo, Cyprus, late 8th—late 6th centuries BCE (#54-28-114)
-Maori feather cloak, New Zealand, late 19th century CE (#P3081B)
-Akkadian carnelian and gold cylinder seal depicting an offering to a mother and child, Iraq, ca. 2700 BCE (#B16924)
Bottom
-Iroquois wampum belt woven on hide with eight rows of shell beads, USA, ca. 1800 CE (#NA9143)
Additional information on these objects can be found here .
Updated on March 12th, 2021
Due to exhausting our current funding, March 12th will be our last disbursement for now until/unless additional funds are raised. The application form will be turned off until we are able to continue disbursements. If, however, you are a qualifying applicant and have an emergency need of assistance, please email the Penn Museum Workers Fund directly at [email redacted].
On November 20th, the Museum furloughed some of our staff for the second time in 2020 due to Philadelphia’s COVID-19 restrictions. During this exceptionally difficult stage of the pandemic, as the holidays arrived and home heating costs increased, we decided to raise funds to support our impacted colleagues.
On January 8th, 2021 the Museum reopened and the second staff furlough within one year ended. However, members remain impacted. Some workers are still struggling from previous furloughs or periods of hour reductions. Other former colleagues became separated from their positions as a direct or related result of COVID-19. Recent and impending expirations of many government protections put in place at the beginning of the pandemic, as well as the possibility of future shutdowns and furloughs, may have negative impacts on individuals in the coming months. With this in mind, the fund will remain open for donations and disbursements will continue for the foreseeable future.
This is an independent, coworker-initiated mutual aid fund formed to support our Penn Museum colleagues who have been financially impacted by COVID-related furloughs and cut-backs, or who are otherwise experiencing financial hardship related to the pandemic. The funds are open to any impacted current or recently separated Penn Museum workers including University staff and contractors.
How you can help
Please donate! Thanks to the generosity of many, the Fund has already met its initial goal of raising $2,000 in December as well as its secondary goal of raising $4,000 within the first month! Since hitting the initial goals, we’ve decided to plan for distribution through at least February and have increased the overall goal to $6,000. The fundraiser will continue as long as there is a need and funds available.
You can also help by spreading the word about this campaign to encourage further donation as well as applications for funding. Please feel free to share through social media, or by directly contacting friends, family, and colleagues. No amount is too small.
Are you an impacted Penn Museum worker?
If you are a worker at the Penn Museum, or worked there until recently, and you have been furloughed, your position ended, lost hours, or have otherwise experienced financial hardship due to COVID-19, you are eligible to request financial assistance by filling out this form. In addition to Museum staff, contractors and Restaurant Associates associated with the Museum are invited to apply.
Impact from COVID closures can take many forms and the effects of lost wages may be felt long term. If you have suffered financially at any time in the past year due to the pandemic, especially through furloughs, reduced hours, separation, etc., including staff who may have voluntarily reduced hours or taken unpaid time off to provide care for a family member or for their own medical care, please consider applying for support from the Fund.
How will funds be distributed?
Starting January 1st, disbursements will be made on a bi-weekly basis on the second and fourth Friday of each month until the Fund is exhausted. The next scheduled payout of up to five individual $100 disbursements will be March 12th. Applications must be received by 12:00 PM the day before the scheduled disbursement, or they will be held until the next payout date. If more applications are received than funds allow, first-time applicants will be given priority.
Previous recipients can reapply for additional funding as many times as needed. If necessary, priority will be given to new applicants. Requesters will be notified when their applications are received and have been reviewed. We are committed to a transparent process. While we will update you on grants disbursed on this GoFundMe, all grant applicants and recipients will remain anonymous.
Want to do more?
We have been inspired to launch this fund by other important initiatives that provide museum worker aid, including the Greater Philadelphia Museum Worker Fund, the Impacted PMA Worker Fund, and the Milwaukee Art Museum Workers Fund. If you are able to donate further, we hope that you consider contributing to these funds.
Penn Museum objects pictured above, left to right:
Top Row
-African ebony carving of the Tree of Life - five intertwined figures (#2016-21-13)
-Chinese print of Ho Ho Erh Shen and He He er Sheng, twin gods of Harmony, China, early 20th century (#51-53-7)
-Egyptian sandstone Ba statue of male "twins," Nubia, 1st century BCE—4th century CE (#E7009)
-Aztec terracotta model of a temple, Mexico, 1300-1521 CE (#87-42-992)
2nd Row
-Cypriot terracotta figurine from the Sanctuary of Apollo, Cyprus, late 8th—late 6th centuries BCE (#54-28-114)
-Maori feather cloak, New Zealand, late 19th century CE (#P3081B)
-Akkadian carnelian and gold cylinder seal depicting an offering to a mother and child, Iraq, ca. 2700 BCE (#B16924)
Bottom
-Iroquois wampum belt woven on hide with eight rows of shell beads, USA, ca. 1800 CE (#NA9143)
Additional information on these objects can be found here .
Organizer and beneficiary
Museum Workers
Beneficiary