ST. LOUIS, MO.- The Pulitzer Arts Foundation and the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis today announced a new effort to support creative workers in the St. Louis area who are facing significant financial hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. “A Sustaining Arts Practice Fund” (ASAP Fund) will award a total of $100,000, drawn from an endowment established at Washington University in St. Louis by Emily Rauh Pulitzer in 2004 to enhance the creative life of St. Louis through joint collaborative projects between the Pulitzer and the Sam Fox School.

Through this initiative, the ASAP Fund will distribute fifty $2,000 grants to artists, architects, and designers in an effort to help replace lost income from cancelled exhibitions, performances, commissions, teaching opportunities, talks, contracts, or other work as a direct result of the crisis. Applicants should be able to demonstrate a sustained commitment to their work, career, and a public audience. Grants are unrestricted and can be used for a range of costs at the discretion of the recipient to help sustain their practice during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A central goal of the ASAP Fund is to make the grants accessible to St. Louis area practitioners of every race, gender expression, sexual orientation, disability status, and socioeconomic class. To this end, the Pulitzer and the Sam Fox School are working with community leaders on targeted outreach to groups that have been historically underrepresented and excluded from resources, including artists of color, native and Indigenous artists, immigrant artists, artists with disabilities, and LGBTQIAP+ artists.

Applications may be submitted online at samfoxschool.wustl.edu/asapfund and are due by May 29, 2020. Grants are scheduled to be awarded in early June, and checks dispersed in July. Applications will be reviewed by a committee of local practitioners and employees of the sponsoring organizations to select those with the greatest need. Due to the anticipated volume of applications, the limited funds, and the desire for funding equity among artists of different disciplines and backgrounds, grants may be awarded through a lottery of qualifying applications.

Cara Starke, Director of the Pulitzer Arts Foundation, states, “The economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is hitting so many vulnerable populations, including many of those in the art, architecture, and design communities. The Pulitzer and the Sam Fox School are committed to working together to support the incredible creative practitioners who enrich life in our local community. With the ASAP Fund, we hope to enable them to continue their important work.”

Carmon Colangelo, Ralph J. Nagel Dean of the Sam Fox School and the E. Desmond Lee Professor for Collaboration in the Arts, adds, “In difficult times, the arts and culture help to sustain us, nourishing the mind and spirit. St. Louis boasts a strong and diverse creative community, but today more than ever, many artists, architects, and designers are facing financial hardship. The Sam Fox School and the Pulitzer Arts Foundation are proud to join to assist local creators in this extraordinary time of need. Together, we will persevere.”

Eligibility Requirements and Application Process
To be eligible, grant recipients must live in the City of St. Louis, St. Louis County, Jefferson County, or St. Charles County in Missouri, or in Madison County or St. Clair County in Illinois, and identify with one of the following disciplines:

● Design (fashion, graphic, illustration, industrial arts, object, interactive media, etc.)

● Art (installation, painting, printmaking, performance art, photography, sculpture, sound art, video, social practice, ceramics, textiles, etc.)

● Architecture (architectural design, landscape, urban design, etc.)

Applicants will be required to submit a brief biography (300 words or less) describing their practice, as well as a written statement (300 words or less) to demonstrate the financial need resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Applications are due by May 29, 2020, and may be submitted online at samfoxschool.wustl.edu/asapfund