TNA is pleased to share the details of the newly expanded Support Act Crisis Relief Grants. Apply now if you have been affected! supportact.org.au

As of today (23 August, 2021), the $20million of additional funding the Federal Government has provided to Support Act will be available to all performing arts workers who have been financially affected by COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions.

Grants are $2,000 for individuals and $2,700 for families with dependent children.

To meet eligibility criteria applicants must:

• be an Australian citizen, permanent resident or have a valid working visa
• prove that they have been working professionally in the Australian performing arts industry for three years
• provide names and details of two professional referees
• be primarily working as an independent or casual in the professional performing arts
• have household expenses greater than their household income.

A reference group has been set up to advise on outreach to the performing arts sector including Theatre Network Australia, Arts Wellbeing Collective, The Alliance of Australasian Performing Arts Benevolent Funds and Live Performance Australia. We have also contributed advice on the criteria and assessment process.

The COVID-19 Crisis Relief Grants application form, as well as other help and resources, FAQs and eligibility criteria, can be found on the Support Act website.

Support Act’s Wellbeing Helpline is also available to anyone working in the performing arts who needs someone to talk to, and can all be accessed by calling 1800 959 500.

TNA urges artists and arts workers who have been impacted to apply for this grant. It can be spent on your rent/mortgage, food, utilities, medical expenses or other personal necessities.

If you experience any difficulty filling in the form, let us know, as we can feed that back to the Support Act team to improve.

There are thousands of performing arts workers who will benefit from a Crisis Relief Grant, whether they work as performers, creatives, crew or in administrative or producing roles.

We all want to look ahead to a time when we can experience the thrill of live performing arts again across Australia. These grants provide a way for the badly affected industry to stay afloat as we get through these difficult months ahead.

Warm regards,
Nicole Beyer and the TNA team