As we enter another hurricane season tomorrow, I’m writing to share an important announcement and a call for unprecedented need for relief funds.

Extreme weather conditions caused by climate change have exponentially increased the demands on our Craft Emergency Relief Fund to help artists recover from disasters that affect their art and their livelihoods. Since last Fall, we have provided three times more grants and loans than last year – depleting available funds for relief. We have made the difficult and unprecedented decision to put the Emergency Relief Program on hold until we can raise more money to meet artists’ needs. We are currently not taking any applications until we can raise at least $200,000 to reinstate this critical program.