Below is a collection of resources—financial, medical, and others—for those in need.
Emergency Grants
Local 99 Relief Fund
Our relief fund provides grants of up to $500 for Local 99 members who are out of work or suffer an emergency hardship.
AFM Lester Petrillo Fund
The Lester Petrillo Fund was established to assist AFM members-in-good standing who become ill or disabled and cannot accept work.
National Emergency Assistance Funds
COVID-19 Freelance Artist Resources (note: has not been updated since 2021)
Sweet Relief Musicians Fund COVID-19 relief
- Typical grants fall in the range of $500-$3,000
- Applicant must have worked as a professional musician for at least 5 years, must submit tax statements showing that principal income is derived from work as a musician
- Support includes one-time assistance for periods of serious need
- Funding is given in the form of direct payment to vendors (i.e. health insurance provider, housing authority)
Labor Community Service Agency
Since 1974, Labor’s Community Service Agency, Inc., a partnership program of labor & United Way of the Columbia-Willamette, has reached out to support working families and their communities through a mix of health and human services, community events, advocacy, education, referral, grant programs, and collaborative efforts.
Other Resources
2-1-1 — www.211.org/
Provides information on resources for rent assistance, utility assistance and physical and mental health
Oregon Unemployment Insurance
If you have lost work, you are likely eligible to collect unemployment insurance.
Benefits CheckUp — www.benefitscheckup.org
This is an online screening site where you can find information about federal, state, local and private programs that help pay for prescription drugs, utility bills, meals, health, and a variety of other basic needs
Jazz Musicians Emergency Fund — https://jazzfoundation.org/housing-emergency-assistance/
- Provides assistance with rent, mortgage, and other essential living expenses
- Offers a pro bono network of physicians for uninsured musicians in crisis
Sweet Relief Musicians Fund — https://www.sweetrelief.org/request-assistance.html
- Financial assistance to all types of career musicians who are facing illness, disability, or age-related issues
- The applicant must be a musician who has regular public performances, or performed on at least three widely released recordings (audio or audiovisual), or written music that has been performed on three widely released recordings, or published on three occasions
MusiCares Foundation — https://www.grammy.com/musicares/get-help
- Short-term financial assistance for personal or addiction needs that have arisen due to unforeseen circumstances. Funding may be awarded for needs such as rent, car payments, insurance premiums, utilities, medical/dental expenses, psychotherapy, addiction treatment, sober living, and other personal expenses
- Applicants must have a minimum of 5 years employment in the music industry, and six commercially released recordings or videos
Blues Foundation HART Fund — https://blues.org/hart-fund/
- For Blues musicians and their families in financial need due to a broad range of health concerns.
- Provides for acute, chronic and preventive medical and dental care
Multnomah County Resource List — http://www.co.multnomah.or.us/health/hivhcv/documents/community_resources_apr09.pdf
This list of services available through the County includes a variety of services, some free or sliding scale, including Health Care, Alcohol and Drug help, and numerous other support resources.
Low Income and Sliding Scale Clinics
Coalition of Clinics— http://www.coalitionclinics.org/
A search engine of non-profit clinics intended for the uninsured and underinsured. Proof of low income might be necessary for some of these-last three months bank statements and/or pay stubs.
Project Access— http://www.coalitionclinics.org/project-access.html
What are the Eligibility Criteria? Patients must meet the following eligibility guidelines:
- referred by a participating safety net clinic
- at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level
- a resident of Multnomah County for at least six months
- have no access to insurance and have a demonstrated medical need
Based on a successful national model, Project Access leverages charity care from private physicians and other health care providers, ambulatory care clinics, hospitals, private diagnostic service providers, and pharmacies to provide patients streamlined access to donated care, and to make it easy for the health care community to donate care.
Community safety net clinics provide primary and acute care to low-income, uninsured residents of Multnomah County. However, when a patient is diagnosed with a condition requiring a specialist, their care hits a road block. The safety net is without the resources to provide comprehensive services, such as specialty care and hospitalization. While symptoms can be treated, a patient’s health invariably becomes worse, forcing them to the emergency department with a health crisis.
Project Access coordinates a process in which volunteer physicians and hospitals are willing to care for patients at the time their health issue is identified in the safety net clinic. Patients are seen by a specialist to resolve serious medical problems rather than returning repeatedly to primary clinics to treat symptoms.
Mercy and Wisdom Healing Center— www.mercyandwisdom.org
Helping the low income and underinsured to achieve health through integrative medical care and education.
As a member of the Coalition of Community Health Clinics (http://coalitionclinics.org) they offer vouchers for free prescriptions and we can make referrals— http://www.mercyandwisdom.org/p_services.html#outside_services—for many types of treatment and social resources.
MusiCares
MusiCares provides a safety net of critical assistance for music people in times of need. MusiCares’ services and resources cover a wide range of financial, medical and personal emergencies, and each case is treated with integrity and confidentiality. MusiCares also focuses the resources and attention of the music industry on human service issues that directly impact the health and welfare of the music community. http://www2.grammy.com/MusiCares/Client_Services/
http://www2.grammy.com/MusiCares/
Future of Music Coalition – http://futureofmusic.org/issues/campaigns/get-hint
In 2005, FMC teamed up with Alex Maiolo and Chris Stephenson to create HINT – the Health Insurance Navigation Tool. HINT provides informed, musician-friendly support and advice to musicians who need information about health insurance, for free.
Click here to request an appointment.
HINT appointments are currently available Monday through Thursday, 7 PM – 8:30 PM Eastern Time. Appointments are 30 minutes long. After filling out this form and answering a few questions, your request will be emailed to our HINT team and they will confirm the date and time with you. All calls are confidential. FMC will collect summary data on the insurance needs of musicians so that we will better understand how to effectively work towards providing health insurance for artists in the future.
Bright Now! Dental! – www.brightnow.com
They offer programs specifically for union members and their families, even retirees.
Sunrise Dental
As time seems to stand still these days, a Dental Emergency does not! Unfortunately dental emergencies happen even during a pandemic and the word needs to get out to your union members and our communities that Sunrise Dental is open for emergencies so that they know where to go. During these difficult times, Sunrise Dental partnering offices will be offering emergency “palliative” care at no charge for those members that have lost their benefits and are experiencing financial hardship. To find a location please call 877-770-3077 or visit www.sunrisedental.com.
Pandemic EBT for kids
Pandemic EBT (electronic benefits transfer), recently authorized by USDA for Oregon, will help families feed 350,000 kids while also helping local grocery stores and economies by bringing in $134 million in federal funds for food. To find out more about this program for your family and your community, visit Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon’s Pandemic EBT resource page. They’ve created a toolkit with infographics, a fact sheet and templates to spread the word through food boxes, schools and newsletters, and have translated materials in Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Russian, Arabic, and Somali.
Five important details:
1. Pandemic-EBT will be provided automatically to ALL families whose children receive free and reduced-price school meals in Oregon, including those who attend Community Eligibility Provision schools where all children eat at no cost.
2. It’s important to share that immigration status does not matter for Pandemic EBT; it will not count in a public charge test. Pandemic EBT is not SNAP, even though it will come on an Oregon Trail Card.
3. Food benefits will be issued to families with children enrolled in a K-12 school, school-based preschool, or school based Head Start that normally participate in the National School Lunch Program. For each month that school is closed a family will receive benefits equal to $5.70 per day per student on an EBT card.
4. Families can keep getting school meals too- Pandemic EBT does not affect a family’s ability to access “grab and go” meals through schools and other organizations during the pandemic.
5. If families haven’t accessed SNAP or free/reduced school meals in the past, you can apply for either one by June 30, and also get Pandemic EBT.
Rent Relief
If you are struggling to pay rent right now, please check out https://www.myoregon.gov/2020/05/19/state-provides-8-5-million-for-rent-relief-in-oregon-communities/ and remember that the statewide (Oregon) eviction moratorium is still in place, for people who can’t pay rent due to wage loss resulting from COVID-19. Here is a fact sheet about your rights as a tenant.
Grants for Seniors
Resources for seniors and retirees to find Financial Help, Health Care, Help with Rent, Housing Assistance, Food Assistance, Clothing Assistance, Transportation Assistance, and more.