Rauschenberg Medical Emergency Grants

• Applicants must be a generative artist creating work in visual arts, film/video/digital/electronic arts (not a performer), or choreography
• Applicants must be 21 years or older  on the cycle’s deadline
• Applicants must reside in the United States, the District of Columbia, a Tribal Nation, or a U.S. Territory
• Applicants must be an artist in need, having an adjusted gross income of $75,000 or lower for an individual, or $150,000 for joint filers, averaged over the last two federal tax returns
• Applicants’ medical emergency and treatment must occur in the U.S. (including D.C., Tribal Nations, and U.S. Territories)
• Applicants must not have received a Rauschenberg Medical or Dancer Emergency Grant previously
• Applicants must not be enrolled in any degree-seeking program
• Applicants must demonstrate current and ongoing activity in their artistic discipline (defined below)

Applicants must be artists with a demonstrated commitment to the eligible artform(s). You need to create original work in at least one of the eligible disciplines, AND have recent and sustained artistic activity. If the work in the eligible discipline is tangential, incidental or infrequent, it is not eligible.

Recent and sustained is defined as activity over the course of at least the last five years, since 2019, with multiple opportunities for the public to experience your work during this time (at least one opportunity annually). This can be through exhibits/screenings/performances/activities in art spaces, galleries, local businesses, art houses/film series, public art installations, public spaces, museums, fairs/festivals, community projects, and/or residencies with public-facing components. Works in progress are eligible; student exhibits, performances, and other activities are not. We do not accept portfolios/work samples. Reduced activity during the pandemic (2020-21) is acceptable.

Work that is created for online distribution and consumption is eligible IF it is a creative work, and was actively marketed to the public for showing at a specific date and time. If self-produced online presentations or sales of your work are your sole platform, such as Instagram or YouTube, or your work is only available on-demand, we cannot consider your application eligible.

Eligible Artistic Disciplines

Only artists creating work in visual arts, film/video/electronic/digital arts or choreography may apply to this grant program. The applicant must be the primary maker of the creative work—the individual with final creative control. For film/video, only the publicly named director and/or producer or credited co-maker are eligible; they must be the individual with the primary day-to-day responsibility for creating the work in its entirety. Performing artists in film/video or television/live performance, performing arts recorded digitally, and performances/writing distributed online are not eligible. Editors, cinematographers, assistant/line/field producers, television producers, screenwriters, television/film performers and crew members, dance performers, et al are not eligible.

Works which are intended for commercial or mass production, or are work-for-hire projects, are not eligible to be considered in the required artistic history. These include television shows, graphic and fashion design, commissions, and industrial films.

Please review the definitions for the eligible disciplines:

In this program, an emergency is a one-time, unexpected, non-chronic condition as a result of illness, violence, an accident or triggering event, or sudden medical event, that requires treatment to ensure your health or life, and which without treatment has extreme impact on your daily life and ability to carry out/return to your creative practice.

In each cycle, we can consider emergencies that have occurred within approximately the last six months. The earliest date for an eligible emergency is listed in the Cycles information. The medical emergency and treatment must occur in the U.S. (including D.C., Tribal Nations and U.S. Territories).

When you fill out your application, you will need to:

• Provide your contact information
• Describe the onset and nature of your medical/dental/mental health emergency (maximum 100 words)
• Provide the onset date of the emergency
• Request a grant amount, up to $5,000
• List the specific expenses for which you are requesting funding (maximum 50 words)
• Describe the impact of the emergency on your creative practice (maximum 150 words)
• Describe the economic severity of your condition (maximum 150 words)
• Describe the severity of your medical/dental/mental health condition (maximum 150 words)
• Provide your annual adjusted gross income (averaged over the last two years)
• Complete a checklist to describe your access to resources
• Complete a checklist to describe the medical severity of your condition
• Include as much valid documentation confirming condition/diagnosis and proof of expense as possible, such as:
  • Invoices (invoices should include date of service and type of service; name of provider and amount paid/payable).
  • Documentation should be from a care provider and be on official letterhead.
  • If you haven’t yet received a diagnosis or treatment, and/or your documentation isn’t on hand, provide as much information about your condition as possible, including estimates of treatment costs in your local area, if possible
  • Do not send images such as photographs and x-rays.

• Submit a resume/bio/CV which shows recent and sustained artistic practice over the course of at least the last five years, since 2019, in an eligible discipline or disciplines.
  • List specific events/opportunities for the public to experience your work over this time (at least once annually), including the year, location (city or town and venue), and title.
  • These can include exhibits/screenings/performances/activities in art spaces, galleries, local businesses, art houses/film series, public art installations, public spaces, museums, fairs/festivals, community projects, and/or residencies with public-facing components. Works-in-progress are eligible; student exhibits, performances, and other activities are not.
  • We do not accept portfolios/work samples. Reduced activity during the pandemic (2020-21) is acceptable. Work that is created for online distribution and consumption is eligible IF it is a creative work, and was actively marketed to the public for showing at a specific date and time.
  • If self-produced online presentations or sales of your work are your sole platform, such as Instagram or YouTube, or your work is only available on-demand, we cannot consider your application eligible.
  • If you are a choreographer and perform your own work live, your resume needs to clearly indicate that you were BOTH the choreographer and dancer.
• Certify that the information in the application is true.

You may request funds for related, eligible expenses incurred for up to 12 months from the date of the emergency. For example, if an emergency occurred on May 15, 2024, you can request funds for eligible expenses through May 14, 2025. Funds may be requested for expenses which you have already incurred, or will incur; which you have already paid for or have not. Whether or not you have insurance, you can request funds for your own out-of-pocket expenses. If you have not yet received a diagnosis or treatment because of lack of funding or the timing of this application, you may still apply. If you haven’t yet received a diagnosis or treatment, and/or your documentation isn’t on hand, provide as much information about your condition as possible, including estimates of treatment costs in your local area, if possible. If you receive a grant, you will be required to submit copies of paid bills/receipts for all funded expenses. You may also be required to submit a copy of your two most recently filed tax returns, demonstrating your adjusted gross income.

Eligible expenses include, but are not limited to, these out of pocket costs to the artist:

• Provider (hospital/doctor/dentist/clinic) bills, including co-pays
• Tests/diagnostics/assessments/consultations to determine necessary treatment
• Physical/occupational therapy, acupuncture, chiropractic
• Prescription drugs specifically for the emergency medical condition
• Emergency dental work
• Transportation expenses to/from appointments/treatments

Ineligible expenses include, but are not limited to:

• Non-emergency medical conditions
• Ongoing medical/psychological/psychiatric treatment
• Wellness visits, regular check-ups, annual exams or procedures
• Standard vision care or eyeglasses, or hearing aids, or medical equipment (unless required as a direct result of an emergency injury/surgery/condition)
• Elective procedures
• Insurance purchase/premiums
• Herbal/supplement/dietary/experimental treatments
• Any non-medical expenses, even if the result of an emergency

Grants cannot be requested for treatment, prescriptions, or other expenses related to a chronic condition, or a progressive/age-related condition such as arthritis or cataracts, unless there are extenuating circumstances which cause an unexpected and severe worsening of the condition. Example: A recent traumatic incident triggered a flareup of an existing mental health condition.

Chronic diseases are defined broadly as conditions that last one year or more and require ongoing medical, dental, or mental health attention or limit activities of daily living or both.

Funds go directly to the artist, not a medical provider, unless there is a specific reason to do otherwise, with pre-approval from NYFA. Grant awards are routinely paid via direct deposit.

We take the privacy of applicants and recipients seriously. The names of recipients of emergency grants are not published on our website or in our 990 or other financial documents. All reviewers sign confidentiality agreements, and the medical documentation and financial information such as tax returns is kept confidential and only seen by staff.

NYFA is committed to supporting artists from every background, and at all stages in their creative careers. We strongly encourage artists of color, LGBTQ+ artists, artists with disabilities, and artists living outside of the New York area to apply.

The artist must be the sole or primary creator of the artwork, and have full and final artistic control. If you assist the primary creator, or if you interpret another artist’s work such as music or choreography, you are not eligible.

You must show recent and sustained artistic activity in an eligible discipline(s) over the course of at least the last five years, since 2019, on your resume/bio/CV. You must list multiple opportunities for the public to experience your work, including the year, location (city or town and venue), and title. This can be through exhibits/screenings/performances/activities in art spaces, galleries, local businesses, art houses/film series, public art installations, public spaces, museums, fairs/festivals, community projects, and/or residencies with public-facing components. Works in progress are eligible; student exhibits, performances, and other activities are not. We do not accept portfolios/work samples as evidence of recent and sustained artistic activity. Reduced activity during the Covid-19 pandemic (2020-2021) is acceptable.

Work that is created for online distribution and consumption is eligible IF it is a creative work, and was actively marketed to the public for showing at a specific date and time. If self-produced online presentations or sales of your work are your sole platform, such as Instagram or YouTube, or your work is only available on-demand, we cannot consider your application eligible.

This program is intended for artists who work consistently and regularly in one or more of the eligible artforms, not those whose work in an eligible artform is tangential or incidental or infrequent. For example, a theater director who created movement for one or two productions as part of their direction would not be considered a choreographer.

You may apply if you work in multiple disciplines, as long as you have sustained public-facing activity in one or more of this program’s designated disciplines over at least the last five years (2019-2024).

Clearly indicate on your resume that you were the choreographer, dancer, or both for each credit.

We can only consider work that is self-standing within the designated disciplines.

Recognizing the lengthy production process of many independent film/video projects, we will consider production activity within the required recent artistic history, although public screenings/showings of the artist’s work must also have taken place.

None. These applications are reviewed for Demonstrated Need only, so no work samples and portfolios are necessary.

No, please feel free to submit your full resume. One, because we don’t want you to have to create a new resume for this application; and two, because seeing your complete artistic history is helpful contextual information. However, if you do want to submit just the last five years’ activity, be sure that it runs from 2019 to the present.

Yes, this program is only open to artists in financial need, with an averaged adjusted gross income (from your two most recent federal tax returns) of $75,000 or less; $150,000 or less if you file jointly.

A one-time, unexpected, non-chronic condition as a result of illness, violence, an accident or triggering event, or sudden medical event, that requires treatment to ensure your health or life, and which without treatment has extreme impact on your daily life and ability to carry out/return to your creative practice.

No, funds can only be used for a one-time, unexpected health-related condition. We do not cover expenses for treatment, prescriptions, or other expenses related to a chronic condition. Extenuating circumstances which cause an unexpected and severe worsening of the condition may be considered at the discretion of the panel. Example: A recent traumatic incident triggered a flareup of an existing mental health condition.

If you have recently been diagnosed with a condition which requires long-term treatment, such as cancer or multiple sclerosis, you may apply for the expenses of your initial exams/diagnosis, any emergency surgery, and other urgently-needed treatment to stabilize your condition.

Grant funds can be requested for expenses directly related to the emergency for up to 12 months following the date it occurred (a series of treatments to resolve the problem, physical therapy, etc.).

• Provide as much detail on your own as you can
• Find typical expenses in your area
• Request the maximum likely amount
• If you are awarded a grant, you can discuss receiving funds ahead of time to allow you to pay for exams/diagnosis.

Submit what you have, and we encourage you to estimate the highest likely amount up to the maximum of $5,000. If you receive a grant, you will ultimately only receive funding in the amount of your actual costs.

A PDF of no more than 15 pages including:

• Record of diagnosis/injury from your medical provider with the date of the emergency
• Document from your medical provider of what treatment was/is required
• Date(s)
• Type
• Your actual or estimated financial obligation
• No photos or x-rays, please

Provide information on the primary condition/diagnosis and the expense. Staff will reach out to you for more information if your application moves forward in the panel process.

Our deadlines are firm. If the only item you are missing is the medical documentation, and you expect to receive it shortly, go ahead and apply. If your application moves to the next stage of the process, staff will reach out to you for material. Otherwise, plan to apply in the next cycle if your emergency occurred during the eligible time window.

We recommend that in selecting which emergency to apply for, you consider which:

• Has the highest eligible expenses up to $5,000
• Meets our definition of emergency
• Has the most solid documentation

If all other requirements are met, you may apply for expenses related to both.

Yes, you may request funds for expenses you have already paid and/or expenses not yet paid or incurred.

Yes, if it is prescribed by a medical professional, limited in scope and is vital to recovery from the emergency cited.

Yes, if they are prescribed by a medical professional and are vital to recovery from the emergency cited and not ongoing in nature.

Yes, if it is prescribed by a medical professional and is vital to recovery from the emergency cited and not ongoing in nature.

No, these are generally not eligible expenses.

Yes, if it is prescribed by a medical professional and is vital to recovery from the emergency cited and not ongoing in nature.

If you can demonstrate your condition is at a point where treatment is urgently necessary to protect your life or health, you can apply. For example:

• A broken tooth wasn’t repaired and it is now infected
• An injury from a past fall wasn’t treated and has recently gotten much worse, requiring treatment

Elective or pre-planned treatment is not eligible.

This program can only accept applications for the emergency medical expenses of the artist themselves.

No. Only out-of-pocket emergency medical expenses are eligible.

No, the fund only covers medical, dental, or mental health expenses, no other damages or loss of property.

No.

No, funds can only be used for medical emergencies as outlined above. Please refer to NYFA’s website for other kinds of emergency or financial support.

Yes, you may ask for any amount up to $5,000.

Our support is to help grantees to recover and return to their creative practice. Therefore, grants are generally awarded at the maximum amount of eligible expenses, up to $5,000 (sometimes these are less than the actual requested amount). NYFA reserves the right to determine eligible and reasonable expenses to support through this grant program.

We anticipate notifying applicants of their status within six weeks of the application deadline. For those receiving grants, additional documentation is required, and payment processing can take a minimum of up to 30 business days after all paperwork is submitted. These processing times are subject to change.

Yes. If you are awarded a grant, you will need to provide copies of paid bills/receipts for the emergency expenses described in your application.

We classify these as emergency grants, and you will not receive a 1099 for these funds.

Grant funds are only sent to the artist, not a medical provider, unless there is a specific reason to do otherwise, with pre-approval from NYFA. Grant awards are routinely paid via direct deposit.

A pool of funds is allocated for each cycle. Cycles will occur bi-monthly through at least June 2025. If you are an unsuccessful applicant, and continue to meet eligibility requirements (including the date of your emergency), you may reapply with a new application in a future cycle.

To receive your grant, you will need to sign a Letter of Agreement and provide other formal documentation including copies of your medical bills/invoices. We require a report six months after the award to know how your recovery and work are progressing. We may request an interim report after two-three months, as well.

Yes. We understand that certain medical conditions may make it necessary for a proxy to complete the application, but the funds will only be released to the artist who has experienced the emergency.

We do accept applications completed and submitted by a proxy; if the grant is awarded, the artist themself will need to legally accept the grant.

Yes. We understand that under certain conditions, it may be easier for an artist to submit a paper application. If this is of interest, please email [email protected] or call 212- 366-6900 ext. 239 to speak with the program coordinator.

If you have MS Office, and you have the files as Word, you should have Adobe Acrobat on your computer or you can download it for free, and you can save the doc or an email from your provider as an Adobe pdf file.

For medical documentation, the best choice is to scan up to 15 pages and have them saved as one PDF. If you don’t have a scanner, if you have a friend or relative close by with a scanner, or can get to a FedEx-type shop, that’s best. If not, you can contact the program coordinator at [email protected] to make arrangements.

Step-by-step guidance for using the Submittable platform and setting up a free account is available here.

Yes. To save your application as a draft, scroll to the bottom of your working application and select “Save Draft.” Sign in to your submittable account to view your draft applications. You can’t also sign in via the direct link to saved drafts here.

We highly suggest using a laptop or desktop computer to complete your application on the platform, rather than a mobile device or tablet. Free access to these types of computers are available at most public library branches, including those throughout New York City. For a smoother performance, we recommend using either Firefox or Chrome as your browser. If you’re already using Chrome, please clear the browser cache and cookies. Additionally, please make sure you are using the most up to date version of your browser.

If you are still running into technical issues, you can reach out to Submittable’s Support team directly via the contact form, Submitter Support, or via the support email address [email protected] so that they can troubleshoot directly.

To preview your submitted application, please sign in to your Submittable account. If you continue having issues viewing your submission, please reach out to [email protected] for further assistance.

Note: Submitted applications should only be previewed using the link above; you may not be able to preview your submitted application by signing in through the same portal link you used to apply.