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COVID-19: Resources and funding support

Posted on December 1, 2021

Helpful resources and further support for those affected by the Coronavirus crisis

The Creative Access team have shifted to a blended model of home and office-based working. We appreciate that these are challenging times for everyone, and especially conscious that interns, trainees and a range of creative professionals may be experiencing high degrees of uncertainty. Below are a collection of helpful resources and further support for those affected by the COVID-19 Coronavirus crisis. Please note this blog post is regularly updated as more material becomes available.

Official news, guidance and financial support

  • NHS Advice on Coronavirus 
  • UK Government advice on Coronavirus 
  • The Government’s advice on on self-employment and Universal CreditUniversal Credit is a monthly payment to help with your living costs. You may be able to get it if you’re on a low income or out of work. The minimum income floor in Universal Credit will be temporarily relaxed for those directly affected by Covid-19 or self-isolating, ensuring self-employed claimants will be compensated for losses in income 
  • Official guidance on claiming sick pay and other benefits from the Department of Work and Pensions 
  • You can apply for an Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) if you have a disability or health condition that affects how much you can work. 
  • HMRC has set up a dedicated Covid-19 helpline to help those in need. HMRC will also waive late payment penalties and interest where a business experiences administrative difficulty contacting HMRC or paying taxes due to Covid-19 
  • UCL School of Management has published “The pain of financial stress, and what you can do about it” with tips on how financial stress can be reduced and a glossary of common financial terms. 
  • If you’re on low income and can’t work due to self-isolation, you may be eligible for the £500 Test and Trace Support Payment 
  • If you’ve been told to work from home and your household costs have increased as a result, you may be eligible for HMRC’s working from home tax relief.

Creative industries support

  • Creative Access & McLaren Racing are offering bursaries of between £250 and £1000 to those from under-represented communities to help remove the financial barriers of entering or progressing in the creative economy. 
  • The Arts Council have funds and support available for artists and creatives as well as a Financial Difficulties guide and toolkit to help individuals recognise and manage some of the financial challenges they might be facing 
  • The Film & TV Charity provide a support line and financial relief to workers affected by the crisis as well as stop-gap grants of up to £750. 
  • Leading theatrical charities provide information about how and where you can access support if you work in the theatre industry. 
  • Museum news and support for freelancers working within museums, galleries, archives, libraries and heritage sites 
  • Dance Professionals Fund offer grants for professional dancers, including support for freelance dancers with portfolio careers 
  • The Arts Marketing Association offer free webinars and resources for those in the arts, culture and heritage sector 
  • Mayor of London’s resources for creative organisations and freelancers 
  • The City of London Corporation have compiled a list of resources, guidance and funding opportunities for those working in the tourism, arts, culture and creative sectors
  • PressPad offer mentoring sessions, masterclasses, networking opportunities and accommodation to entry-level journalists. 
  • The Book Trade Charity offer affordable housing in North London to those who are looking to enter the publishing industry. 

Housing advice 

  • If you live independently – renting an apartment, house or room or in a low-income household – you may be able to get support with your housing costs, through claiming Universal Credit or new style ESA. More info here 

Mental health 

  • Mind offer advice and support for those struggling with their mental health 
  • YoungMinds have some excellent advice and resources on looking after your mental health while self-isolating 
  • Top tips for working from home and a free peer-support network from Creative Lives for anyone involved in arts, culture and creativity who would welcome the opportunity to talk to others about wellbeing and other topics 

Other resources and useful information 

  • The Citizens Advice Bureau provides guidance for those struggling with living costs 
  • Debt charity, Step Change, outline what to do if you need emergency help with money and food 
  • The charity, National Debtline, provides useful advice and guidance on claiming benefits 
  • Turn2us is a national charity which provides financial support to help people get back on track during tough times 
  • General financial advice and guidance on paying bills from the team at Money Saving Expert 
  • Ideas for budgeting and managing your money from the Money Advice Service 
  • The Department for Education have launched The Skills Toolkit – an online platform giving access to free digital and numeracy courses to help people build up their skills and boost employability
  • RIFT have set up a Guide to Tax Debt and Mental Health 

If you have further resources we can add to this list, tweet at us @_CreativeAccess.