Los Angeles Wildfires Emergency Microgrant (Cycle I)

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LOS ANGELES WILDFIRE EMERGENCY MICROGRANTS 

YoungArts is offering unrestricted Emergency Microgrants to Los Angeles community members who have been significantly impacted by the wildfires. $5,000 microgrants will be distributed to eligible applicants who are experiencing "urgent financial emergencies", which we define as the lack–or imminent endangerment–of essentials such as housing, medicine, childcare, and food within the next four weeks.

To reach as many impacted individuals as possible, awardees may only receive one microgrant through this program.

ELIGIBILITY 

Applicants must be: 

  • 18 years of age by the application deadline 
  • National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts (NFAA) or YoungArts community member, including:  Awardees in any year or discipline (Winner with Distinction, Winner, Finalist, Honorable Mention, or Merit), and/or Independent Contractors (Discipline Coordinator, Resident Advisor, Logistics or Production Team member, Documentation, Guest Artist, Coach, Teacher, Panelist, Reviewer, Creative Team, Accompanist, etc.) 
  • Able to receive taxable income in the U.S. 
  • Able to provide a copy of a valid ID
  • Able to provide proof of residency in Los Angeles County
  • Experiencing an urgent financial emergency due to the wildfires 

REVIEW PROCESS 

Eligibility is the sole criterion, and it is verified by YoungArts staff. Should the demand exceed available funds, eligible applications will be selected using an anonymized lottery system.  

If you are not selected for this cycle, please reapply again with the same information. There is no need to adjust your application, unless your circumstances change. 

GUIDELINES 

Microgrant Size: Los Angeles Wildfire Emergency Microgrants are a one-time, unrestricted fund of $5,000 per individual applicant.   

Effort: The application should take less than 20 minutes to complete and can be submitted on any device with Internet access. YoungArts staff are available to provide support. 

Required paperwork: If selected to receive a Los Angeles Wildfire Emergency Microgrant, the notification email will contain a link to a JotForm. It will collect your signature, W9, and ACH information. Completing the JotForm should take no more than 15 minutes on any device with Internet access.  

Payment: Microgrants will be issued in a single, one-time payment following the successful completion of the JotForm. YoungArts’ Finance team will remit payments on Fridays in coordination with recipients’ completion of required paperwork. More information about payment timing can be found in the next section.  

Reporting: Final reporting is not required.  

TIMELINES 

*Dates subject to change. 

CYCLE I: 

Application opens:    Thursday, January 16, 2025 

Application deadline:   Sunday, February 2, 2025 (11:59 PM PST)  

Email notification of results:  Monday, February 3, 2025, by 3:00 PM PST  

Completed JotForm due:  Wednesday, February 5, 2025, by 9:00 AM PST  

Payments distributed:   Friday, February 7, 2025  

CYCLE II: 

Application opens:    Sunday, February 2, 2025 

Application deadline:   Sunday, March 2, 2025 (11:59 PM PST)  

Email notification of results:  Monday, March 3, 2025, by 3:00 PM PST  

Completed JotForm due:  Wednesday, March 5, 2025, by 9:00 AM PST  

Payments distributed:   Friday, March 7, 2025 

To receive payment within the same week, grantees must submit the JotForm by the deadline. If the documents are submitted after the Wednesday cutoff, the payment will be processed the following Friday. 

STAFF SUPPORT 

We are here to make the submission process as easy as possible. Please contact community@youngarts.org or (305) 377-1140 for general inquiries and Eloise Janssen at ejanssen@youngarts.org or (786) 530-7944 for time-sensitive or more specific requests. 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS  

What is the amount of each Wildfire Emergency Microgrant? 

  • $5,000.00 USD 

Am I guaranteed to receive funds? 

  • Unfortunately, due to limited funds and potential volume of applications, we cannot guarantee everyone will be funded.  

If I have received other funding or support from YoungArts in the last 12 months, am I eligible to apply for a Los Angeles Wildfire Emergency Microgrant? 

  • Yes. 

Are students whose livelihoods depended on scholarships and boarding at school—which have been canceled or suspended—eligible? 

  • Yes, students 18 and older are eligible. 

Do you have to be a permanent resident or citizen of the US to be eligible?  

  • No, applicants just need to be able to receive taxable income in the US. 

How will I be notified if I am selected?  

  • Applicants will be notified via email. Please check your junk and spam folders on the anticipated notification date. 

Why are you collecting demographic data from applicants? Who has access to this data? 

  • We are committed to equity and inclusion and view data as an essential tool in our accountability to this commitment. Collected information does not affect eligibility or selection. Individual applicant data (including name) will not be shared, duplicated, or distributed publicly. Aggregated applicant data may be collected, summarized, or shared in reports to funders and/or the public, without disclosing any individualized or personal information. Providing demographic information is entirely optional and it is not required to apply. 

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If you are anticipating a financial challenge that is not yet urgent or may be smaller in scale than $5,000, please consider waiting to apply until a future cycle so that others in immediate need can receive support first.  

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES 

We use Submittable to accept and review our submissions.
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