SA Jazz Musicians Offered Covid Relief Funds By A Switzerland Foundation
SA Jazz Musicians Offered Covid Relief Funds By A Switzerland Foundation. The lockdown regulations which were enforced in different countries since March 2020 following the coronavirus pandemic saw many musicians across the world go through financial challenges as live performances and theatres were shut down in an effort to prevent and curb the spread of the virus. As a result, it left many creatives in the cold stranded without an income. Relief fund’s programmes have been implemented to help out artist, and international foundations have also reached out as a helping hand to jazz musicians.
Levedo Foundation based in Switzerland, in partnership with Pro Helvetia Johannesburg, is calling on all professional jazz musicians based in South Africa whose livelihoods have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic to apply for its short-term relief fund. The relief grants are available for a six-month period and all applications should be submitted by midnight on Sunday, 28 March 2021 and applicants will receive notification of the result of their application by the end of April.
The relief fund is administered by Pro Helvetia Johannesburg, which is the regional office of the Swiss Arts Council in the country. A panel of experts with diverse knowledge and experience of the South African jazz field has been appointed to evaluate applications and make recommendations to the Levedo Foundation and Pro Helvetia Johannesburg on the allocation of grants
The requirements to apply for the relief fund are primarily based in and active in South Africa (regardless of your citizenship), actively participating in the broadly defined jazz field as a performer or composer, have a professional track record of at least a year of involvement in performance and/or recording jazz music, with some portion of your income being derived from this source, and have experienced loss of income as a result of the restrictions and public health measures imposed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This finance is made available in exceptional circumstances, as a short-term measure to support jazz musicians in South Africa during this difficult period. It is important to emphasise that such funding is not part of the normal mandate of either organisation, and these measures are not foreseen to be sustained beyond the stated six-month period,” a statement reads.
