How to Help Arts Workers Hurt by the Pandemic: Give, but Safely

As online campaigns to help those let go by cultural venues proliferate, experts say to be generous, but careful. As the coronavirus began to shut down movie theaters across the country this past week, Nellie Killian, a 38-year-old film programmer in Brooklyn, had an idea. On Saturday she and three colleagues launched an online appeal to raise funds for laid-off theater workers in New York. “You are telling these big corporations you should be closing for health reasons, but the people who are going to pay the immediate price are these hourly employees,” Ms.

Killian said in an interview. “It really is a very small-scale stopgap effort to try to get people grocery money for this week. ” So on Monday, she sent out a tweet, targeting the public, of course, but addressed to a few of the high-profile stars who have tested positive for the virus. “Hello @tomhanks, @RitaWilson, and @idriselba, If you are bored in quarantine and would like to support movie theater workers in NYC who aren’t getting paid this week, help us get the word out!

” By late Wednesday, the GoFundMe page had raised more than $54,000 from 1,100 donations, and more than 330 people had applied for financial help. With the Covid-19 virus hitting the nation’s cultural sector hard, a growing number of financial appeals are being launched to help people in the industry who are suddenly facing missing paychecks, lost gigs or other expensive, unforeseen demands. Initiatives of this sort, born from the best of human impulses, have surfaced before in the days following events like Hurricane Sandy or the attacks of 9/11. And like those days, when a few unscrupulous types tried to hide among the well-intentioned, charity experts warn donors to react with their heads as well as their hearts so that only the many legitimate funds benefit from their generosity.

“It’s unfortunate that disasters, whether man-made or natural, sometimes bring out the worst in people,” said Kevin Scally, the chief relationship officer at Charity Navigator, a nonprofit group that evaluates the quality and performance of charitable organizations. Nothing but good will is evident in the appeals that have launched so far. One is devoted to helping low-income artists. Another focuses on bookstore employees.

One appeal is looking to raise money so that musicians in Washington will be able to livestream their gigs. Others are seeking help for dancers in New York, musicians in Austin, Texas, and performance artists in San Francisco. Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, a nonprofit charity that awards grants, has launched a “Covid-19 Emergency Assistance Fund,” that has so far raised more than $450,000 toward a $1 million goal. Its website says the campaign will “help entertainment professionals meet Corona-related expenses and other challenges brought about by the evolving pandemic.