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SINGAPORE: More than 300 key arts and culture organizations, as well as those in closely related sectors such as media and design, will receive a one-time operating grant of S $ 50,000 or S $ 75,000 depending on their size.
The grant will help organizations defray operating costs and safeguard key capabilities as well as livelihoods, the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) said in a newsletter on Thursday (October 15).
“We hope that the grant will allow recipient organizations to continue creating job opportunities for the self-employed they normally hire,” he said.
The grant is part of additional aid measures for the arts, culture and sports sectors announced by Culture, Community and Youth Minister Edwin Tong in Parliament on Thursday.
Eligible organizations include those with key capabilities such as audience development, community arts, or technical theater. These organizations will be identified and contacted directly to ensure that aid reaches those who need it most.
READ: Arts and Culture Sector Resilience Package Will Support Until End of 2020 – Baey Yam Keng
This new grant is part of the S $ 55 million Arts and Culture Resilience Package announced in June to support skills enhancement and safeguard livelihoods in the arts and culture sector amid COVID- 19.
With the grant, Mr. Tong said that MCCY expects to fully utilize the S $ 55 million by the end of the 2020 financial year. More information about the grant will be available on the National Arts Council (NAC) website by the end of October.
But while Tong said the financial plans will help, he acknowledged that the most sustainable way to help the arts and culture sector is to resume activities on a large scale and safely.
READ: COVID-19 – Live performances to resume in Singapore with small-scale pilot events
Since September 11, MCCY and NAC had been testing small-scale live performances at select art venues as a first step toward their gradual resumption in a safe and sustainable manner.
“We are reviewing how we can fully resume and expand live performances for the sector, with appropriate measures to always prioritize the safety of our audience, artists and equipment,” Tong said.
“In the coming days, we also hope to progressively reintroduce programs into museums in a safe manner as more social activities resume.”
THE FREELANCERS FOR MORE HELP
NAC’s Art Resource Center (ARH), which has nearly 5,000 subscribers, will also step up efforts to support the self-employed, including identifying job opportunities or skill enhancement for the self-employed.
“MCCY and NAC, through ARH, will work with them to intensify efforts to help them take advantage of available resources to support them, identify and also facilitate job opportunities, skills upgrades and also help them take advantage of digital technology,” Tong said. . .
“It may not always be so easy for freelancers to do this on their own, and we recognize that. We have a team created to analyze your needs and see how best to organize efforts to match them with available programs. “
READ: COVID-19 – Financial Aid Fund to be Created for Freelancers in Singapore’s Performing Arts Industry
The ARH has been hosting regular talks on relevant topics and adding job opportunities to its job portal. It also reopened two co-working spaces for freelancers to network and collaborate earlier this month.
MCCY said that the ARH will provide comprehensive support to the self-employed in the areas of work facilitation, capacity building, legal and financial knowledge and digitization.
For example, MCCY said it is reaching out to other agencies, including Workforce Singapore and SkillsFuture Singapore, to expand support for freelance art workers in areas such as contract agreements and job opportunities in adjacent sectors.
“Arts and culture freelancers are an important part of the ecosystem,” MCCY said, adding that they can continue to take advantage of NAC’s general grants, such as the Market and Audience Development Grant that has now been expanded to include digital works and presentations. .
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