Literary legend Mitch Albom, Huntington Bank and Metro Solutions have partnered with the Detroit Office of Arts, Culture and Entrepreneurship to host the Metro Detroit COVID-19 Artist Crisis Emergency Fund (A.C.E. Fund) to provide some relief for local arts & cultural workers who are experiencing a sudden and severe loss of wages during the COVID-19 public health crisis.

The rapid cancellation of events, performances and conferences and the temporary closure of the hospitality and travel industries have caused Detroit-area artists to face severe income loss. As the City of Detroit, as well as Wayne and Oakland counties, work overtime to help all residents who have lost jobs or income—the A.C.E. Fund will address the plight of individual artists who live from gig to gig, event to event, one 1099 tax form to the next.

Musicians across the city lost the places where they perform; painters lost exhibitions to sell their work. Some arts organizations lost their entire spring seasons, leaving artists with talent, but no stage.

We have launched a GoFundMe campaign at http://tiny.cc/acefund that will provide unrestricted cash grants to help artists who:

• Have lost wages and earnings
• Need reimbursement for conference and travel losses
• Need funds for medical expenses, rent or mortgage payments, food and utilities, and other living expenses.

The initial goal for the campaign is $50,000. The Fund is expected to exceed $100,000, thanks to initial investments from the Huntington Bank Foundation, Mitch Albom and Rochelle Riley. Anyone and everyone can also donate to the A.C.E. Fund by sending a check to Metro Solutions, 18000 W. Nine Mile Rd. Suite 360, Southfield, MI 48075. Please write A.C.E. Fund in the memo section. Metro Solutions is the fiduciary for the fund. All donations are tax-deductible.

As a part of this campaign, Mitch and Rochelle also are planning a virtual telethon featuring performances by and visits with fine and performing artists and others across the region performing, creating or talking about their work.

A.C.E. Fund is asking artists of all genres to please send a horizontal video no more than three minutes long, showing them performing, creating or talking about their craft or lives. We will edit these smaller packages into a stream to show our community the genius that exists here. Videos can be submitted to detroitartsandculture@gmail.com. Details of the telethon will be released shortly.

This effort mirrors those in other cities, such as Seattle, Indianapolis and Chicago, where artist emergency relief funds have been established. Germany recently approved a $54 billion national relief package for artists and others impacted by the pandemic.

If our region is as generous as it has always been to the arts communities, the A.C.E. Fund may extend to artists in a larger part of the region. Please join us to help one of our creative community not just survive but thrive when the pandemic ends.

How the Fund works
Applicants will apply directly to the fund here. Metro Solutions will accept online applications and distribute one $500 grant per artist whose livelihood was affected by the pandemic. The funds would be distributed until they run out. Any artists who do not receive awards will be tracked and directed to other resources. We don’t want to leave anyone out.

Why this is important
Michigan’s creative industries are part of a national arts and culture segment that is vital to our national, state and local economy. The nation’s culture and creative industries were responsible for 4.5 percent of the 2017 national gross national product, or GDP, according to a just-released Bureau of Economic Analysis report. That compared to 3.7 percent from the U.S. auto industry that year.

The impact of COVID-19 on local arts & culture
The pandemic has affected thousands of artists as well as the administrators and employees of more than 200 arts and cultural organizations in Detroit, Wayne and Oakland counties creative economy, including those that teach children.

Even as artists reel from the health crisis, they are seeking ways to inspire through social media. The music we’re listening to and shows we’re watching and books we’re reading and games we’re playing are testimonies to the way the arts provide us joy in times of pain.

We are asking the entire creative community and its supporters to share news of The Fund on social media to amplify our efforts to serve and support our community at this difficult time.

Artists and supporters can find updated information daily on the ACE Office website.