Blog / 2009 / Granting Emergency Relief

Though I look quite happy in this photo, it’s the industrial-strength pain killers that are giving me that healthy glow. I was in the hospital to treat my endometriosis with an emergency surgery.

Three months after the operation, I am recovering physically, but not so much financially. I have a high deductible insurance plan—or “catastrophe insurance” as I like to call it. This means that my bills are not astronomical: they’re just very very big. Like most people, I hadn’t prepared my pocketbook or my life for an expensive health problem. Luckily, there are people who care about artists experiencing financial difficulties, and I applied to five such foundations for assistance.

Last week I received checks from two of the organizations, Artists’ Fellowship Inc and Change Inc. I am very grateful for the assistance that they have given me. They’ve made everything around here a lot less stressful:

• Artists’ Fellowship Inc
  The Fellowship’s requirements—including its application form—are available on its website.
• Change Inc
  The only source of information on Change Inc’s emergency grant comes from calling 212-473-3742. At the other end of that phone number is a recorded message which explains that the maximum grant is $1000, that only completed applications are accepted, and that the application consists of the following:
• a letter detailing need
• copies of unpaid bills or medical estimates from a doctor
• proof of inability to pay in the form of recent bank statements
• your résumé
• reviews or notices of exhibitions
• photos of your work
• two letters of reference from professional art experts