Berlin authorities have announced a series of emergency funding initiatives to support small and medium-sized private cultural institutions across the city.
The Berlin Senate announced this week that it would soon be offering €100 million in €5,000 grants to freelance workers and small businesses in the cultural sector that employ fewer than five people. The money will be given to different businesses as a grant on a case-by-case basis via application.
The senate is also offering a further €300 million in loans for the retail, leisure, hotel, restaurant and cultural industries to see businesses through the crisis.
The grant programme for freelancers has been dubbed Emergency Aid 2 and covers a range of leisure industries, including those working within music and events. Another aid package for small businesses that employ between five and 250 people, meanwhile, also covers nightclubs and music venues, in addition to private museums and galleries. It’s hoped this fund, dubbed Emergency Aid 1, will help businesses cover lost entry fees from not being able to open.
The application process, which is still in development, will be made as simple as possible, according to the Berlin Senate, in order to limit the bureaucratic burden on freelancers and small businesses. Those applying for the grants must only prove that the money given will secure their "professional or operational existence."
The launch of these initiatives follows an extension last week of Germany’s nationwide ban on events until August 31.
To keep up with how the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting music worldwide, click here.
