Basa to support #Covid-19 affected artists

To this end, a funding campaign has been launched at gogetfunding.com/bizartza/ to enable BASA to also consider applications from individual artists for one-off, short-term financial aid for Covid-19-related medical care and/or prescription medicines. The aid can also be used to offset the loss of income due to the cancellation of confirmed engagements, as a result of the nationwide lockdown or other emergency measures.

Charmaine Soobramoney, the chairperson of the BASA board, says: "Covid-19 has forced the world to unite and fight against this invisible enemy. The challenge and the fight are real as the virus impacts, lives, livelihoods, the economy and highlights the inequalities that need to be addressed. The BASA board of directors acknowledges the continued challenges artists are subjected to. We celebrate their resilience and appreciate the role that they play in provoking thought and uplifting the energies of the consumers of the arts."

BASA champions business investment within the arts, cultural and heritage sector, and to date, the BASA Supporting Grants programme has disbursed more than R40m to over 1,600 projects, which in turn have leveraged over R515m in sponsorship from the business sector – that equates to R19m in business support, for every R1m of Supporting Grants funds during the 2018/2019 financial year.

To apply for an Artists Relief Grant, applicants submit a proposal letter via email, together with specified supporting documentation. Successful applicants are then invited to complete the application online with a final outcome expected within two weeks. Further details and eligibility criteria are available from https://www.basa.co.za/home-page/growth/supporting-grants-2/artist-relief-grant/. For enquiries about Artist Relief Grants please email moc.duolci@asab.stnarg.

To apply for a Supporting Grant, applicants have to adhere to a process – which has been designed to add value to an already existing partnership between an arts organisation and business sponsors. Both the arts applicant and the sponsor must submit a joint application on the prescribed forms and clearly demonstrate how the partnership benefits both the sponsor and the recipient. New, emerging and established arts projects that already have sponsors on board are eligible and forms are available for download from (https://www.basa.co.za/home-page/growth/supporting-grants-2/supporting-grant/apply ). For enquiries about Supporting Grants please email az.oc.asab@ohpis.

About BASA

Constituted in terms of the Companies Act, BASA is registered as a public benefit organisation (PBO) and is accountable to its stakeholders. The BASA board of directors is chaired by Charmaine Soobramoney, with deputy chair Mandie van der Spuy, and Kojo Baffoe, Kathy Berman, Devi Sankaree Govender, Ashraf Johaardien (BASA CEO), Hilton Lawler, Andre Le Roux, Khanyi Mamba, Zingisa Motloba, Carel Nolte, Dr Yacoob Omar and Mirna Wessels. For more information please visit www.basa.co.za; to become a BASA member, click on the ‘Join Us’ tab at the top of the homepage.