Cultural, creative industries called to apply for Covid-19 relief funding

This relief is a once-off payment to successful applicants. There is a maximum threshold of R15,000 to successful individual applicants, and R30,000 to formations such as small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs), organisations or cooperatives.

As the Department of Small Business Development, we endeavour to promote and empower all SMMEs and cooperatives, regardless of their sector,” Minister of Small Business Development, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, said.

The minister’s department has collaborated with the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture to establish a fund that will provide relief to organisations, enterprises as well as individual practitioners in the craft, design, visual arts and audio-visual sectors.

The two departments will contribute an equal amount of money to set up a fund, worth R22,282,000.

“We, as a department, are committed to ensuring that artists are supported as we gradually return to normality, albeit under strict health protocols, and to pick up the pieces as we begin the journey to full economic recovery,” Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Nathi Mthethwa, said.

Open to crafters, designers, artists, producers, directors...

The relief funding is open to crafters, who are practitioners involved in the production of a broad range of utilitarian and decorative items produced using a range of materials, skills and techniques such as grass-weaving, ceramics, beadwork, wirework, wood, jewellery, paper, fabric painting and printing, quilting, leatherwork, pewter, glasswork, embroidery and mixed media.

“The craft sector usually overlaps with certain design disciplines but today’s announcement is that design, as a specific sector, will also benefit from this relief. Design includes a wide range of different sub-sectors such as product design, fashion design, textile design and jewellery design and so on,” the departments said.

Also included in this relief is the audio-visual sector, and it covers support to producers, directors, art directors, camera operators, people involved in lighting, runners, sound, costume, hair and makeup, on-set photographers, post-production and animation.

The relief also extends to visual artists. This sector is also defined as fine arts (including painting, sculpture, printmaking, ceramics and drawing), contemporary art (such as performance art and installations) and photography.

This assistance also includes freelancers (independent contractors).

Interested applicants will find the application forms on www.dsbd.gov.za and www.srsa.gov.za.

Applications are open from 2 November 2020 and should be submitted by midday on 12 November 2020. Applicants will be informed about the outcome of their applications by latest 1 December 2020. Payments to successful applicants are anticipated to be finalised by latest 23 December 2020.

The funding will be distributed per province by nine designated hubs and development agencies, namely;

• The Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC),
• The Free State Development Corporation (FDA),
• The Gauteng Tourism Authority (GTA),
• Trade and Investment KZN,
• The Limpopo Economic Development Agency (LEDA),
• The Mpumalanga Economic Growth Agency (MEGA),
• The Bokone-Bophirima Craft & Design Institute (BBCDI), the North West
• The Northern Cape Economic Development Agency (NCEDA) and the
• The Craft and Design Institute (CDI), the Western Cape

Interested applicants are also advised to visit the above-mentioned hubs and development agencies' websites to access application forms. – SAnews.gov.za