Aid A — support for creative projects in exile after the forced displacement of artists and independent authors

Support for creative projects in exile has become a way for many artists to preserve their professional practice after forced displacement, the loss of their familiar environment and the breakdown of cultural connections. Without a studio, stage, institutions, team, language or financial stability, even strong artists often find themselves in a state of pause where continuing their work becomes almost impossible.
It is precisely with these situations that Aid A — an international initiative supporting artists in exile — works. The program helps authors forced to leave their countries because of war, political repression, censorship or threats continue creating and completing artistic projects while living in exile.
It is important to understand that Aid A is not an emergency evacuation program and not a relocation system with housing support. The organization clearly states that it does not provide accommodation. Instead, Aid A supports specific creative and artistic projects, helping authors remain professionally active after forced displacement.

How the program works
Aid A reviews individual applications from artists and supports projects at the stages of development, production or completion. Support is provided in a flexible format — the organization does not publish fixed grant amounts or strict budget limits.
In the application, the artist describes:
— their current situation;
— artistic practice;
— the project itself;
— what kind of support is needed;
— the approximate amount requested;
— the expected timeline for implementation.
Based on published cases, it is clear that Aid A operates more like a small independent solidarity initiative than a large institutional grant program. What matters here is not the scale of the budget, but the opportunity to help artists continue speaking through art.

What creative projects in exile does Aid A support
The program supports:
— music projects;
— exhibitions;
— theatre productions;
— films and documentary works;
— literary projects;
— translations;
— performances;
— interdisciplinary practices.
Support may cover not only the production of the work itself, but also publication, editing, recording, translation, post-production, research or project presentation.

Who the program is for
Aid A is especially suitable for:
— artists who recently left their country;
— authors in exile continuing their artistic practice;
— artists working with themes of war, memory, human rights, censorship, repression and exile;
— independent authors without access to large institutions;
— artists who need targeted support to complete a project.
Applicants may come from different disciplines including visual art, music, literature, film, theatre, journalism and interdisciplinary practices.

What this support looks like in practice
Published cases show that Aid A supports very different types of projects:
— musicians finishing anti-war albums;
— writers completing books and translations;
— artists preparing exhibitions;
— filmmakers completing films;
— journalists and documentary creators continuing independent projects in exile.
In many cases, the program supports not only the project itself, but also the artist’s ability to preserve their professional voice after forced displacement.

What is important to keep in mind
Aid A does not function as a mass open call with strict deadlines and complicated bureaucracy. Rather, it is a small independent initiative that reviews applications individually and personally.
The organization also does not publish exact timelines for application review. Depending on the nature of the program, waiting for a response may take from several weeks to several months.
At the same time, it is important to understand that Aid A supports artistic projects specifically, not academic education, relocation itself or long-term financial maintenance of the artist.
The program is focused specifically on support for creative projects in exile and preserving independent artistic practice after forced displacement.
Aid A is especially valuable because it helps artists in exile avoid silence and preserve their artistic practice during a forced break from their familiar environment.