International Resources for Emergency Support and Income

Money, protection, or income can be needed right now, not eventually: crowdfunding platforms for fundraising, emergency assistance during threats, support after relocation. International resources for emergency support are checked and kept current, not copied from someone else’s list. Current grants, competitions, and residencies are on their own pages.

2026
10 emergency support schemes for artists in 2026

10 international emergency support programmes for artists facing emigration, threats or financial di…

Emergency assistance for artists, relocation, financial support and grants for artists in exile. 10 international programmes available in 2026 …
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No deadline
Weltoffenes Berlin — the integration of artists in Berlin

Weltoffenes Berlin — integrating artists in Berlin through cultural networks and professional suppor…

The Berlin Senate’s programme helps artists and cultural professionals to build professional networks, settle into cultural scene and advance their …
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No deadline
 Atelier des Artistes — integrating artists in France

Atelier des Artistes en Exil — a programme supporting and integrating exiled artists in France

Support for artists in France: workshops, French language courses, cultural mediation and professional integration …
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No deadline
Artistic Freedom Initiative — relocating artists to the US

Artistic Freedom Initiative (AFI) — Free Artist Relocation to the USA and Legal Assistance

Free artist relocation to the USA with AFI support: legal assistance, housing, work authorization, residencies, and professional adaptation …
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No deadline
Artist Protection Fund — support for artists at risk

Artist Protection Fund — emergency support for artists facing repression and forced displacement

Emergency support for artists facing repression, threats and forced emigration: grants, host organisations and assistance with relocation …
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No deadline
Aid A — support for creative projects in exile

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

Support for artistic projects, grants and assistance for exiled artists who continue to explore themes of freedom, human rights and …
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No deadline
Artists at Risk — emergency relocation for artists

Artists at Risk — emergency resources and relocation for artists from Ukraine, Belarus and Russia

Emergency relocation, temporary accommodation and support for artists from Ukraine, Belarus and Russia facing threats or forced displacement …
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No deadline
 Artists at Risk Connection — emergency support for artists

Artists at Risk Connection (ARC) — international support and emergency assistance for artists at ris…

An international network supporting artists in danger: emergency grants, relocation, legal support, residencies and professional connections worldwide …
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No deadline
Ulule — European crowdfunding platform for cultural projects

Ulule — European crowdfunding platform for cultural projects

A French crowdfunding platform with a strong cultural focus on art projects, books, and exhibitions …
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We publish new resources almost every day and don’t always manage to translate each one. The full, up-to-date catalogue of resources is on the main version of the site.

ALL RESOURCES

It depends on what you are raising money for. Regular support from an audience comes through Patreon, Ko-fi and Buy Me a Coffee. There people take out a subscription or send a one-off donation. Money for a specific project works differently. You run a campaign with a target and a deadline, so a finished plan comes first. Kickstarter, Startnext, Ulule, WeMakeIt and Wspieram.to all work this way. WeMakeIt, however, curates its projects rather than taking everything. GoFundMe and 4fund are built for something else — raising money for a personal situation rather than for a creative project. Each platform also has its own rules about bank accounts and countries. Besides, the payout terms are worth reading before you launch.

Beyond donations and subscriptions, these same platforms have built-in ways to sell directly. Ko-fi has its own shop for digital and physical goods, native commission listings, and paid memberships with exclusive content. Patreon has a Shop tab: one-off sales of digital products and posts without requiring a subscription, plus merch as a membership perk. Buy Me a Coffee has a Shop(Extra) feature for selling guides, presets and services, including commissions and one-off consultations. So the platform you already use for donations can become a full shop — no need to build a separate site.

Help works in two stages. In an acute situation Artists at Risk and Artists at Risk Connection step in. Two more programmes are also Artist Protection Fund and Aid A. They usually offer relocation, temporary housing, a stipend and legal support. Artistic Freedom Initiative, for example, covers the legal side of the move free of charge. Conditions differ between programmes, so read the requirements of each one. All ten are gathered in 10 international emergency support programmes, where you can see at a glance which one fits you.

After the move you need a different kind of help — not project money, but a studio, the language and local contacts. Atelier des Artistes en Exil in France provides studios and French lessons. Weltoffenes Berlin builds adaptation in Berlin through cultural projects and local institutions. Artistic Freedom Initiative in the US helps with housing, documents and the right to work. Aid A, by contrast, supports the projects themselves rather than the move. So at this stage what matters is not a fast payment but an environment and professional contacts. For instance, taking part in a city’s cultural projects brings both income and new acquaintances.

The mark means different things depending on the card. Most resources here — crowdfunding platforms, assistance programmes — have no deadline at all: they’re tools that work continuously, so they carry a «No deadline» mark and you can visit any time. Roundup articles (like “10 emergency support programmes”) carry a year instead, such as «2026» — that shows the roundup was refreshed this year, not a one-off deadline. We check and update the details regularly, but organisers sometimes change things after our check — so it’s worth confirming on their own page before applying, as with any external application.

Not only artists. The support programmes and selections here are also open to photographers, designers, illustrators, curators and arts managers. Directors, musicians, writers and other cultural workers come next — some opportunities take them too. Organisations apply as well: for some grants the applicant is a team or an initiative, not an individual. A cultural initiative or a small independent organisation, for example. Every opportunity states who it is for, so you can check before applying.

If you would like to submit an international opportunity or platform for publication, write to us at info@artcurator.org. Every submission is reviewed manually as part of our curatorial process.

ArtCurator is a non-profit project that helps artists for free

The curator reviews hundreds of listings every week so only real opportunities make it into this list — no spam, no expired links. This work runs on donations from people it has already helped.

SUPPORT