San Francisco is investing in its arts community. Starting in May, 130 local artists in the city will receive $1,000 per month in cash, with no strings attached.
The pilot program in universal basic income is scheduled to last for six months, according to The San Francisco Chronicle. The artists will be selected from those “whose artistic practice is rooted in a historically marginalized community.”
San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced the program on Thursday.
“This new program is an innovative effort to help our creative sector get through this challenging time, and come back even stronger and more resilient than before,” Breed said on the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts website. “The arts are critical to our local economy and are an essential part of our long-term recovery.”
The program is open to artists working in music, dance, creative writing, visual art, performance art, installation, photography, theater, and film. Art teachers and craft workers are also eligible as long as they meet an income qualification.
The YBCA claims San Francisco’s artistic community generated $1.45 billion before the pandemic and employed almost 40,000 local residents.
“There are people living in challenging circumstances right now,” Deborah Cullinan told the Chronicle. “We want to move as quickly as we can to get them the resources they need.”
