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In an effort to help address the impacts of lost revenue due to the closure of immersive/interactive experiences as a preventive measure to control the spread of COVID-19, LEIA (League of Experiential and Immersive Artists) has decided to provide a centralized location where artists may apply for modest grants. While we hope to provide a model for other organizations providing direct relief to affected artists, at this time the founding chapter of LEIA will be focusing its efforts on the greater LA area. Emergency grants to defray specific costs/shortfalls incurred by cancelations, postponements, and complications of COVID-19 will be awarded in amounts of up to $250 per individual applicant. In order to qualify for emergency assistance, applicants must demonstrate involvement in an immersive/experiential production in the greater LA area that has been affected by closures/delays due to COVID-19 . Applicants must indicate the specific need that the grant will address (rent, utilities, etc.) Grant recipients will be chosen from among qualifying applicants via lottery and awarded on a rolling basis. Grants will awarded weekly, starting one week after the fund has enough resources for a full grant, and will continued to be awarded until all funds have been awarded. Applications will be due every Tuesday at noon, and awarded on Fridays. Any eligible applications that have not been selected will roll over to the next selection period: there is no need to reapply. To apply, enter your information here: The Review Committee will need: Your Name The Org/production impacted Evidence of postponement/cancellation Amount requested (up to $250) Need that the funds will address Anything else we should know? FAQ- Where does my donation go? LEIA will collect 2% of donation fees up to a cap of $500 in order to offset the cost of taxes and web hosting fees. Gofundme collects 5% of donations, and payment processors take 2.9% along with $0.30 per donation. 90% of your donation goes directly to affected artists. Who is eligible to receive assistance? All members of the immersive creator/designer/performer community who have been impacted by precautions regarding COVID-19 in greater Los Angeles are eligible to apply (note: members of the LEIA founding board are ineligible to receive grant money from this fundraiser) What if I need more than $250? In an effort to create a positive impact for the largest number of artists with finite resources, we have chosen to limit the dollar amount for grants at this time- we encourage you to look for other relief opportunities through the mutual aide thread on the Everything Immersive facebook group. What happens if you raise more money than you use? Any leftover money will be stored in a standing disaster fund in case of ongoing need or future emergencies. Applications to the LEIA Emergency grant are strictly confidential and available only to a small Review Committee. The Review Committee currently comprises LEIA Board members Matthew Bamberg-Johnson and Monica Miklas. Should the composition of this committee change, an announcement will be posted on leia.design/blog. 
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To the immersive creative community, The proactive response to the unfolding COVID-19 pandemic by immersive and experiential creators and producers have made us proud to be part of this community. We know that difficult choices and real sacrifices are being made by many of you in order to protect the most vulnerable among us, and to ease the burden on our nation’s health care system as it braces for what may be an unprecedented event. We do not know how long the current situation — restrictions on public gatherings, closed theaters, canceled projects — will last but we do know that now is the time to take action: Community Discussions: Now is the time for facilitated discussions to address problems like lost wages, adopt standards around sanitation, and to prepare for welcoming guests back into our work once the current crisis has passed. We also want to keep the community together in a less formal way, and will be establishing online “Office Hours” events. The first of these Office Hours will be March 16th at 7:00PM PDT. Platform to be announced. Financial Aid: We have begun work on a campaign to address the short term financial needs of artists and artisans in our community who will be in financial distress because of postponements and closures. Please, track your lost gigs and wages. Back to Work Messaging: When the time of greatest crisis is over, audiences will be hungry for in-person interaction. We will be ready to help lead a public campaign on behalf of immersive and experiential creators to usher in the “new normal” and create audience awareness of and access to experiences that will be more important than ever. We call upon our community to continue working together in the spirit of collaboration and creativity that underpins all immersive and experiential projects. No one knows what the full impact — economic, social, personal — of the current crisis will be. However, we believe that together we can not only blunt that impact in our community, but take this as an opportunity to create an even stronger foundation for immersive and experiential work for years to come. If you are interested in taking part in our organizing efforts, including facilitating discussions, donating, or in our public relations campaign please email us at response@leia.design. Signed, The LEIA Founding Committee
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AboutLEIA seeks to advance the immersive and experiential arts through collaboration, education, and advocacy on behalf of creators and producers. Archives
March 2020
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