A deadline is fast approaching for a program that will provide what amounts to $1,000 per month in stimulus checks for certain people in one of the most populous states in the country. The people in question are artists, and the program is called Creatives Rebuild New York. It’s an effort that’s actually one of the few sources of such funding right now. Since, of course, the federal government stopped sending out such payments.
This program has two components, one of which is a guaranteed income initiative for artists. It will provide no-strings-attached cash payments for 2,400 artists — $1,000/month for 18 consecutive months. “CRNY’s Guaranteed Income for Artists program,” the organization explains, “aims to help artists meet their basic needs outside of traditional or merit-based grantmaking.”
Creatives Rebuild New York
A second component to the Creatives Rebuild New York effort? Its “Artist Employment Program.” That’s a 2-year program meant to fund employment for 300 artists. And they’ll work in collaboration with community-based organizations across the state as well as get an annual salary of $65,000 plus benefits. The community-based groups, in turn, will get $25,000-$100,000 per year to support their work with these artists.
The most important thing to know about the program right now is that an application deadline is approaching. That will come on March 25. Meaning, artists have just two weeks left to apply for a slice of the funding. And here’s where you’ll go to do that — by clicking the link right here.
As we’ve noted in previous posts, this is also very much what the stimulus check situation looks like in the US right now. It’s localized, compared to the billions of dollars in stimulus checks the federal government sent out in multiple waves in 2021. That means, this year, stimulus checks largely depend on who you are and where you live. And this New York program is a good example of that. It checks both boxes: Who you are (artists) and where you live (in New York state).
Is there a fourth stimulus check coming?
That’s all because — no, as things stand now there’s not a fourth check from the federal government coming anytime soon.
The backstory here is that, while Democrats in the US House of Representatives easily passed legislation authorizing more stimulus checks, that initiative died in the Senate. Thanks to the fact that Democrats can’t afford to lose a single vote in the upper chamber. And a member of President Biden’s own party balked at more of those payments, for now.
Democrats had actually tried to re-up the monthly child tax credit payments from 2021. Those amounted to tens of billions of dollars sent out to Americans with eligible children. But while those checks ended in December, there is one more benefit that’s connected to them which Americans need to be reminded of.
Those monthly stimulus checks represent only the first half of the expanded child tax credit. The second half will come in the form of an actual tax credit. One that you’ll claim on your federal tax return this year, if you’re eligible.
