I hope this email finds you well during these strange and stressful days. It's been a difficult time for everyone, and as part of our efforts to help people in need, my family decided to change how we distribute the David Seguin Memorial Award for Accessibility in the Arts. Instead of awarding a prize to an artist or production n the Toronto Fringe festival, we are using 2020’s award to provide immediate support to artists with disabilities. 

The special initiative has been awarding $100 micro grants to artists with disabilities in order to help them cover basic living expenses, such as rent and groceries. Artists with disabilities have been hit hard by the pandemic as not only are they facing the hardships created by an industry-wide shutdown, but they have also seen a reduction in support and an increase in costs as a result of the physical distancing measures that have been implemented to contain the virus. 

If you are an artist with a disability and you are in need of financial assistance, please visit seguinaward.ca  to apply. If you know an artist with a disability, please let them know about the fund!

My family started the special initiative fund with $1,000 and thanks to many people's generous contributions, we have been able to help 20 artists with disabilities! But we still have another 22 people on the waiting list and more applications come in every day.

If you are able to donate, please visit our GoFundMe fundraiser at the link below and make a contribution. If you can't contribute financially, you can help by sharing the link with your friends and colleagues. Every little bit helps and I'm so thankful for your support as we try to help the most vulnerable people caught in this situation!

Donate to the fund here: www.gofundme.com.

Thank you and stay well!

Tyler