Tamarack Artisan Relief Fund

Tamarack Foundation Artisan Relief Program (TARP)

Guidelines for Assistance:

Emergency Relief

TARP offers grants up to $5,000 for Tamarack artisans who have been directly affected by significant disasters such as destructive floods, fires, etc., and life maintenance grants for necessities, such as emergency medical, food and housing needs.  Additionally, under certain circumstances, grant amounts in excess of $5,000 and temporary bridge loans may be approved by the Tamarack Foundation Board of Directors. Priority for grants will be given to those most severely affected by career threatening events.  (Please note that if you receive a grant, you are required to report the award as income when filing your tax return with the IRS.)

Eligibility for Assistance

Only Tamarack juried artisans are eligible.   Furthermore, the following stipulations are required of the applicant:

Craft/art professional:  who is committed to his/her craft and whose primary source of income is derived from his/her personal production and sale of handmade objects.

In good standing:    made sales to Tamarack within the previous three years.

A full-time craft artist:  must spend at least 50% or more of his/her working hours producing and/or marketing his/her own work and/or teaching in their field or media.
Experiencing a specific emergency:   unforeseen emergency or triggering event that has significantly and adversely affected the artist’s ability to produce and/or market his/her work and, thus, created the need for immediate relief funds and/or assistance. TARP is not able to assist in situations of financial need that result solely from lack of employment, poor sales and/or poor business practices. TARP grants are intended to serve as a bridge until further assistance can be arranged.

 

Criteria for Assistance

All applicants must meet the basic eligibility requirements described above and submit completed applications with all required supporting documents in order to have their application reviewed.

TARP’s decision regarding the amount of funding and an applicant’s access to other services shall be based on the following criteria:

1) Need.

2) Degree of distress caused by emergency.

3) Applicant’s ability to run a professional business.

4) Impact that TARP’s assistance has on the applicant.

5)  Impact that the applicant has had within the community where he/she resides and/or the craft community at large.

If you feel that you meet the criteria stated, please contact the Tamarack Foundation by calling 304-926-3770 or email at foundation@tamarackwv.com

Application Procedure
Applicants must fill out and return the application form with all requested information.  Incomplete applications will not be considered. 

 

Completed, signed and dated application and supplementary materials should be sent to:

     Tamarack Foundation  
     3310 Piedmont Road
     Charleston, WV 25306  

Every effort will be made to expedite the decision-making process. If the application is incomplete, the applicant will be notified.

TARP does not discriminate against applicants based on sex, race, religion, color, age, national origin, disability or sexual orientation.

Confidentiality

All information provided by applicant remains confidential, unless the applicant consents to its release.

Additional Resources

Craft Emergency Relief Fund is committed to supporting the careers of craft artists throughout the United States. Through business and career-strengthening programs, emergency relief support, advocacy and research CERF helps professional craft artists strengthen and sustain their careers so that they can thrive and, thus, contribute to the quality of life in our communities.  CERF is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization and is the only one of its kind in the United States.

CERF accomplishes its mission through direct financial and educational assistance to craft artists, including emergency relief assistance, business development support, and resources and referrals on topics such as health, safety, and insurance. CERF also advocates, engages in research, and backs policy that supports craft artists’ careers.

To learn more about CERF, click here.