Artists' Benevolent Fund — Emergency grants for Australian visual artists

About this program

The National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA) administers the Artists' Benevolent Fund to provide modest emergency financial assistance—typically a one‑off $2,000 payment, with larger amounts considered depending on Fund capacity—to Australian visual artists affected by fire, flood, storm, serious illness, major accident, declared emergencies or other unexpected catastrophic events. The Fund is donation‑funded, has no set application deadline, uses a straightforward application process and distributes limited funds on a needs basis. Applicants must be Australian citizens or residents who can demonstrate professional practice in the visual arts via multiple indicators (e.g., exhibitions, sales, residencies, teaching, qualifications); priority is given to those whose losses are not covered by insurance, NAVA staff and board members are ineligible, and recipients must report on use of funds.