Tornado Relief Resources
On Friday, May 16, a devastating storm came through St. Louis, causing immense damage across the city. In the weeks since, we’ve seen our community respond with remarkable compassion, stepping up in meaningful and impactful ways to aid in recovery.
At RAC, we’re working to support the momentum by collecting and centralizing general resources, along with specified emergency relief funding for artists and arts organizations.
The months ahead are about showing up for the people in our community, supporting tornado recovery efforts while making space for moments of joy through the arts.
Action St. Louis
Action St. Louis, in partnership with For the Culture STL, has established the People’s Response Hub to support communities affected by the recent tornado in St. Louis, operating daily at O’Fallon Park. They also have a resident support intake form to connect individuals with resources, along with a longer list of additional resources.
City of St. Louis
Keep up with official updates from the City of St. Louis and Mayor Cara Spencer.
List of Donation Items and Drop-off Sites compiled by Greater St. Louis INC.
Greater St. Louis Inc. is updating their newsroom weekly with supply needs and drop-off sites.
St. Louis Community Foundation
The St. Louis Community Foundation’s emergency resources page lists calls for donations, volunteer opportunities, immediate aid, and community recovery.
St. Louis Magazine
St. Louis Magazine has gathered important storm related news, ways to give and get help, mental health resources and benefit events.
St. Louis Public Library
The St. Louis Public Library has collected a variety of important resources for anyone affected by the storm.
St. Louis Public Radio
St. Louis Public Radio is continuously updating a list of tornado relief efforts for volunteers along with when and where to get help.
United Way Volunteer Center
The United Way of Greater St. Louis Volunteer Center is working to identify where volunteers are most needed in the community and lists various volunteer opportunities from community organizations, disaster response teams, emergency management, and the local government.
Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis
The Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis is holding large-scale distribution events for food, toiletries and other resources. Follow the link for the most up to date drop off and pick up times, and updated list of supply needs.
Do you have other resources to share? Email us at info@racstl.org. Follow us on Instagram and on Facebook, where we are sharing benefit concerts, additional resources and more. Information and updates are changing rapidly. Many individuals, organizations and businesses have been impacted and are actively supporting the recovery, and we recognize not everyone doing the work is represented on this page. Thank you for your patience, understanding, and unwavering commitment to the St. Louis community.
Emergency Funding
AMERICAN FEDERATION OF MUSICIANS (AFM): LESTER PETRILLO MEMORIAL FUND
The Lester Petrillo Memorial Fund supplies modest amounts of assistance to qualified applicants on an emergency basis.
AMERICAN GUILD OF MUSICAL ARTISTS RELIEF FUND
The American Guild of Musical Artists Relief Fund provides support and temporary financial assistance to AGMA members who are in need.
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF JOURNALISTS & AUTHORS WRITERS EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE FUND
American Society of Journalists & Authors created the Writers Emergency Assistance Fund to help established freelance, nonfiction writers who, because of advanced age, illness, disability, a natural disaster, or an extraordinary professional crisis are unable to work. Membership not required.
ARTISTS’ FELLOWSHIP, INC.
The Artists’ Fellowship is a private charitable foundation that financially assists professional visual artists and their families in times of emergency, disability or bereavement. Assistance is given without expectation of repayment. Membership not required.
AUTHORS LEAGUE FUND
Authors League Fund helps professional writers and dramatists who find themselves in financial need because of medical or health-related problems, temporary loss of income or other misfortune.
BROADCASTERS’ FOUNDATION OF AMERICA (BFOA)
The Broadcasters Foundation of America has two types of grant programs: monthly grants supporting broadcasting professionals who are no longer able to work due to an illness, accident, or other misfortune and emergency grants supporting those affected by natural disasters and home emergencies.
CARNEGIE FUND FOR AUTHORS
Carnegie Fund for Authors offers grants-in-aid to qualified commercially published book authors who have suffered financial emergency as a result of illness or injury or who have suffered some equivalent misfortune.
CERF+ EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND FOR ARTISTS
Craft Emergency Relief Fund (CERF+ Emergency Relief Fund for Artists) provides professional artists working in craft disciplines with emergency financial assistance.
DRAMATISTS GUILD FOUNDATION
Dramatists Guild Foundation provides emergency financial assistance to individual playwrights, composers, lyricists, and book writers in dire need of funds due to severe hardship or unexpected illness.
FOUNDATION FOR CONTEMPORARY ARTS EMERGENCY GRANTS
Foundation for Contemporary Arts provides emergency grants ($500-$2,500) by application to U.S.-based artists in all disciplines who have sudden opportunities or unexpected expenses to present work to the public.
GRAND OLE OPRY TRUST FUND
Grand Ole Opry Trust Fund provides financial assistance in time of extraordinary need, emergency or catastrophe to individuals who are or have been employed full time in a facet of the country music industry (i.e. performer, songwriter, publisher, radio, session musician, etc.).
JAZZ FOUNDATION OF AMERICA
Jazz Foundation of America provides jazz and blues artists with an experienced social worker to assess his/her situation and provide rapid assistance including financial support, legal services, housing counseling, and more.
RENAISSANCE ENTERTAINERS, SERVICES, AND CRAFTERS UNITED FOUNDATION (RESCU)
RESCU advocate for, serve, and have financial aid available to anyone who has ever held a participant pass at a Renaissance festival anywhere throughout the United States.
THE ARTISTS’ CHARITABLE FUND
The Artists’ Charitable Fund assists visual artists facing financial crisis by paying a portion of medical expenses for artists in crisis.
THE PEN WRITERS FUND
The PEN Writers Fund offers emergency funds for professional, published or produced writers with serious financial difficulties.
THE RAUSCHENBERG MEDICAL EMERGENCY GRANTS
This program provides one-time grants of up to $5,000 for recent unexpected medical, dental, and mental health emergencies to artists in financial need who are creating in the visual arts, film/video/electronic/digital arts, and choreography.