Back
Artists’ Assistance
Last updated: May 21, 2021
The nonprofit or not-for-profit sector offers a great wealth of services to the artistic and arts-related communities in the United States and worldwide. The list of organizations will be expanding and we invite your input on additional organization and content to make this resource as user-friendly as possible.
- Americans for the Arts (“ACA”) has a mission “to build recognition and support for the extraordinary and dynamic value of the arts and to lead, serve, and advance the diverse networks of organizations individuals who cultivate the arts in America”. Nationwide.
- Artistic Freedom Initiative (“AFI”) is comprised of human rights activists, lawyers, academics, and artists working together to promote artistic freedom and peaceful dialogue through art. AFI directly assists artists whose freedom of expression has been restricted and supports artists who have demonstrated a commitment to advancing progressive social change and fundamental human rights. Worldwide.
- Artists’ Legal Outreach (“ALO”) offer resources, workshops, and clinics for low-income artists throughout British Columbia and across Canada. Canada.
- Artists Rights Society (“ARS”) generally works for copyright, licensing and monitoring organization for visual artists in the United States. ARS protects its member artists from copyright infringements. Nationwide.
- Arts Law Centre of Australia provides free or low cost specialized legal advice, education and resources to Australian artists and arts organizations across all art forms, on a wide range of arts-related legal and business matters. Arts Law’s Artists in the Black program delivers targeted services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists nationally. Australia.
- Avant-Garde Lawyers provides legal help for artists across the world. AGL has the skills necessary to solve complex legal issues and navigate international legal instruments to effectively protect the rights of creators active within a variety of artistic domains. In order to be able to offer artists the legal support they need and deserve, AGL partners include large law firms and networks of lawyers and experts. Worldwide.
- Brooklyn Arts Council (“BAC”) was founded in 1966. Its mission is “to promote and sustain the arts in Brooklyn; and to serve the arts, and through the arts, to serve the community as a whole.” Brooklyn, New York.
- Canadian Artists’ Representation (“CARFAC”) is the association of professional visual and media artists in Ontario. We believe that artists, like professionals in other fields, should be paid for their work and share equitably in profits from their art. Canada: Ontario. British Columbia. Alberta. Saskatchewan. Manitoba. Maritimes (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island). Newfoundland and Labrador.
- Municipal Arts Society (“MAS”) is a nonprofit advocacy organization that protects New York’s legacy spaces, encourages thoughtful planning and urban design, and fosters inclusive neighborhoods across the five boroughs. New York, NY.
- New York Artists Equity Associations, Inc. is a nonprofit organization founded in 1947 by artists, art patrons, and art professionals. With a mission to promote opportunities for artists, it organizes workshops educating their members about legal issues. Its members include not only artists but all the business people who artists interact. New York, NY.
- New York Foundation for the Arts (“NYFA”) was established in 1971 by the New York State Council on the Arts as an independent organization to serve individual artists throughout the state, the mission of the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) is to empower artists across all disciplines at critical stages in their creative lives. NYFA has three program areas: cash grants and fiscal sponsorship, online resources, and professional development training. New York, NY.
- Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts (“VLA”) provides pro bono legal services to low-income artists. United States: Arizona. California. Colorado. Washington D.C. Florida. Georgia. Illinois. Indiana. Louisiana. Maine. Maryland. Massachusetts. Michigan. Minnesota. Missouri. New Hampshire. New York. Ohio. Oregon. Pennsylvania. Rhode Island. Tennessee. Texas. Utah. Washington. Wisconsin.If your organization is not on this list, you can contact us here.