Media release
(Tulsa, Okla.) —Today the nonprofit Red Dirt Relief Fund announced it will provide up to $50,000 to Oklahoma music people in the form of one-time emergency grants of $250 on a first-come, first-served basis. To be eligible for a grant, a person must have sustained a financial loss of at least $1,000 due to cancelled/postponed gigs directly related to COVID-19, have worked in the music business for the past five years and be a current Oklahoma resident. People who meet these criteria should apply here: https://forms.gle/j4PcHdx9omAQuWfJ7
According to Executive Director Katie Dale, “While we cannot know how COVID-19 will spread or how long this crisis will last, we do know that this virus has universally devastated our working music community. In the past week, a majority of gigs and festivals for the coming weeks and months have been cancelled or postponed. While some Oklahomans are fortunate to have paid leave, remote-work options and other safety nets, working musicians without gigs are left without income to pay their bills. As an organization that provides a safety net of emergency assistance to Oklahoma music people, we cannot imagine a more critical time to come to their aid.”
While the organization hopes this act of solidarity can provide hope to help everyone better weather this storm, they recognize it will not be enough. If you would like to contribute to help extend aid to more music people, donate here: www.reddirtrelieffund.org/donate. Business, venues or anyone with ideas on how to raise money for this effort are invited to contact Katie Dale at [email protected].
This past Saturday, Oklahoma-based rock band BC & the Big Rig posted the Red Dirt Relief Fund donate link as they went live on Facebook during their performance at Katt’s Cove in Oklahoma City. “They wanted to give their tips to a band whose gig was cancelled—they raised $130 for the cause. Acts of generosity like this from within the music community inspire us to do all we can to support this relief effort,” said Dale. “It’s why we started Red Dirt Relief Fund in the first place.”
