Genesis Foundation sets up £1m fund to create work for freelancers

The Genesis Foundation has created a £1 million fund offering opportunities and income to creative freelancers as they navigate the pandemic.

Almeida artistic director Rupert Goold and Young Vic artistic director Kwame Kwei-Armah are backing the plans and will sit on the commissioning panel, which will support a series of new projects as part of the initiative.

The £1 million fund is intended to help freelancers stay in the profession while supporting new artistic work "in a world radically altered by Covid-19".

Under the Genesis Kickstart Fund, new project-based commissions will be created, and realised by a diverse range of freelance professionals, the foundation said.

They will earn an income while they work on the projects, which will enable them to continue building their careers despite the challenges posed by the pandemic.

Projects, which will be run in partnership with arts organisations, will be commissioned by a panel including Kwei-Armah and Goold, as well as Marie-Sophie Willis, who is chief executive of choral group the Sixteen, and more to be announced.

The first projects are expected to take place in mid-2021.

John Studzinski, the foundation’s chair, said the fund would generate "vital new opportunities" for the creative industries’ freelance workforce.

"Covid-19 has changed the world for all of us. At this crucial juncture we cannot afford to risk losing a whole generation of outstanding creative talent through lack of opportunity. The pandemic has been especially challenging for freelancers in the arts and creative sector.

"As we approach our 20th anniversary, we continue our long-term strategy of affirming human dignity through the arts, one person at a time," he said.

The foundation, created by Studzinksi, will turn 20 next year, and has donated more than £20 million to the arts during its existence so far.

In July, it set up a £100,000 emergency fund for freelance artists who are associated with Genesis’ programmes at London organisations the Almeida, the Young Vic, the National Theatre, LAMDA and choir the Sixteen.