About AWUF
The Arts Workers United Foundation (AWUF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit changing the national conversation about arts and culture workers through public campaigns, education and research, and community support.
Our storY
From emergency response to long-term cultural change
In March of 2020, COVID-19 shut down the United States Arts & Culture sector almost overnight.
Within a few days, live events, performing arts, and cultural institutions across the country shuttered, instantly leaving millions of American Arts Workers unemployed. When it became clear that the CARES Act did not adequately address the size and scope of the disaster facing the Arts & Culture sector, a handful of impacted Arts Workers founded the Be An #ArtsHero campaign.
Be An #ArtsHero ignited a revolution in Arts Advocacy that centers Arts Workers and Art itself as the primary instruments of political power.
AWUF
Working alongside a dedicated team of volunteers around the clock, the co-founders built coalitions, harnessed celebrity platforms, started viral social media campaigns, became pundits, and most importantly, lobbied Congress to immediately stabilize the Arts & Culture sector and the millions of Arts Workers suffering without support. What began as an emergency response became something lasting: an institution built not just for a crisis, but for the long work of cultural change.
Help power education, research, and mutial aid.
Your donation supports our education, research, information campaigns, and mutual aid programs.