27/03/2020
Thanks Kunstblock for sharing and translating in English the information about SOFORTHILFE II - Berlin COVID grant. The applications open today. Act in solidarity. 🖤
*** INFORMATION REGARDING COVID-19 GRANT SOFORTHILFE II (APPLICATION TOMORROW (FRIDAY) STARTING FROM 12:00)
The following information has reached Kunstblock and beyond about Berlin's emergency grant "Soforthilfe II", which is supposed to assist, among others, artists and cultural workers who will lose income due to COVID-19.
We are sharing this NOT because we support the individualised, so-called 'solutions' currently on offer to deal with the COVID-19 crisis, but because the situation is existential for many. The information available on the Senate and IBB websites is often confusing, available in German only, and does not include certain details.
So please share the below among your networks and:
Act in solidarity. Let those who need the grant in order to survive apply first. // Bleibt solidarisch. Lasst denjenigen den Vortritt, die auf den Zuschuss zum Überleben angewiesen sind. Wer auch ohne ihn zurechtkommen kann, sollte keinen Antrag stellen.
Alles liebe, stay safe, mehr kommt bald,
-- Kunstblock and beyond.
--
INFORMATION REGARDING SOFORTHILFE II (APPLICATION TOMORROW (FRIDAY) STARTING FROM 12:00) FOR SOLE TRADERS AND SMALL BUSINESSES TO DEAL WITH FINANCIAL SETBACKS CAUSED BY COVID-19
Official Senate announcement: https://www.berlin.de/sen/kulteu/aktuelles/corona/
IBB Website: https://www.ibb.de/de/wirtschaftsfoerderung/themen/coronahilfe/corona-liquiditaets-engpaesse.html
Here is a summary, including some information that is not provided via the official sources, to be disseminated as widely as possible. Disclaimer: this email is intended as advice. There are a lot of gaps in information, and in some places we are also unsure. But hopefully it will help to answer a few questions. Summary would be: even if in doubt, APPLY.
- The application process goes live tomorrow (Friday, March 27) at 12:00 on the IBB website listed above.
- The grants, as far as anybody knows, will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.- - For sure, the website will crash, so set aside some time tomorrow to work on it, or set an alarm late at night or early Sunday morning.
- It is a grant (up to 5,000€) and does not need to be paid back. Apparently, the money will flow very quickly.
- The grants will be assessed AFTER the money is distributed. This is because the IBB/Senate does not have capacity to process the grants faster than people need liquidity. It also means that if something is missing from your application, we assume you will be asked and provide it retrospectively.
- To apply you will need: your tax number, your IBAN / bank details, proof of identity, we assume also an Anmeldung.
- You will need to provide reasons for why you have a liquidity problem due to COVID-19 from the start of the shutdown period (13.03.20) through to the end of September. It's not yet clear in what form. This (in German, from the bbk) might help you to think about and list these things:
https://www.bbk-berlin.de/con/bbk/upload/textarchiv20/Folgen_der_Corona-Virus-Krise_fuer_bildende_Kuenstler_innen.pdf
- You will need to be transparent about whether or not you have already applied for other forms of support, e.g. AG II (Jobcenter). But it is NOT a requirement to apply for AG II in order to apply for Soforthilfe II, as some earlier statements from the Senate implied might be the case. Neither should it prevent you from getting Soforthilfe II if you already have, or have already applied for, ALG II.
- The first round of funding will cover 20,000 applications, up to 5,000€ each. The second (not clear yet when it will be, possibly in 6 months' time) will cover a further 40,000 applications.
- In the near future, a further, federal program will distribute rent support and running business costs: 9,000 € per applicant for freelancers and small businesses with up to 5 employees. Even if you work at home, you should be eligible for this.
- It will be theoretically possible to apply for both funds (i.e. both Soforthilfe II (up to 5,000€, from Berlin) and the 'Nothilfe' (9,000€-15,000€, from Germany). For the latter, you will need to provide info about running costs that you have. If you work from home, the Finanzamt and the Jobcenter allow you to calculate a percentage of your rent, internet, electricity etc as Betriebskosten. Assume that the same deal applies here.
Additional notes:
Because the Senate did not set up a separate fund for artists and cultural workers in the Freien Szene, who work on a non-profit basis, we de facto fall into the category of Selbstständige and Kleingeschäfte more generally in the application process. This means that, although there is a complete lack of clarity about what the application process looks like, it is even more confusing for artists and cultural workers, where often a great deal of work goes into a project before (or even if) a contract is secured. The Senate has been well-informed of this problem by the various Verbände (bbk, LAFT etc) and also by the Koalition der freien Szene. We can only hope that they listened.
AND
** Please share the following information around (friends, networks, spaces).
*** If you don't have an IBAN or Steuernummer, or are not yet angemeldet, please write to [email protected] ... we may not be able to help, but we can try, or try to find others who can, and it is very important to document such cases for future funding rounds, because everybody who needs this money and lives in Berlin should have access to it.
***** It's not clear whether you can apply in english, for those who would prefer to. So make sure you have someone to help you to do it in German.
