How do I know if I am eligible to apply for the Seattle Relief Fund?
To apply, you must meet ALL of the requirements below:
- Be 18 years old or older
AND - Someone in your household must:
Live within the boundaries of the City of Seattle
OR
Be enrolled in the Seattle Promise program
OR
Be enrolled in Seattle Public Schools
OR
Be an artist/cultural worker who has owned or rented an art studio or rehearsal space within the boundaries of the City of Seattle at any time since March 2020.
AND
- Be under 50 percent of the median household income in Seattle. The income eligibility chart can be found below.
For example, if you are applying for a family of four, and your household total monthly income is less than $4,821, then your family is eligible.
Click for Income Eligibility Chart
What types of income will I need to include in this application?
You will be asked to provide your household average monthly income, which includes wages, tips, commissions, payments from self-employment activities, child support, unemployment, paid family and medical leave, retirement, and Social Security benefits. If your household receives public benefits, you will also be asked to provide the average monthly amount you receive from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Housing Choice Vouchers (Section 8), Refugee Cash Assistance, or Supplemental Security Income. You do not need to include income tax refunds, child tax credit payments, one-time rent assistance, and federal economic stimulus payments in your calculation.
Who is considered an artist or cultural worker?
Individual artists and cultural workers in these disciplines:
- visual/craft
- dance/choreography
- music/composition/sound
- literary/graphic novel
- media/film/digital media/screenwriting
- poetry/spoken word
- theater/scriptwriting
- ethnic/traditional cultural forms
This includes consultants, editors, social practice, teaching artists, or art administrators.
Do artists/cultural workers who live in Seattle have to prove that they own or rent studio or rehearsal space in Seattle?
No, artist/cultural workers who live in Seattle do not have to also show that they own or rent a studio or rehearsal space in Seattle. Only non-Seattle resident artists/cultural workers have to prove that they have rented or owned a studio or rehearsal space in Seattle at any time after March 2020.
I live outside of Seattle, but someone in my household works in Seattle. Can I still apply?
If you live outside of Seattle, you or someone in your household must be
- enrolled in Seattle Promise program
OR - enrolled in Seattle Public Schools
OR - an artist/cultural worker who has owned or rented a studio or rehearsal space within the boundaries of the city of Seattle at any time since March 2020.
Will everyone who applies for Seattle Relief Fund receive this financial assistance?
Due to limited funds, we are unable to serve everyone. Some eligible applicants might not receive financial support. The review process is NOT first come, first served.
To support those with the most need, we are prioritizing applicants based on the following criteria that are listed in no particular order:
- Households who experienced harm from violence since March 2020, including hate/bias crime and survivors of domestic violence.
- Families with children or adult dependents, single parents, single and pregnant persons, and households with at least one member who has a disability.
- Households that experienced job/income loss as a result of the COVID-19 crisis AND were unable to access state unemployment benefits.
- Households that did not qualify for federal stimulus payments.
- Households where any member was uninsured for health care in 2020 or 2021.
- Household where any member experienced death, hospitalization, or long-term health impacts (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/long-term-effects.html ) due to COVID-19.
- Households where any member experienced a mental health or substance use crisis and sought medication or counseling due to the COVID-19 crisis.
- Households that experienced housing instability, (examples include and not limited to staying in emergency shelters, inability to pay rent or mortgage, seeking emergency homeownership assistance) since March 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 crisis.
I received financial aid from the 2020 Seattle COVID-19 Disaster Relief Fund for Immigrants. Can I still apply for the 2021 Seattle Relief Fund?
If you received financial aid from the 2020 Seattle COVID-19 Disaster Relief Fund for Immigrants, you are not eligible for this funding. Please do not apply for the 2021 Seattle Relief Fund.
You should already have been contacted by Scholarship Junkies in August 2021 to confirm your eligibility for an additional round of funding. If you received funding last year, and you did not receive a recertification notification through text or email, please call or text (206) 312-1630 or email update@seattlecovidfund.org.
I am undocumented. Am I eligible to receive funding?
Yes. This funding is intended for any low-income Seattle resident regardless of their citizenship or immigration status, as long as they meet eligibility requirements. The City of Seattle is not permitted to inquire about the immigration status of any person as per Ordinance 121063. This means we do not ask about immigration status in the Seattle Relief Fund application form.
I am married, and my spouse and I both qualify for funding. Should we both apply?
Only one of you should apply for your household. A couple (2 adults) is eligible to receive a payment of $2,000.
My household consists of multiple families. How should we apply?
Each family should submit one application for that family.
My household consists of multiple single adults. How should we apply?
Each adult should submit one application for themselves.
Can I apply on behalf of my dependent children?
Your dependent children should be included in your household application.
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INCOME ELIGIBILITY CHART
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