Hardship Fund Application Form

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About the Hardship Fund


Backup– The Technical Entertainment Charity is a UK registered charity which provides financial support to entertainment technology industry professionals who are seriously ill or injured or to their surviving family members.

In light of the devastating impact of COVID-19,  Backup created a separate initial Hardship Fund, which will provide limited financial assistance to crew/production personnel, and people working in the technical supply chain across the UK entertainment sector, including those from live events, theatre and TV and film.

Backup Hardship Fund Round 2 has now been completed.

Applications for the Backup Hardship Fund Round 3 are now closed – We will update this page when we have more details on when we open applications again

If you applied for the recent Round 3 Hardship Fund, we will be notifying you on the outcome of your application by Friday 12th February (sooner if possible) as due to the high number of applicants this round it has taken slightly longer than anticipated to process. We apologise for the couple of days delay on notification timeline and hope you can bear with us.

Who is eligible for a Backup Hardship Fund Grant in Round 3?

For this third application period we are targeting these funds to help people who have received minimal financial support over the period 1st April 2020 to 31st December 2020.

Those who have been award grants from previous Hardship Fund rounds and are still in difficulty may also apply.

You are eligible for a grant if you can meet the following criteria:

  • Over 18 years
  • Currently reside in the United Kingdom with a UK bank account
  • Earned your living for at least five years in the entertainment technology industry*
  • Work behind the scenes or behind the camera in Live Events, Theatre, Film or TV
  • Less than £2,000 in savings (excluding money allocated to paying HMRC)
  • Not currently in Full Time, Further or Higher Education
  • In need of urgent financial assistance due to the Covid-19 pandemic

You must have received a total of less than £10,000 from any of the following sources (when combined) during the period 1st April 2020 to 31st December 2020;

  • Furlough scheme (CJRS)
  • Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS)
  • Grants from other funds (e.g. Theatre Artists Fund, Arts Council, PSA Stagehand)
  • Employment (be it self-employment or as an employee)
  • Any Government support scheme

*Performing artists are not eligible.

Final determination of eligibility is at the sole discretion of Backup.

 

What does service in the entertainment technology industry mean?

This means that your major source of income is from work in this industry. This includes working behind the scenes in any type of performance venue, behind the camera, on the road (crew/production personnel), or for personnel who worked for dealers, manufacturers, production companies, consulting and design firms, etc. directly involved in supplying entertainment technology products and services.

How do you apply for a Hardship Fund Grant?

You must complete the Application for Hardship Fund Grant which requires such eligibility documentation as:

  • proof of at least five years of work history
  • detailed financial information
  • a current personal bank statement (not business)
  • proof of name and address i.e. driving licence or utility bill
  • supporting evidence (if available) of termination email if previously employed, or decline emails from any of the Government schemes if freelance

Applications must be completed in full and submitted during the application open period – opens 8:00 on 4th January and closes at 20:00 on 25th January 2021.

Providing you have eligibility documents ready beforehand, the application form will take approximately 20-30mins to complete.

 

How are applications reviewed and how quickly can I expect an answer?

We will review all applications and then plan to confirm our decision about your application no later than two weeks after the closing date.

Applications will be processed on a first come first served basis, and providing all criteria and eligibility requirements have been met.

 

What can Hardship Funds Grants be used for?

Grants may be used for basic living expenses such as rent or mortgage, property taxes, utilities, groceries, insurance and transportation. They may also be used for all types of medical expenses including health insurance, doctor and hospital bills, medication, physical therapy, home health care.

If you wish to apply for a Hardship Fund Grant please complete the online application form below – *** This form is currently closed***

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