The Canadian Writers’ Emergency Relief Fund, which provides emergency grants of $1,500 to writers, has been extended into a second round thanks to a $100,000 donation from the Access Copyright Foundation. The fund, which was intended to close to new applicants after today, will continue to accept applications through April 20 from professional writers who have lost over $1,500 in income between March and May 2020. The fund will also now be available to visual artists.

The initial fund was launched as a joint venture supported by the Writers’ Trust of Canada, The Writers’ Union of Canada, and RBC to support writers facing lost income due to the restrictions imposed to slow the spread of COVID-19. The first grants from the fund, which now total $250,000, will be distributed within the next week. Applications can be submitted through the Writers’ Trust of Canada’s website.