Community Care Fund

The Community Care Fund (CCF), administered by the Leeway Foundation, is a relief-focused grant program designed to offer rapid financial assistance to past Leeway grantees experiencing critical and immediate emergency needs. Originally conceived in April 2020 as a COVID-19 Relief Fund, the CCF has evolved to address the ongoing financial precarity many artists face. Since its inception, the fund has distributed over $732,000 in 495 grants, targeting individuals in urgent need of support for essentials such as housing, food, medical care, and utilities. Its origin in pandemic relief reflects the Foundation’s agile response to crises and sustained commitment to equity and care within the creative community. The Leeway Foundation is a private philanthropic organization based in Philadelphia, focused on supporting women, trans, and gender-nonconforming artists working at the intersection of art and social change. The Community Care Fund reflects the organization’s understanding that artists—particularly those who are people of color, immigrants, LGBTQ+, disabled, or from low-income backgrounds—are often excluded from traditional safety nets. This fund provides up to $1,250 in unrestricted aid per eligible applicant, offering critical short-term support during personal emergencies. Applications for the Community Care Fund are accepted online from March through November on a monthly basis, with submissions open from the 1st to the 15th of each month. Funding within each monthly cycle is limited; once the monthly cap is reached, the cycle closes until the following month. To ensure equitable distribution throughout the year, the fund is capped per cycle, and applications are processed on a rolling basis by date of receipt. The process is designed to be accessible: if an online application poses a barrier, applicants may contact Leeway via email or phone to complete the process over the phone. Eligibility for the Community Care Fund is exclusive to artists who have previously received a Leeway Foundation grant or award. In addition, applicants must reside in one of six Pennsylvania or New Jersey counties: Bucks, Camden, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, or Philadelphia. The applicant must also be facing a current and essential emergency need—defined by Leeway as an imminent threat to basic survival or wellbeing, including but not limited to eviction, utility shut-off, food insecurity, urgent caregiving costs, or medical needs. Applicants who have received a Transformation Award in the same calendar year or have already received $1,250 from the fund in 2026 are not eligible to reapply. Applicants are expected to demonstrate the severity and urgency of their emergency in their submission. While the application form itself is not detailed in the source content, Leeway’s evaluation is based on the timeliness of the application and the urgency of the need described. Due to resource constraints and the volume of applications, the Foundation notes that it may not be able to fulfill every request. There are no ongoing reporting requirements once funding is disbursed, and awards are typically processed quickly following application review. The next application window opens on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, at 8:00 AM. The fund operates on a recurring monthly cycle through November 15, 2026, or until funds are depleted. For further assistance, applicants may contact [email protected] or call 267-831-4886. While no formal pre-application process or concept paper is required, it is crucial that applications be submitted early within the cycle due to limited monthly allocations. As the fund continues into 2026, it embodies Leeway’s core value of community care, drawing from collective models of mutual aid to sustain artists through times of hardship.

The application is noncompetitive and should be kept simple and direct. The panel only verifies if the request meets emergency criteria.