The Musicians Relief Fund was established in 1999 for the Washington Blues Society with a generous donation from Sheri and Raven Humphres in the name of a great NW musician as The Kevin Wallace Musician Relief Fund.
The name was later simplified for management and marketing purposes in 2005 to The Musicians Relief Fund and has gone on to aid dozens of musicians such as Nick Vigarino, Billy Stoops, Patrick McDanel and more.
The application to request funds from Washington Blues Society’s Musician Relief Fund is a confidential application process and both the applicants and their requests will be treated with the utmost privacy and respect.
Please read the following before submitting your request:
- You must be a musician who has regular public performances. The term “Musician” includes vocalists and instrumentalists.
- You must demonstrate financial need.
- You must have, or recently have had, a serious medical condition. A condition is considered to be serious when it substantially affects your ability to work within or outside the music industry (i.e., a survival job). A diagnosis by a medical doctor, hospital or medical bills indicating such condition must be provided.
Please complete the attached form https://wablues.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/WBS_MRF_Application.pdf
and return it to the following address:
Washington Blues Society
P O Box 70604
Seattle, WA 98127
or
email the from to Treasurer@wablues.org and president@wablues.org
If you are requesting reimbursement for expenses that you have already paid out-of-pocket, please provide copies of the receipts that will support your request. If you are requesting payment for rent, doctor bills, medication, etc., please provide the name and address of the person(s) we are to send payment to.
Once the Board of Directors receives your application, it will go up for review and you will be notified, in writing, of our decision.
Please allow sufficient time to review this request. Please note, exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis.
Donations to the Musicians Relief Fund are always welcome and tax Deductable
Questions contact: treasurer@wablues.org
Other Musician Healthcare and Relief Resources:
The Heart Fund :
The Blues Foundation established the HART Fund (Handy Artists Relief Trust) for Blues musicians and their families in financial need due to a broad range of health concerns. The Fund provides for acute, chronic and preventive medical and dental care as well as funeral and burial expenses. Throughout the year at various events the HART Fund provides free health screenings for musicians, with services including but not limited to checking blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, prostate cancer, Hep C, anemia, thyroid, kidney and liver testing via blood work.
Requests for funding should be made by contacting The Blues Foundation directly. Upon contacting the foundation, you will be asked to complete a short application form. A committee will then review your application to ensure that the individual qualifies and the request is for health-related financial needs.
To request funding please contact:
LaTasha Nathaniel at bluesmembership@blues.org
https://blues.org/hart-fund/#hart-network
Music Cares :
MusiCares provides crisis relief, preventive care, recovery resources, and need-based financial assistance for people across all music professions.
https://musicares.org/get-help
