Art Beyond the Glass Launches COVID-19 Relief Fund
Art Beyond the Glass has announced a new partnership with Community Partners as a grantee of its Fiscal Sponsorship program.
Since its inception, proceeds from every ABTG event have been donated to local arts-based nonprofits - to date, ABTG has donated more than $210,000 to these vital organizations. Now, in response to the devastating impact of COVID-19 on the hospitality industry, ABTG is pivoting its fundraising mission and launching the Art Beyond the Glass Fund in order to support bartenders suffering financial hardship due to loss of employment or reduced work hours. According to SipScience, more than 700,000 bartenders are out of work in the U.S.
ABTG co-founder Daniel Djang said, "Art Beyond the Glass has always been propelled by the creativity and philanthropy of bartenders, who donate their time off to raise much-needed funds for arts nonprofits. The bartender community has supported us from Day One, and now we have the opportunity to support them."
“As a member of the LA Bartender community, I know how important being able to get quick relief is in these times," said Clare Ward, ABTG Head of Production. "ABTG’s new COVID-19 initiative aims to provide relief to bartenders in the Los Angeles area through grants and sponsorship of local initiatives. We hope to provide as much relief as quickly as possible to my Los Angeles Bartender family.”
“Bacardi is a family-owned company and we believe in taking care of our extended family – the bar teams who have helped build love for our brands,” says Elizabeth Costa de Rusch, Director of Advocacy for Bacardi North America. “As part of our global #RaiseYourSpirits initiative designed to give back to the bar community, we are proud to be an early donor to Art Beyond the Glass’s pivot to focus on COVID relief and hope others will join the cause.”
Bartenders in need of financial support as a result of COVID-19 can apply for a grant at the ABTG website. Applications will be prioritized for bartenders in the most serious need of funds, including (but not limited to) those with existing health conditions, supporting dependents, or diagnosed with COVID-19. ABTG grants will initially be available only to hospitality workers based in L.A. County.
Industry brands, non-industry companies, and individuals interested in supporting the bartender community during this crisis can make a donation to ABTG at this page.
For more information about this new Art Beyond the Glass initiative, visit the ABTG COVID-19 Relief Fund page. Follow ABTG on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for the latest updates.