If your question is not addressed here, feel free to contact us at civlsavefund@gmail.com.
This FAQ will be updated as more information becomes available.

Q: Where do these funds come from?
A: Funds come from CIVL merchandise sales, as well as proceeds from the CIVLization music series and other fundraising partnerships and endeavors on behalf of CIVL. A very special thanks goes out to DCASE, JBTV, Goose Island, Bacardi, and Jim Beam for their generous support. CIVL is also accepting donations.

Q. When do applications open and close?
A. The first round application — which was open to venue staff only — was open from March 4th at 9am CST until March 28th at 8pm CST. The second round application - for artists - was open from 12pm CST November 16th until December 3rd.

Q: Who is eligible to apply in round one?
A: Any Chicago-based performance venue employees who currently reside in Chicago or the surrounding suburbs are welcome to apply during the first round of applications. This includes bar staff, production and hospitality staff, and office and administrative staff. CIVL venues employ hundreds people, but this fund will not be limited only to CIVL member venues. Artists and venues will be eligible to apply in subsequent rounds, thus we ask those parties to hold off on applying until their group’s designated round.

Q: Who is eligible to apply in round two?
A: Any Chicago-based performance artist who currently reside in Chicago or the surrounding suburbs are welcome to apply during the second round of applications. This includes artists of all disciplines who have derived income from performance at Chicago entertainment venue in 2019 or 2020.

Q: How will proof of employment be monitored?
A: For venue staff, applicants will be required to submit their most recent pay stub, 1099 (with employer verification), or other proof of 2020 employment (i.e. signed letter from venue representative) from their respective venue, as well as a general position title. For artists, proof of performance income includes 1099, show listing, or proof of payment from a Chicago venue.

Q: What documentation will I need to provide with my application?
A: All applicants will be required to submit the following four documents:

• Picture ID

• Proof of Chicago or surrounding suburbs residency (i.e. piece of mail with address)

• Completed and signed W9 (https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw9.pdf)

• Proof of performance income

Applicants may also submit the following optional documentation to demonstrate need:

• Past due rent, mortgage or utility bill

• Eviction notice

• Notice of a utility being shut off

• If there is an extenuating circumstance for a bill that is not listed above, please upload it for consideration (for example, a past due credit card bill if you can demonstrate that you’ve been putting rent or utilities on a credit card)

Please be advised that you will only be able to upload a maximum of 10 documents to the application form. Click here for a tutorial on scanning documents, and here for a guide to combining multiple scans into a single PDF.

Q: How much money can awardees expect?
A: This is a work in progress. According to a survey administered to CIVL venue employees, the most popular preference was to award more conservative amounts to a wider pool of applicants, with most respondents’ target number being ~$500 per awardee. The final value of each grant will depend on how many applications we receive, how much funding is available at the time the first round of applications closes, and how many applicants are deemed in greatest need.

Q: How and when will funds be paid out?
A: Money will be allocated through VISA prepaid cards. Our goal is to award the first round of funds in April and to then distribute the physical cards as efficiently as possible. Awardees will be given clear instructions on receiving their prepaid cards.

Q: How will awardees be notified of their accepted status? What does the process of being accepted entail?
A: The Giving Back Fund will contact awardees to notify them of acceptance. They will send a grant agreement, which will require awardee to provide receipts for grant expenditures and abide by guidelines. Awardees will receive a second notification when funds are ready for distribution, along with instructions for expense tracking/receipt submission.

Q: Will it affect my unemployment? Is it taxable income?
A: It will not affect unemployment. Cash cards are not required to be reported as income on unemployment or tax filings.

Q. Are there guidelines on what funding must be spent on? How will recipients be held to these stipulations?
A. The grant funds can be spent on anything constituting a basic need (i.e. food, housing, utilities, transportation to/from a workplace, personal hygiene products). Awardees will be required to submit receipts for grant expenditures.

Q: How will awardees receive their VISA prepaid cards?
A: Awardees will receive instructions regarding how to collect their prepaid card.

Q: Can VISA prepaid cards be cashed out to pay rent?
A: VISA prepaid cards cannot be cashed out, but may still be acceptable as a payment method for rent, depending on landlord’s preference. If landlord accepts electronic payments (such as PayPal, Venmo) or will accept the physical prepaid card in lieu of a check or cash payment, and landlord provides a receipt to the awardee, the prepaid card may be used to pay rent.

Q: How will applicants’ sensitive information be protected?
A: Everyone who has access to applicant data will be required to sign a non-disclosure agreement. CIVL members will review applications for eligibility prior to juror scoring. Jurors will handle scoring individual applications, and will not have access to applicants’ identifying information. Supplementary documentation unrelated to eligibility will then be reviewed by The Giving Back Fund. If too many eligible applications are scored identically, a small independent panel assigned by, but unaffiliated with, CIVL will make final determinations on awardees.

Q: Is the fund capped at a goal amount and waiting to be filled, or are funds distributed as applications are received?
A: The CIVL SAVE Emergency Relief Fund is an ongoing fundraiser, and applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. Our intention is to allocate funding in rounds, beginning with staff, and then moving onto artists and venues. There will be a submission end date for each round, and subsequent rounds will be facilitated as funding becomes available.

Q: How will I know when the application opens?
A: For timely updates on the application process, please check this website, sign up for the CIVL mailing list, and keep an eye on CIVL social media (links are at the bottom of this page).

Q: If I have a press inquiry, who can I contact?
A: Please email Ryan Arnold at DeSoto & State (ryan@desotostate.com). You can also visit our Press page to read more about CIVL SAVE.