Top image: Turner Contemporary – Turner & The Elements. Photography Hufton & Crow.

The last few weeks have seen freelancers struggle to keep afloat amidst the coronavirus pandemic, but there is finally some good news: Arts Council England has announced a £160million emergency fund to support organisations and individuals in need.

A more detailed breakdown reveals that 90 million pounds will go towards sustaining organisations already receiving support, 50 million will be designated for non-funded organisations and 20 million will be made available for individual workers. The list of eligible creatives here is long: from writers and theatre-makers to choreographers and artists, there’s opportunity for freelancers across the board to apply for grants worth up to £2,500.

Although the criteria is consistently under review, financial packages like these mark a valuable addition to existing freelance care funds, one of which – targeted solely at film and TV freelancers – recently received a $1million cash injection from Netflix. The UK government has also announced a series of measures aimed at freelancers in the midst of the pandemic, which can be read in full here.