On March 13, 2020, a group of concerned archivists organized in response to the COVID-19 global crisis and recommended that the Society of American Archivists Foundation establish the Archival Workers Emergency Fund. The AWE Fund was officially launched on April 15, 2020. The fund is providing mutual aid support to financially vulnerable and at-risk archives workers, including part-time, hourly, contract, temporary, term-limited, and otherwise contingent archives workers who now face acute employment and financial challenges.
Please consider helping us share the word about the AWE Fund and encourage potential applicants and donors alike! Our official organizer’s Twitter account is @awefund2020 and our hashtag is #AWEfund.
If you’d like to collaborate with us in any way, thank you! You can learn more about the AWE Fund at our website. If interested members of your organization have specific skill sets they’d like to contribute in this effort, we encourage them to contact us.
The Archival Workers Emergency Fund organizers have created an anonymous survey to continue to keep a pulse on the scope and extent of the impact of COVID-19 on precariously employed archival workers.
Please take the survey by July 31!
Another upcoming activity is the #Auction4AWEfund. If you are a crafter and want to raise funds for the AWE Fund, please submit your item for auction by June 15!
Alison Clemens (alison.clemens@gmail.com) can direct any questions you may have about the AWE Fund's current fundraising efforts