INDIANAPOLIS — Central Indiana-based artists and arts administrators are invited to apply now for a new round of Wug Laku Mental Health & Wellness Grants supported by the Herbert Simon Family Foundation, the Indy Arts Council.
The grants, which range from $250-$750, can be used for one-on-one therapy, support groups, art therapy, and wellness and mindfulness practices. Guidelines and easy-to-fill-out applications, which opened March 16, are available online at https://indykeepscreating.org/wug-laku-wellness-grant/. To be eligible, artists must reside in Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Marion, Morgan, Johnson, or Shelby Counties; have made at least 40% of their income prior to the pandemic in the arts (in non-commercial work); and have been working in the arts for at least two years.
The grants honor the legacy of Wug Laku, a beloved Indianapolis visual artist and grassroots advocate for the arts. His untreated mental illness led to his death in 2017 at age 63. The program is part of the ongoing #IndyKeepsCreating initiative, funded through philanthropic, civic, and corporate partners, that began in March 2020 to support independent artists and nonprofit arts and culture organizations during the pandemic.