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Financial Assistance

SOS has established a limited financial aid fund in our 2020 budget. Assistance may be available if you would like to participate, but cannot afford the registration fee because of financial hardship.

If you need help paying for SOS registration, please apply and we will do our best to meet your request. Please be mindful that a fixed amount has been set aside this year to fund this program, and apply only for how much you need. Somerville Open Studios is an independent non-profit organization, and our budget runs very tightly, with operating costs tied directly to income brought in from registration fees from your fellow artists, from ad sales, and from donations.

The names of the artists who request financial aid will be kept confidential to those members of the operating committees and working groups that need the information to facilitate the registration process. Such artists will be treated, for all purposes other than financial, exactly as if they have paid the full registration fee.

How to Apply for Financial Aid for SOS 2020

NOTE Deadline for financial aid is : January 10, 2020

  1. Register for SOS as you normally would (creating a new account if you are new to SOS or logging in to your existing account if you are a returning artist).
  2. At the payments page, select Apply for Financial Aid.
  3. At the last step of registration click the "apply for financial assistance" button. You will be asked for the following information :
    1. How long have you been participating in SOS (if you have participated in the past). Previous participation is not necessary, but it is helpful to us to know whether new or returning members are needing aid.
    2. Amount requested: You may request any amount between $20 minimum and the full cost of your registration. We cannot offer help with any additional expenses beyond the registration fees, nor can we offer financial aid to those seeking expanded web presence.
    3. Please provide a brief statement regarding the general nature of your specific financial hardship. We do not need you to provide more personal details than you are comfortable sharing, just the general category of situation that has come up. [ medical reasons? dramatic loss of income (lost job in the family)? dramatic increase of costs (accident? theft? flood? ) unexpected costs?].

What Happens Next?

After the Financial Aid application period ends, volunteer members of the board of directors will meet and review all the requests for financial aid. The committee will then distribute funds among the requests as best we can within the limited budget.

You will receive an email by January 15, 2020 with your financial aid offer and be asked to either commit to the remaining payment by the close of registration, or to let us know that you will not be participating. Instructions on how to submit your payment will be included at that time.