Our group formed in March 2020 to organize aid for archival workers experiencing financial hardship due to COVID-19. Since then, we have worked with the SAA Foundation to establish the Archival Workers Emergency Fund (or AWE Fund, for short).
Applications to the AWE Fund are open. All archival workers are eligible. SAA membership is not required. Support up to $1,000 will be given.
Learn more about the application guidelines.
Support your fellow archival workers. Every donation helps.
Please note: If you are not an SAA member, you may be asked to create an account to login before donating. This is for security — you do not have to be an SAA member or join the SAA to donate.
For more information about the AWEF Organizing Committee, please email awefund@gmail.com.
AWE Fund Updates
AWEsome Organizers! Courtney Dean
How and why did you get involved as an AWE Fund Organizer? I spent years precariously employed in archives so know firsthand the immense stress and anxiety that comes with not knowing if you’ll be able to pay next month’s rent. Throwing a global pandemic into the mix heightens all of this exponentially. I … Continue reading AWEsome Organizers! Courtney Dean
AWEsome Organizers! Carli Lowe
How and why did you get involved as an AWE Fund Organizer? I saw a message on an SAA listserv looking for people to get involved in creating a mutual aid fund. I related to the issue of contingent labor in archives as someone who worked in short-term and contract-based positions while I was in … Continue reading AWEsome Organizers! Carli Lowe
Call for Crafters: Persistent Stitches’ #Auction4AWEfund!
Calling all crafty archivists and crafters who support archival workers! The crafting collaborative Persistent Stitches and the AWE Fund Organizers have teamed up to host an online silent auction July 1-4, 2020. As the covid-19 pandemic unfolds across the United States, many cultural heritage institutions and other organizations that employ archival workers have reduced staffing, … Continue reading Call for Crafters: Persistent Stitches’ #Auction4AWEfund!
COVID (Re)Collections Interview
CLIR’s Nicole Kang Ferraiolo talked with AWE Fund organizers for the COVID (Re)Collections series. We appreciate the opportunity to share the fund’s origins and some of our experiences working on the fund! Read the piece: “Archival Workers Emergency Fund: An Interview with Jessica Chapel and Lydia Tang.”
AWE Fund in Library Journal
Our thanks to Lisa Peet and Library Journal for writing about the fund. Read the article: “Emergency Fund Launches to Help Archival Workers Facing Financial Difficulties During COVID-19.”
