Housing, healthcare, grants, direct aid, legal support, and mutual aid networks. National coverage. Free to use.
The Artist Mutual Aid Directory was born during the 2021 Kaggle/Google BIPOC Data Fellowship. The idea was simple: use data science to make it easier for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ artists to find the help that already exists.
The fellowship ended. The need didn't. Five years later, the project is being revived — same architecture, deeper roots.
"Each one, reach one. Each one, teach one."
A zero-dependency, open-source resource directory that any artist can use, any community can fork, and any mutual aid network can contribute to.
Python · BeautifulSoup · Pandas → structured data → vanilla HTML/CSS/JS. No framework. No server. Zippable, forkable, lightweight by design.
BIPOC artists. LGBTQ+ creatives. Anyone in the arts who needs housing, healthcare, legal help, or emergency funds — and doesn't know where to start.
Jianda Monique — Jr. Data Scientist, author, musician, and multidisciplinary artist. 2021 Kaggle/Google BIPOC Data Fellow. Mentored by Prasun Kumar Mishra and Julia Elliott.
The 2021 plan assumed bulk public datasets would supply most of this directory's content. That landscape has changed since — bulk dataset search has gotten significantly harder, and some previously reliable sources turned out to be inconsistent or unmaintained. So this directory now runs on manually vetted data: every resource listed has been individually researched, not bulk-imported.
In keeping with this project's open-source commitment, you can download exactly what's currently live on this page — no account, no ask. Useful as a backup, a starting point for your own fork, or just to see the raw data behind the cards.
Fill this out, then finish your submission as a public GitHub Issue — it's free, takes about 30 seconds, and means your submission is permanently visible and citable, not sitting in a private inbox.
For artists, organizers, and anyone who needs help — or wants to give it.
If you opened this looking for immediate support — you're in the right place. Start here. Everything else can wait.
You may have been told — directly or indirectly — that needing help is a character flaw. It isn't. Mutual aid exists precisely because systems fail people. Asking is not weakness. Asking is how the network works.
You may also encounter compassion fatigue — in your community, in your friends, even in yourself. People who love you may still be unable to give. That is not a verdict on your worth or your need. Keep looking. The resource exists. This primer will help you find it.
Navigating mutual aid and emergency resource directories can feel overwhelming — especially when you are already in crisis. Here is a simple framework.
211.org is the fastest on-ramp. It connects you to local services — food, housing, utilities, mental health — by zip code. Call, text, or use the website.
Most directories organize by need type: housing, healthcare, grants, direct financial aid, legal. Try searching the category you need most rather than a broad term like "help."
Many resources are specific — BIPOC artists, LGBTQ+ individuals, residents of a particular city. Read the eligibility criteria first to save yourself time and energy.
Facebook groups, Discord servers, mutual aid networks, and local artist collectives often know about resources that never make it to official directories. Ask openly. Someone knows.
Keep a simple log of what you applied for, when, and any reference numbers. Follow up. Systems are slow and understaffed — persistence matters.
"The mutual practice of giving and receiving is an everyday ritual when we know true love. Giving is the way we also learn how to receive." — All About Love: New Vision, bell hooks
A living idea, not a fixed definition.
Mutual aid resists a single clean definition — and that resistance is intentional. Need is individual. Community is local. What works in one neighborhood may not work in another. What follows are guidelines, not rules.
Charity flows one direction — from those who have, to those who don't. Mutual aid moves in all directions. The person receiving today may be the person giving tomorrow. There is no hierarchy of worthiness.
Mutual aid networks are built by the people who use them. They respond faster, more personally, and more flexibly than institutions — because they are accountable to neighbors, not to boards or grant cycles.
Mutual aid acknowledges that people are in need because systems have failed them — not because of personal failing. It does not ask people to be deserving. It asks only that we show up for each other.
If you are building a mutual aid network, organizing resources, or doing the labor of care — you are also allowed to receive. Paying yourself for your labor is ethical. Accepting support while you give it is not a contradiction. It is the whole point.
Sometimes the people closest to you run out of capacity to give. Sometimes they express that unkindly. Friends can be petty about fundraising. People who love you can still say the wrong thing when you ask for help. This is real, it is painful, and it is worth naming out loud.
Compassion fatigue is a genuine phenomenon — not an excuse, but a real limitation. It does not mean your need is too much. It means the people around you are also carrying weight. Widen the net. Look beyond your immediate circle. The resource exists.
This primer is a living document. The following sections are in progress:
Open-source, forkable, free. Built for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ artists. Browse the directory →