Corona

What to do?

We collect and select important information and advice for artists and cultural institutions. You can find ongoing information on our social media channels. If you have any questions please contact us via beratung@tanzbuero-berlin.de!

 

Current funding programmes in response to Corona

All current Berlin and national funding deadlines relevant to dance can be found here.

Neustart Kultur - Dachverband Tanz Deutschland DIS-TANZ-SOLO: The scholarship-like funding refers to projects of dance professionals, which include organizing, documenting, archiving (of props, stage sets, programs, videos, etc.), researching, educating and developing their work, their plans and projects and which are dedicated to the partly invisible areas of artistic work. Applications are open to self-employed dance professionals - choreographers, dancers, dramaturges, producers, curators, technicians, dance agents, etc. - who are resident in Germany. Funding amount: minimum 4.500€ and maximum 13.500€ for a minimum of 3 to a maximum of 9 months. A combination with other scholarship programs of the federal government is excluded during the funding period. Further information can be found here.
Application deadline: 22.03.2021 (application start 01.03.2021)

Federal - November/December Assistance: Businesses or solo self-employed individuals affected by the current closures may apply for November or December assistance. They should receive 75% of the corresponding sales in November/December 2019 or solo self-employed of the average sales from 2019. Solo self-employed persons who have not previously applied for bridging assistance can apply for up to €5000 with the direct application in their own name (without an auditing third party). An ELSTER certificate is required for the application. Please note: The direct application for November and December assistance can only be submitted once. A subsequent change of the application after sending is currently not yet possible via the digital application system.
Application deadline: 30.04.2021

Federal government - Bridging assistance III for solo self-employed persons: Solo self-employed persons can apply for a one-off lump sum for operating costs ("new start-up assistance") within the framework of bridging assistance III. The maximum amount is 7,500 euros; previously, 5,000 euros was provided. The terms of the one-off operating cost lump sum will be significantly improved. It is doubled to 50 percent of the reference turnover; previously 25 percent was provided for. As a rule, the reference turnover is 50 percent of the total turnover in 2019. Thus, the flat-rate operating allowance is normally 25 percent of the annual turnover in 2019. Special rules apply to applicants who only started their self-employed activity on or after January 1, 2019. Example: with a turnover of 20,000 euros (average turnover in the Künstlersozialkasse), 5,000 euros of new start-up assistance will therefore be paid (50 percent of the reference turnover for six months in 2019, 10,000 euros). Within the scope of the new start-up aid, employees in the performing arts who are predominantly engaged in short-term employment relationships of up to 14 continuous weeks can also be considered. More information can be found here. Solo self-employed persons applying for new start-up assistance can apply directly (www.ueberbrueckungshilfe-unternehmen.de) using the ELSTER certificate familiar from tax returns. The partial payments and the application process will start in the month of February 2021.

Federal Government - Bridging Assistance III for Companies: Uniform criterion for eligibility to apply: All companies with more than a 30% drop in sales can receive the staggered fixed cost reimbursement. This means: No more differentiation in support according to different sales slumps and periods, months of closure and direct or indirect impact. Expansion of the monthly funding amount: increase of the funding ceiling to up to 1.5 million euros per funding month (previously provided for 200,000 or 500,000 euros) within the limits of European state aid law. Funding months are November 2020 to June 2021. Progress payments: Advance payments will be available to all eligible companies, not just those affected by the closures. They are possible up to an amount of 100,000 euros instead of the previously envisaged 50,000 euros for a funding month. Further information can be found here.

 

rehearsalS & Performances

Berlin's theatre and dance institutions will remain closed for indoor performances. The safety of employees both during the rehearsal process and during the performances must continue to be guaranteed in accordance with the provisions of the Occupational Health and Safety Act. The sector-specific guidelines of the  VBG Unfallkasse provide indications of this. More specific for dance are the orientation aids by the association for dance medicine ta.med, to which the VBG paper refers.

 

FURTHER AID PROJECTS

Crowdfunding: The crowdfunding platform Startnext has launched a crowdfunding relief campaign and has suspended the all-or-nothing principle in its guidelines. This means that from now on every cent will be paid out: Link. Other platforms like Gofundme have similar models to help Corona victims. You can tell us about current appeals for donations at postnoSpam@tanzbuero-berlin.de, we list them here under "appeals for donations" and refer to them regularly in our digital channels.

Zeitgenössischer Tanz Berlin e.V.:  The ZTB has initiated a project in which dance professionals can receive remuneration for helping each other (e.g. referring to translation, advice and other artistic expertise).
Link

kulturBdigital: Due to the switch to live streaming because of current closures and cancellations, a "How to" guide about streaming and expert advice on legal aspects is provided.
Link  (in German only)



Grundsicherung (Basic support)

Bundesagentur für Arbeit (Federal Employment Agency): Self-employed persons can register as unemployed if they have taken out unemployment insurance. However, those who are registered as unemployed are not allowed to work - even if there are orders again. Both at the same time is not possible. Those who do not have unemployment insurance can also apply for basic security (Hartz IV). Access to basic social security benefits will be simplified for cultural and media workers whose income or economic livelihood is being eroded by the current crisis. Anyone who submits an application for basic income support benefits between 1 March and 30 June 2020 and declares that they have no substantial assets will receive SGB II benefits (including ALG II). The actual costs for rent and heating are recognised. Nobody has to move during this period because their rent costs exceed the otherwise applicable limits. Self-employment is maintained, i.e. the persons concerned do not have to be available for the labour market. The regulations also apply to employees who are on short-time work due to the Corona pandemic.
Link I  (in German only),  Link II  (in German only)

Child supplement: The "Notfall KiZ" changes the access to the child supplement. Families with low income can now receive up to €185 per child per month more easily. This is the case, for example, if parents are receiving short-time work benefits, are self-employed and currently have no or reduced income, have less income due to missing overtime, or are receiving unemployment or sickness benefits. Check with the KiZ-Lotsen whether you are entitled to a child supplement before you submit your application. If so, submit an application for the emergency KiZ online. If you do this during April, you will receive the money for the whole month of April. All necessary documents can be found on the page leaflets, forms and applications of the family fund (all links in German only).

Residence permits: On 24 March 2020 and 27 March 2020, the Berlin Immigration Office issued two general orders. These state that the residence permit will not become invalid if short-time work benefits, SGB II (Hartz IV), SGB XII (social assistance) or AsylbLG (Asylum Seeker Benefits Act) are received between March18,  2020 and June 17, 2020.
Link (in English)


DOCUMENTATION OF LOSS OF INCOME | LEGAL BASIS

Documentation: In any case, documents current revenue shortfalls for future reference. Together with TanzSzene Baden-Württemberg, Tanzbüro München, nrw landesbüro tanz and Tanzbüro Berlin, the Dachverband Tanz has developed a standardized and easy-to-use table structure for this purpose, which you can use and send to the Dachverband Tanz for information.
Link  (in English)

Information: Helpful information on the question of when there is a entitlement to a cancellation fee in case of cancellation of events is provided by the law office Laaser.
Link   (in German only)

Get a consultation: Write to beratungnoSpam@tanzbuero-berlin.de and we will get back to you as soon as possible by email or phone. Härting Helpline offers free initial telephone advice for companies, freelancers and institutions affected by closures, cancellations and failures. Send an e-mail to coronanoSpam@haerting.de  with a few keywords and your telephone number and you will be called back between 12 and 18 o'clock.
Link


INSURANCES | TAX | RENT

KSK: In order to help those insured during the Corona crisis, the artists' social insurance fund offers, among other things, payment facilities, payment deferrals or reductions in monthly advance payments.
Link   (in German only)

Tax authorities: You can apply for a reduction or suspension of current advance payments for income tax or corporate income tax. Tax payments due can be deferred, late payment penalties can be eliminated. Enforcement measures can also be dispensed with temporarily. Please contact the tax office responsible for you directly.
Link  (in German only)

Rent: If rent payments become problematic for you due to Corona, landlords may not terminate the lease due to rent debts from the period between April 1, 2020 and June 30, 2020. The landlord should be informed immediately. The rent payments must be made up at the next possible date.
Link  (in German only)


INFORMATION ON CURRENT FUNDING PROGRAMMES

Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Europe: If the events are cancelled due to force majeure, the costs incurred may be recognised as eligible expenditure; if necessary, the measure may be carried out digitally or made up for later. Cancellation fees may be paid to artists already engaged on the cut-off date 15.3.2020 in the amount of 60 % of the fee (artists employed in analogue work), even if cancellation fees have not been expressly agreed. Further procedural simplifications for grant recipients to cushion the effects of Covid-19 can be found here (in german). Applications for current funding programmes can be submitted online. However, it is currently open whether and when funding decisions will be made.
Link   (general information during the Corona crisis, in German only)

Fonds Darstellende Künste: Detailed information on the use of funds from the Performing Arts Fund is continually updated. The Fund endeavours to find solutions in individual cases with the recipients of funding. In response to Corona, the Fund is also changing its "Initial Grant" programme, to which artists affected by loss of income who have been supported by the Fund in the last 10 years can apply until 5 April 2020.
Link I (in German only),  Link II  (in German only)

National Performance Network: Guest performances already approved, which have been cancelled due to Corona, can be realised at another date by 28 February 2021 at the latest. If a guest performance has been cancelled, but the fees or material costs are still paid to the artists/company e.g. in case of a digital performance, the NPN will check on a case-by-case basis.
Link (in English)

Kulturstiftung des Bundes: Even if planned events cannot take place, the costs incurred up to the date of a possible cancellation or postponement are eligible. Ongoing projects can in principle claim the expenses incurred to date as part of the shortfall financing. Existing project funding can - if possible - be adapted to the new situation by making changes. This can be done, for example, by postponing deadlines or using digital formats. Cancellations, partial cancellations and replacement by other formats are contract-relevant project changes. As the project sponsor, you first decide which changes are possible in terms of content, organization and technology. In a second step, you will inform the Federal Cultural Foundation in writing about the intended measures and the changed cost and financing plan. At the initiative of the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, it is now possible under certain conditions to pay cancellation fees for artists whose performances have become invalid due to the Corona crisis.
Link  (in German only)

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