Small businesses and freelancers in Berlin can get grants of up to €5,000 as emergency aid. The package consists a total of €100 million and is aimed at small and micro enterprises with a maximum of five employees, which have been hit particularly hard by the coronavirus crisis. This includes creative industries and culture. Since culture also needs publicity, the city has initiated ‘Berlin (a)live‘ for online events.
Berlin (a)live: A new digital platform that brings culture into our living rooms and supports artists
Cancelled performances, empty venues, missing fees: the corona crisis threatens the cultural diversity of cities and the livelihoods of people engaged in the cultural sector. But culture is not only dependent on money, it also needs publicity!
“Berlin (a)live” brings artists and culture enthusiasts together. The platform Berlin (a)live, a joint project of the Senate Department for Culture and Europe and the Berlin agency 3pc, is the central point of contact for all of Berlin’s online live events such as discussions, performances, DJ battles, operas, concerts and vernissages. Livestreams from all platforms are compiled and listed here for free. In this way, cultural workers receive more attention for their projects. The platform also offers the possibility to support artists and projects through donations.
Contact: Eva-Leona Breunig, ebreunig@3pc.de
Financial subsidies for self-employed and small businesses
On 19 March 2020, the Senate agreed on emergency aid measures for small businesses and self-employed persons as well as for freelancers, especially in the fields of health, equality, trade and services, youth and education, creative industries, culture, social affairs, sport and tourism. The Emergency Aid Package II is aimed at small and micro enterprises with a maximum of five employees, which have been hit particularly hard by the coronavirus crisis. The package amounts to 100 million Euros for the current year. Each grant is limited to 5,000 Euros but it is possible to apply several times. Individuals can reapply after six months, small businesses can reapply after three months.
The subsidy complements Emergency Aid Package I, which targets small and medium-sized enterprises with up to 250 employees. Emergency Aid Packages I and II have a total volume of 600 million Euros and are intended to enable these groups to apply for subsidies quickly and with a minimum of bureaucratic effort to secure their professional or business existence.
Further information (only in German)
Berlin’s FAQs on how to deal with the coronavirus (in 5 languages)
The Berlin Senate Chancellery provides constantly updated information on how to deal with coronavirus. The FAQs include information regarding:
- Social contacts, families, free time, and basic supplies
- Work and businesses
- Children, young people, schools, and higher education
- Traffic, travel, mobility
- Personal responsibility, health, hygiene
Please visit: https://www.berlin.de/corona/faq/
Contact: Johanna Eisenberg