Artists’ Salary Fund

The Artists' Salary Fund annually assigns stipends to self-employed artists in their field with the aim of enriching artistic expression and creation of artistic works. The Fund has six categories: the salary fund of designers; painters; authors; performers; musicians; and composers. The Fund provides the equivalent of 1,600 monthly salaries to artists in various professions in the aforementioned categories. Legislation regarding artists' salaries supports the Fund by clarifying the amount of support that should be given and how allocations are determined. The legislation further clarifies the significance of receiving support from the Artists' Salary Fund, that by receiving extended support for a period of six or more months, an individual is unable to seek full-time employment elsewhere and is required to ensure that they appropriately attend to their creation of artistic works. Since it was established in 1990, the Artists' Salary Fund has supported artists' abilities to create art, providing them with the financial freedom required to pursue their artistic projects and devote a significant amount of time to artistic creation. In addition to providing artists with monthly stipends the Artists' Salary Fund also provides travel grants. This allows artists for example to personally promote their work in a larger setting, collaborate with other artists as well as seek out and provide inspiration to various communities both locally and globally.

In response to the global COVID-19 crisis, the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture in Iceland has authorized additional funding for the Artists' Salary Fund in 2020. A total of 2,200 months has been allocated to artists in various fields, a 37% increase from the 1,603 months allocated the year prior. The stimulus allows even more artists the opportunity to be fully employed in art creation and supports both cultural and economic landscapes in Iceland.