Thanks to a £1 million donation by Arts Council England, the Theatre Artists Fund is now open for its next round of applications.

This sizeable monetary injection follows earlier funds distributed as part of its emergency response package. Additional support has been provided by Backstage Trust, Es Devlin, Jim Broadbent, Kate Capshaw and Steven Spielberg, Lee Hall and Beeban Kidron, Michelle Dockery, Peter Morgan, Phyllida Lloyd and Ralph Fiennes.

Arts Council England Deputy CEO, Simon Mellor, said: "The Covid-19 crisis has had a huge impact on every part of our cultural sector - but individual artists and freelancers have been especially badly hit, losing work and uncertain of their future. Supporting individuals to think, plan and practice is a priority for the Arts Council, and we are using our resources to make this possible. We are complementing the Government's Culture Recovery Fund by reopening our National Lottery Project Grants programme and will shortly be relaunching Developing Your Creative Practice. I'm delighted that we've been able to contribute to the Theatre Artists Fund, which is working hard to provide a lifeline to thousands of theatre professionals, including those from our most under-represented communities, during this unparalleled crisis for the arts."

The fund was launched at the beginning of July, spearheaded by Sam Mendes, with a £500k donation from Netflix. It continues to aid those in our industry, who have been out of work since theatres closed in March, by offering individual £1000 grants.

Mendes said: "This fund has enabled us to move fast in response to the urgent need that is out there amongst freelancers and self-employed theatre artists. But the situation is still desperate and many more still need help. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to Arts Council England for this transformative contribution, which I hope will lead to an ongoing relationship with the Fund as it grows in scale and permanence."

The second wave of applications are now open and will close on Thursday 10 September at 12pm.

For more information on the fund, please click here.