As lockdowns arrived and spread, many mutual aid networks, mostly small-scale, were put together on the fly to help the many thousands of suddenly unemployed arts workers. Those funds had been planned, and expected, to be temporary measures lasting only a couple of months. But, as the pandemic ran on and shutdowns continued, furloughs became layoffs; even now, as more Americans are getting vaccinated, much of the arts world won’t restart operations fully for more months or even the end of the year. So a number of those mutual aid groups are reorganizing as permanent entities. – Artnet