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Global Policy & Advocacy

Artistic Freedom Monitor USA

Artistic Freedom Monitor USA is a first-of-its-kind research and advocacy initiative documenting government actions that threaten artistic freedom and the independence of cultural institutions in the United States.

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Apply for Assistance

Artistic Freedom Initiative is currently accepting applications from at-risk artists  in the United States and  around the world seeking temporary and permanent residence in the US and Europe.  Additionally, for at-risk artists already located  in the United States, AFI is accepting applications from artists  who fear persecution in their home countries  and are seeking asylum in the US.

View module on Apply for Assistance (original page) (this link opens in new window)
F R E E
to create to express to move
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Frequently asked questions

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Resettlement Projects

Our Resettlement Assistance programs guide at-risk artists as they navigate the relocation process and provide support as they reestablish themselves professionally.

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What Can We Help You Find?

Learn more
Learn more
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Seeking Assistance?

Apply for Assistance

Artistic Freedom Initiative is currently accepting applications from at-risk artists in the United States and around the world seeking temporary and permanent residence in the US.  Additionally, for at-risk artists already located  in the United States, AFI is accepting applications from artists  who fear persecution in their home countries  and are seeking asylum in the US.

Get assistance
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Read More

Artist Safety Hosting Guide

The Artist Safety Hosting Guide was co-written by Artistic Freedom Initiative and Todd Lanier Lester (ArtistSafety.net/FreeDimensional). It was published in the fall of 2019 with support from our New York City Artist Safe Haven Residency Program coalition, the David Rockefeller Fund, and the Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation. The guide offers reflections on the history, ethics, and best practices of artist safety hosting in New York City and elsewhere, tracks the development of our coalition-led residency program, and includes a section dedicated to legal assistance for at-risk artists.
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View module on Safe Haven Residency Program (original page) (this link opens in new window)
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Our Impact

AFI Makes a Difference

Since our founding in 2017, we have empowered thousands of artists at risk through pro bono immigration representation, resettlement assistance, public programs, and advocacy.

For individual artists, this holistic support means safety, stability, and the ability to continue creating and sharing their work. These outcomes generate ripple effects that enrich communities, foster cultural exchange, and advance artistic freedom as a fundamental human right. AFI’s impact extends beyond individual cases, contributing to a more just and vibrant global cultural ecosystem.

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AFM Tracker

The AFM Tracker is a centralized, public record of federal and state government actions that narrow artistic freedom and weaken the independence of arts and cultural institutions in the United States, designed to increase transparency and allow users to follow developments over time. Click below to explore the platform.

Launch the Tracker
View module on Artistic Freedom Monitor: USA (original page) (this link opens in new window)

Support AFI’s Work

As censorship rises and artists are targeted for speaking truth to power, protecting creative voices has never been more urgent. Since 2017, AFI has supported over 2000 courageous artists who create even when it places them at risk. By making a contribution today, you expand our direct services and advocacy work to secure at-risk artists’ safety and stability, and provide them with the resources they need to remain on the front lines of creative resistance.

View module on Artistic Freedom Monitor: USA (original page) (this link opens in new window)

Get all the information you need on eligibility and how to get assistance from AFI, including application instructions and other useful resources.

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View module on Home (original page) (this link opens in new window)
View module on Modules (original page) (this link opens in new window)
View module on Modules (original page) (this link opens in new window)
View module on Artistic Freedom Monitor: USA (original page) (this link opens in new window)
View module on Modules (original page) (this link opens in new window)
View module on Modules (original page) (this link opens in new window)
View module on Artistic Freedom Monitor: USA (original page) (this link opens in new window)
Holistic Resettlement Services

Following forced displacement and relocation, an artist under threat must establish more than their legal status.

An artist’s creative process can often be restored only after other vital factors governing daily life have stabilized. Our Resettlement Assistance program provides holistic support to US-based artists in our network as they navigate meeting emergent personal, logistical, professional, and legal needs post-relocation. AFI’s resettlement team leverages organizational partnerships and referrals to connect artists with professional development opportunities, mental and physical well-being resources, emergency funding and grant programs, immigrant services, and more.

AFI’s resettlement team helps US-based artists within AFI’s network obtain Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) and Social Security Numbers. We also support artists’ logistical needs by working with them to build a personalized resettlement plan, which includes customized resources for their needs, including professional development, logistical support, and social services.

View module on — Holistic Resettlement Services (original page) (this link opens in new window)
View module on Artistic Freedom Monitor: USA (original page) (this link opens in new window)

Partners

View module on Artistic Freedom Monitor: USA (original page) (this link opens in new window)

In Our Artists' Words

View module on Apply for Assistance (original page) (this link opens in new window)
Featured Artist Case

Mai Khoi

Known as the “Lady Gaga of Vietnam,” Mai Khoi was forced to flee her country after her anticensorship music and activism earned her the Vaclav Havel International Prize for Creative Dissent.

AFI supported Mai Khoi with critical resettlement assistance and through placement in the AFI-led New York Safe Haven Residency Program.

Because of AFI’s dedicated provision of professional development and living assistance, Mai Khoi was able 
to develop and debut her multimedia autobiography “Bad Activist” as part of AFI’s Artists for Social Change programming.

View module on — Holistic Resettlement Services (original page) (this link opens in new window)
Optional eyebrow

We work to give artists the space and safety to create freely.

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Meet the artists
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Why we launched the monitor

Launched in response to an escalating wave of censorship, politicized funding decisions, and ideological interference in cultural life, AFM USA makes visible how federal and state authorities are restricting artistic and cultural expression protected under the First Amendment and international human rights law. These measures—ranging from content-based restrictions and governance interference to immigration barriers for artists—pose serious risks not only to artists and cultural institutions, but to democratic accountability itself.

View module on Artistic Freedom Monitor: USA (original page) (this link opens in new window)
View module on Artistic Freedom Monitor: USA (original page) (this link opens in new window)