Giorno Poetry Systems, the nonprofit founded by artist John Giorno in 1965, has launched a new need-based grant program called the Treat a Stranger Grant. The inaugural round awards $4,545 each to 12 artists, including Jacolby Satterwhite, Puppies Puppies (Jade Guanaro Kuriki-Olivo), Samiya Bashir, Malcolm-X Betts, Pe Ferreira, Mercy Kelly, the late Agosto Machado (whose funds go to his estate), Gavilán Rayna Russom, Keioui Keijaun Thomas, Christopher Udemuezue, and two anonymous recipients. The program revives the spirit of Giorno's AIDS Treatment Project from the 1980s and '90s, which provided direct financial support to artists affected by the epidemic.
The grant matters because it addresses the rising cost of living for artists in New York, offering unrestricted cash aid with no strings attached, echoing Giorno's ethos of radical generosity. It also continues Giorno Poetry Systems' legacy of artist-to-artist support, now operating from its Bowery space The Bunker with events and conferences. By centering the needs of recipients and keeping the jury anonymous, the program prioritizes practical assistance over institutional bureaucracy, reinforcing a model of mutual aid that has become increasingly relevant in the contemporary art world.