Art&Co. Disperses Funds to Khalsa Aid International for COVID-19 Relief

LONDON, Jan. 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Art&Co. ("Art&Co."), founded by British Sikh entrepreneur, Bundeep Singh Rangar in 2020, the world's largest online art auction for Covid relief that connected the worlds of art, finance and support groups, continues to bring relief to COVID-19 victims by supporting charities such as Khalsa Aid International.

Nominated for a the Nobel Peace prize last year, Khalsa Aid worked with local Government, NHS Trusts and local communities to provide food and general supplies to alleviate the lives of frontline workers and those affected by Covid. Given the pandemic that has continued over the past two years, a year on after it was launched and funds dispersed to Khalsa Aid, Art&Co. continues to remain significant.

The charity sector has experienced a funding shortfall of more than £10 billion since the beginning of the pandemic with little sign of it abating due to ongoing restrictions. Charities and not-for-profits faced a 75% increase in demands for their services in 2021, while struggling with an 83% decline in income. That placed increased pressure on the sector to raise funds to continue to support those who need their services most. In Dec. 2021, the Small Charities Coalition, an industry body with 16,000 members among Britain's smaller charities, said it would shut down due to lack of funding.

"As a Group CEO of an InsurTech company, I understand that 'acts of God' or natural disasters such as the coronavirus pandemic are rarely covered by insurance," said PremFina Group CEO, Bundeep Singh Rangar. "Being a Sikh, I wanted to support this Sikh-founded charity that has been active during the pandemic as well as conflict areas across the globe that have experienced humanitarian disasters."

Art&Co. addresses a stark statistic that only 3% of natural disasters are covered by insurance. Funds raised from the online auction comprised of more than 200 pieces, supported frontline charities and NGOs providing healthcare, food, medicines, and guided those affected by the contagion. Since its founding in 199, Khalsa Aid has been recognized for its relief work in war torn Syria, the 2016 London floods, the 2018 Kerala floods, setting up of refugee camps for Rohingyas on the Bangladesh-Myanmar border and support camps for protesting farmers in India.

Art&Co.'s funds went mostly to frontline organisations, with the remainder going to more than 30 freelance artists who contributed their work and were otherwise unable to sell art due to the lockdown. The youngest artist was a 26-year-old Royal College of Art graduate and winner of the Hine Award for Painting; the oldest was a 65-year-old artist in New York. London-based Sikh artist Artful Skecha (Randeep Singh Sohal) showcased his Punjabi culture through his artwork.

Sikh philanthropist and singer Manika Kaur also created a song for Art&Co. to drum up support. Tagged by  The Times of India newspaper as someone whose "hymns build lives," she is the fastest-selling contemporary solo Sikh artist in the world.

"Khalsa Aid International is delighted to be one of the charity recipients of funds raised by the Art&Co. initiative, the world's largest online art auction for COVID-19," said Indy Singh Hothi, Operations Director for Khalsa Aid International. "The not-for-profit sector across the board has been significantly impacted as a result of COVID-19 and initiatives such as this provide an avenue of support. As strong supporters of the Arts, we understand the multitude of benefits the sector can bring, and this innovative auction is a great way to connect the Arts, insurance, and the charitable sector."

"At Khalsa Aid we have been working hard in the UK in addition to our ongoing humanitarian projects around the world in regions such as Lebanon, Iraq, Malawi and India," Hothi said. "We thank the entire team at Art&Co. and InsurAid for their generous support, these acts of generosity from organisations and communities alike allow us to continue our vital work around the globe."

Art&Co. has had press coverage in Bloomberg, BBC World Radio, The Independent, The Art Newspaper, The

Resident, Evening Standard, Gulf Today, 1883 among other news outlets.

About Art&Co.

Art&Co., the world's largest online auction for Covid relief, was the first initiative launched by InsurAid, a company set up to encourage corporate and personal donations to support those affected by coronavirus, as well as other humanitarian disasters, public health and safety crises. Since its launch, the initiative raised funds for seven frontline organisations (charities and not-for-profits). Art&Co. partnered with LuxTag, a blockchain technology, to record the distribution of funds to the charities and artists.

Art&Co. website: https://www.artandco.net

InsurAid website:
https://insuraid.co.uk/

Khalsa Aid website:
https://www.khalsaaid.org

For All Press Enquiries:
Jessica Patterson
Jessica@jprmediagroup.com
+44 (0) 7950 97765

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