Category Archives: The Arts

Bloomberg Philanthropies Digital Accelerator for Arts & Culture

The Bloomberg Philanthropies Digital Accelerator for Arts & Culture funds the development and expansion of digital infrastructure for nonprofit cultural organizations in the United States and United Kingdom.

Applications for up to $200,000/£150,000 over 2 years are due by March 13, 2024. Truly innovative projects with the potential to have a wide cultural impact may be considered for larger amounts. All grantees will receive technical assistance and leadership development. No matching funds are required.

Eligibility

Applicant

This grant is open to organizations in the U.S. and U.K. who:

Are nonprofit cultural organizations
Have been in existence for at least 3 years
Had a budget of at least $500,000/£500,000 in FY2023

Project

Grant funds may be used for:

Content creation and distribution
CRM/Ticketing (including donor management/fundraising systems)
Digital archives/Digital asset management
Website upgrades/Redevelopment

Allowable Expenses

Grant funds may be spent on:

Hardware
Software
Vendors and suppliers
Staff time
Training

Additional Benefits

In addition to financial support, all grantees will have access to:

An advisor from Arts Council England or the Lapine Group who will provide technical planning and project management assistance.
A network of over 140 organizations who are already in the program.
A Bloomberg Tech Fellowship. Each organization will designate a Fellow to serve as the project lead and work one-on-one with their advisor.

NEA Grants for Arts Projects

The National Endowment for the Arts Grants for Arts Projects program funds activities all over the United States to engage the public with the arts and promote health and well-being.

Part 1 of the application is due through Grants.gov by February 15, 2024 at 11:59 PM ET. Part 2 can be submitted through the NEA Applicant Portal February 21-28, 2024 at 11:59 PM ET. Applicants may request $10,000 – $100,000; designated local arts agencies eligible to subgrant may request $30,000 – $150,000. All grants require a 1:1 match of non-federal funds.

Eligibility

Applicant

This grant is open to:

501(c)3 nonprofit organizations
State and local government entities
Federally recognized Native American Tribes

Discipline

Applicants may request funds for projects in:

Artist Communities
Arts Education
Dance
Design
Folk & Traditional Arts
Literary Arts
Local Arts Agencies
Media Arts
Museums
Music
Musical Theater
Opera
Presenting & Multidisciplinary Works
Theater
Visual Arts

Areas of Particular Interest

The NEA is particularly interested in funding projects that:

Contribute to a thriving arts and cultural ecosystem
Elevate artists as essential for a flourishing society
Celebrate the creativity and cultural heritage of the United States or its territories
Center the arts in collaboration with other disciplines
Focus on advancing health and well-being
Invest in organizational capacity-building and leadership development
Incorporate existing and new technologies in art across disciplines and as a means for reaching the public
Addresses the impacts of artificial intelligence
Originate from or are in collaboration with Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, Predominantly Black Institutions, Hispanic Serving Institutions, Native American and Native Alaskan tribes, Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, and organizations that support the inclusion and independence of disabled people
Educate and engage communities in dialogue about the past, present, and future of our nation as part of America250

Allowable Expenses

Grant funds may used to support small, medium, or large projects, new or old programming. In addition to basic supplies, grant funds may be used for:

Technology such as increased bandwidth, audio/visual equipment, hardware, software, and equipment
Open or closed captions and sign language for virtual events

Grant funds may not be used for:

General operating support
Support for a full season
Direct grants to individuals or elementary and secondary schools
Social activities
Entertainment
Achievement awards
Commercial activities
Purchase, construction, or renovation of facilities

Robert F. Schumann Foundation

The Robert F. Schumann Foundation supports projects in the United States focused on Arts, culture, and humanities, Education, the Environment, and Animals. The Foundation is administered through Wells Fargo Philanthropic Trust Services.

Applications are accepted year round, but must be submitted by February 28th to be considered at that year’s annual grant meeting.

Eligibility

This grant is open to 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations in the United States. Special consideration will be given to organizations in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and on the East Coast.

Focus Areas

The Schumann Foundation supports projects focused on:

Arts, culture, and humanities
Education
The Environment (especially open space habitats)
Animals (especially ornithology)

Creative Forces Community Engagement Grant

The Creative Forces Community Engagement Grant is a joint program of the National Endowment for the Arts and the Mid-America Arts Alliance. The program funds projects that improve the health and well being of service members, veterans, and their families and caregivers through participation in the arts.

Applications are due by January 17, 2024 for all project types and funding levels:

One year emerging projects – up to $10,000
One year advanced projects – up to $25,000
Two year advanced projects – up to $50,000

All projects have a required 1:1 match of cash and/or in kind resources.

Eligibility

This grant is open to:

501(c)3 nonprofit organizations
Units of state and local government
Federally recognized Native American tribes

who:

Are located in the United States including Washington D.C. and U.S. territories
Have at least three years’ experience with either programming for military communities or presenting arts based projects

Expected Outcomes

Participants

Photo by RDNE Stock project: https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-soldiers-listening-to-others-7467857/

Participants in funded programs are expected to achieve gains in one or more of these areas:

Creative expression
Social connectedness
Resilience
Independence and successful adaptation to civilian life

Applicants and their partners are expected to achieve gains in one or more of these areas:

Building networks to support the creation and evaluation of improved programming
Strengthening their capacity to create and evaluate programs to better meet participants needs
Increased understanding of the value and impact of the arts

Program Requirements

Funded programs must work with at least one of the following populations:

Active-duty service members
Guardsmen and/or Reservists
Veterans
Family members of any of the above
Military Caregivers (family, residential and clinical)
Health care workers serving military-connected populations

Programs must also:

Be accessible to people with disabilities
Include the perspective of one or more local members of the target group in project design, planning, and implementation

Allowable Activities

Project Types

Projects may include:

Arts instruction
Creation of a work of art
Concert/performance or exhibition
Recording/filming/taping
Apprenticeship/internship/residency
Military/veteran family, and caregiver support

Delivery Models

Services may take the form of:

In-person or virtual classes that meet regularly
“Drop-in” style programs where no reservation/or enrollment is required
Participant cohort performance or exhibition showcasing the cohort’s work
Community or network building
A single, one time event

Art Disciplines

Participants may engage in creative pursuits including:

Photo by Tahir Xalfakuliyev: https://www.pexels.com/photo/sculptor-working-with-sculpture-18766826/

Crafts
Dance/movement
Design arts
Folk/Traditional Arts
Humanities
Literature
Media arts
Music
Musical Theatre/Opera
Oral Traditions
Theater
Visual Arts

The Gottlieb Foundation Individual Support Grant

The Gottlieb Foundation Individual Support Grant provides funding to painters, sculptors, and printmakers from anywhere in the world who have worked in a mature phase of art for 20 years or more.

Twenty grants are awarded each year; in 2023 each grant was for $25,000. Applications and tax information are due by January 17, 2024, at 11:59 PM ET.

Eligibility

This grant is open to individual painters, sculptors, and printmakers from anywhere in the world who have:

Maturity – In this context, maturity is measured as both a length of time (20 years) spent as an artist and intellectual, technical, and creative growth over that time. Art must have been the artist’s primary pursuit.
Financial Need – Financial need is determined based on the overall household income as shown by tax filings.

Allowable Expenses

Grant funding can used in whatever way the artist feels will best support their career. However, it is not intended for funding exhibitions or specific projects.

Required Attachments

Financial Documents

All applicants must submit a complete 2022 tax return for all members of their household. Documents must be in English and include all countries in which the applicant and/or other members filed. Sensitive information should be redacted.

If it’s not possible to submit a tax return, alternative documentation may be submitted with permission from the Foundation.

Documents may be uploaded as attachments to the application or sent as hard copies, but all documents must be submitted in one way. Hard copies should be sent to:

Individual Support Application

Gottlieb Foundation

380 West Broadway

New York, NY 10012

Photos

Applicants are required to attach 6 images of work done over the past year and 20-34 images from over the past 20 years. Images should be:

Arranged chronologically
Uploaded as .jpg files
A maximum of 2 MB each
Saved as LAST NAME_FIRST NAME_ FILE NUMBER

Reiman Foundation

The Reiman Foundation has been supporting charitable and civic projects in the United States since its founding in 1986. They focus on four key areas: Health Care, Education, The Arts, and Children.

Applications are accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis.

Eligibility

This grant is open to entities with tax-exempt status.

Application

Unlike most grant programs, the Reiman Foundation does not require a specific format for applications. They simply ask that you provide the following information on your organization’s official letterhead:

Date of application submission
Agency overview including focus and population served
Contact person’s name and information
Brief project description
Need for funding
Amount requested and, if possible, a Wish List of items with costs
Documentation of tax-exempt status

Applications can be mailed to:

Reiman Foundation, Inc.
125 West Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 200
Pewaukee, WI 53072

or emailed to reimanfoundation@hexagoninc.com.

The Awesome Foundation

The Awesome Foundation has been “forwarding the interest of awesome in the universe” since 2009. They do this through 77 chapters in 11 countries, each of which grants a $1,000 award every month.

The funds for these no strings attached grants come from donations from the chapter’s members. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis.

Eligibility

Anyone can apply for an Awesome Foundation grant.

Allowable Activities

Any type of project is eligible, as long as it’s ‘Awesome.’ Each chapter defines the term ‘awesome’ differently, but it can be interpreted to mean innovative, experimental, and inspirational.

Recently funded projects include a picture book to help kids navigate cancer, a theater performance about women who contributed to astronomy, and an accessible playground.

How to Apply

The Foundation suggests you apply to the chapter closest to you, but you can also mark ‘Any’ on the application. A few of the chapters are based around specific issues, but the majority are geographic and tend to fund projects in their area. There is also an Awesome Without Borders.

You can also apply to more than one chapter if you think they’d be interested. Most chapters meet monthly to select the recipient, but if you’re not chosen, they often keep applications for a while to review again.

VIA Art Fund: Artistic Production Grants

VIA Art Fund supports projects that exemplify their core values: Artistic Production, Thought Leadership, and Public Engagement. Their Artistic Production Grants fund the creation of new works of art that will be displayed in public and/or nontraditional exhibition spaces.

Letters of Inquiry for the Spring 2024 grant cycle are due by November 9, 2023. Invitations to submit full grant proposals for up to $100,000 will be issued in December. LOIs should be sent as a PDF to grants@viaartfund.org.

Eligibility

This grant is open to:

Individual artists
Nonprofit organizations
Cultural institutions
Art production platforms
Festivals

Requirements

In Letter of Inquiry

Submitted LOIs must have a confirmed artist and exhibition venue.

Geographic Location

If the project will take place in the United States, the artist may be based anywhere in the world.
If the project will take place internationally, the artist must be based in the United States.

Africa No Filter: Kekere Storytellers Fund

Africa No Filter was created to replace negative, stereotypical depictions of Africa with a new narrative that spotlights the continent’s rich culture. The Kekere Storytellers Fund provides funding for artists, writers, and other content creators to produce new work that tells an alternative story about Africa.

Applications for $500 – $2,000 will be accepted through the end of 2023 or until 20 grantees have been chosen. Projects must be completed within 6 months of funding.

Eligibility

This grant is open to established storytellers who:

Are African, living anywhere in the world
Are under 35 years old
Are able to create work in English or French
Have at least two years of relevant experience
Have a record of producing innovative work that challenges stereotypes about their region or Africa as a whole
Have at least 5,000 total followers across Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube

Collectives and media organizations are eligible, but the application must be submitted by a single person who will be responsible for project.

Content Types

The work produced through this grant may fall under many content types, including:

Journalism
Blogging/Vlogging
Podcasting
Fiction writing
Non-fiction writing
Photography
Poetry
Music
Dance
Painting
Sculpture
Animation
Illustration

Filmmaking is not eligible and grant funds may not be used to purchase equipment.

The Mockingbird Foundation

The Mockingbird Foundation was founded in 1997 by fans of the band Phish to raise money for children’s music education. Since then, they’ve awarded over $2.3 million in grants for projects in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

Initial Inquiries are due by January 15, 2024 for grants ranging from $100 – $10,000. If invited to apply, full applications will be due in April 2024.

Eligibility

This grant is open to:

501(c)3 nonprofit organizations
Public schools

Funding Distribution

Past grants have been awarded to fund:

Instruments – 45%
Other (curriculum, mixed needs) – 19%
Staffing – 16%
Equipment – 8%
Scholarships – 8%
General Support – 4%