Grant Awards Update
Please note, that the Arts Foundation will be announcing grant awards at some point in May.
Application Process
Welcome to the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod’s online application for our Grants for Creative Individuals. The mission of the Grants for Creative Individuals is to equitably advance creativity throughout Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket with grants to individuals who demonstrate achievement of creative expression and commitment to their artistic/cultural practice.
We welcome applications from Barnstable County, Dukes County, and Nantucket County artists, culture bearers, and creative practitioners in all artistic/creative disciplines. Please read the 2024 Artist Annual Grant Program Guidelines before completing this application.
Timeline
Applications Closed
This application will be completed and submitted through an online system using Submittable.
Virtual Grant Application Info Sessions:
The Arts Foundation held two Info Sessions, one on January 29th and another on March 19th.
Application Deadline: April 8, 2024 at 11:59 PM
Please note: No exceptions will be made past the deadline.
It is highly recommended that you begin your online application process well before the deadline to ensure there is proper time to submit your application.
The most successful applications we have received have clear evidence that significant time was spent in preparation of the narrative, the budget, and all sections of the application. We advise applicants not to wait until the final day to start their application process or to submit their application in the last few minutes before the deadline.
Grant Awards: May 2024
Award notifications are expected to be announced via email in May 2024 with checks mailed shortly thereafter.
Grants Funding Period: April 1, 2024 – April 30, 2025
A mid-year progress report is due October 4, 2024. Grant recipients will be expected to complete their grant activities by March 31, 2025. A final report will be due 30 days after completing the awarded project or initiative, with all reports due no later than 30 days after the end of the funding period or by April 30, 2025. Final reports will be completed and submitted through the online application system.
Support to individual artists is not a one‐time monetary recognition award. Awards to individuals must include providing presentations, workshops, research, and/or creation of artwork, with tangible outcomes required by grant requirements. This is considered a stipend to the artist for the work undertaken and completed.
Funding Focus
You may only apply to one and not both. Review the guidelines for clarification before finishing this application.
1. Building Capabilities
Building Capabilities funding supports opportunities which pertain to the recipient’s effectiveness and overall growth as a practicing artist. Requests must be made for a particular initiative, not for general support.
Sample initiatives that may be eligible for this funding include:
- Infrastructure (studio space improvements, equipment to increase productivity and output, prepping for exhibits). Output must be clearly stated.
- Improving technology related to practicing your specific art discipline. Output must be clearly stated.
*These are illustrative examples and are not all-inclusive. Building Capabilities grants awards are between $5,000 to $10,000. Artists will be asked to create a budget, including income and expenses, with clear detail on how funds will be used (output).
All requests for Building Capabilities must show a clear impact to the community with tangible outcomes. As hypothetical examples — funding allowed the artist to produce more shows, exhibitions, etc. that the public attended; or added capacity for the artist, which in turn, allowed them to increase staffing. These are illustrative examples and not all-inclusive.
For a comprehensive list of unallowable costs, please see Appendix A.
2. Community Equity Grants
Community Equity funding provides a stipend to artists conducting an arts and culture project or program that elevates and/or successfully engages underrepresented populations based on race, ethnicity, age, ability, sexual orientation, gender, socioeconomic status, geography, or religion. The proposed project or program could also address community challenges such as immigration, social justice, youth development, housing, mental health, addiction, food insecurity, water quality issues, or climate change.
The Arts Foundation is committed to championing efforts that create access to arts and culture opportunities which remove barriers in order to maximize participation across the region. We also are committed to empowering all artists to have a voice in their communities.
Sample activities that may be eligible for this funding include:
- Innovative ideas that engage underrepresented audiences and/or community challenges through the power of culture.
- Art exhibitions, engagements, or presentations that highlight and promote the art and culture of a particular community underrepresented or community challenge in the region.
These are illustrative examples and are not all-inclusive.
Community Equity grants to artists are between $5,000 and $10,000. While the award is considered a stipend to the artist, artists will be asked to provide budget information showing how the funds will be used.
For a comprehensive list of unallowable costs, please see Appendix A.
Eligibility for Funding 2024
Applicants must meet the following requirements to be eligible for funding:
- Be a practicing artist. Grants for Creative Individuals defines a practicing artist as an individual recognized by their peers, critics, or other professionals as committed to producing art on a regular basis. Artists meeting this criterion are typically paid for their work, earning a portion of their living from their creative work. Artists of all disciplines (performing, visual, literary, media, etc.) are encouraged to apply.
- Be 18 years old or older.
- Students pursuing any degree are NOT eligible.
- Have at least a two-year history of public engagement, presentation, or publication.
- Be the lead artist in every aspect of their project.
- Maintain a residence in Barnstable County, Dukes County, or Nantucket County and expect to do so through the grant period: April 1, 2024 – April 30, 2025
- Produce arts and/or culture that benefits and focuses primarily on Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and/or Nantucket
- Be a U.S. Citizen with a Social Security number to be provided upon notification of a grant award.
- Use funding within the grant year: April 1, 2024 – April 30, 2025
Additional Eligibility Considerations:
- In line with the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod’s commitment to mitigate systemic inequities, the grants program will prioritize applications submitted by artists belonging to identified groups that have historically been underrepresented based on race/ethnicity, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or socioeconomic status.
- Separate applications for the two focus areas (e.g., Building Capabilities, Community Equity) in the same cycle are NOT permitted. You must choose one or the other, not both.
- Grants will not be awarded for similar activities for more than two years.
- Applicants with incomplete or outstanding grant obligations or past-due reports due from previous Arts Foundation grants are not eligible to apply. Feel free to contact us if you are unsure at info@ArtsFoundation.org.
- Grants will not be awarded to two or more parties for the same project, program, etc. Collaborative efforts will need to determine one eligible lead artist to be the applicant that will be responsible for the application and disbursement of funds to partners and required reporting on the progress of the project, if awarded.