Deadline: 30-Nov-21
Applications are now open for the Arts Work Fund’s (AWF) Think Grants Program to give arts organizations the time and space to think through a question, analyze challenges and opportunities, and develop plans or small tests of change.
Competitive proposals will demonstrate how and why the organization selected the challenge or the questions to be examined and how they will structure their exploration. Priority will be given to groups of organizations working together to share and explore answers.
The goal is to cultivate unconventional thinking to address the immediate challenges of COVID-19 and devise more effective ways for arts organizations to meet their desired outcomes.
Criteria
- Clear identification of the question to be addressed.
- A case for why the question is important to the organization right now.
- A clear and appropriate plan for exploring potential answers to the question and quickly test possible solutions.
- Appropriateness of the proposed budget.
- A system for assessing the effectiveness of the project, with effectiveness defined by the organization.
- The potential impact on the organization(s).
Examples of questions an applicant might ask:
- What would they need to do to shift their organization to one that better y supports their artistic creation?
- How might they incorporate anti-racist practices, pay their artists fairly, and produce their best work?
- How might they build an arts organization that is resource stable, without relying on recruiting a board of wealthy, connected individuals?
- How do they stay connected with audiences and communities in the context of current COVID-19 restrictions?
- What strategies ensure continued revenue without programming?
- How might they shift their work to better support their community?
- What will change if they use their talents and artistry to become a more just organization and to create a more just world?
- What would change if they broke the mold of a multi-show theater or exhibition season, and as a result, increased impact and improved their business model?
- What would change if they had a financial plan that accounted for opening, closing, reopening, and trying to ascertain how and when their audience or students will be willing to return?
- How might they become a more vibrant and sustainable organization with a strategic partnership or merger?
Eligibility Criteria
- The applicant organization must have an arts-based mission.
- A current IRS 501(c) (3) public charity designation determination letter.
- Arts organizations led by, for, and about black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), with operating expenses of $2 million and below.
- Any arts and culture organization with operating expenses of $800,000 and below.
- Located in and serving Chicago and Cook County.
- If a former Arts Work Fund grant recipient, you must have submitted a final report for previous grant activities.
For more information, visit Arts Work Fund.
For more information, visit https://artsworkfund.org/think.html
