Deadline: 15-Oct-20
The City of Oakland is seeking applications for Neighborhood Voices for Individual Artists that builds belonging within the dynamic neighborhoods of the City of Oakland by supporting culturally-engaging efforts to bring the city’s community members together to foster cohesion during a time of social distancing.
It will fund projects aimed at fostering community resilience, feeding creative well-being, and offering visions for a collective future. This grant seeks to affirm the expression, recognition, and understanding of the array of diverse communities that make Oakland unique, vibrant, and resilient.
VOICES seeks applications from Individual Artists who are cultural practitioners seeking to engage Oakland-based community builders to develop neighborhood vibrancy and cohesion that culminates in a local, public outcome for the benefit of the community.
Engagement projects to be supported may include, for example:
- Cultural activities including, but not limited to, performances in dance, music or theater, visual art, and public art projects, classes, workshops, exhibitions, and literary activities that are rooted in a sense of place and are responsive to COVID-19 conditions (ex. a decorated bike parade, a virtual walking tour, an online folk performance series, or a digital civic art project);
- Artist residencies or apprenticeships that engage young people from a specific neighborhood through long-term, in-depth interaction in educational settings including Oakland Unified School district or charter schools, libraries, public housing communities, youth development centers, and social service agencies and are responsive to COVID-19 conditions.
Funding Information
- $7,000 Grants to Oakland-based Individual Artists.
Eligibility Criteria
- The applicant must be based in Oakland at the time of the application and maintain Oakland residency throughout the grant period.
- Proof of applicant’s residency is required and may be satisfied by submitting a copy of one of the following: utility bill (landline phone bill, rental/mortgage agreement, PG&E, water, or cable bill).
- Applications from the following are encouraged:
- Activities that lift-up the cultural identity of a people or the historical significance of a neighborhood,
- Artists who will engage with racial/ethnic-specific communities or other types of communities that are under-recognized or lack visibility in Oakland,
- Artists that will reach neighborhoods with few formal cultural resources (such as, cultural centers, performance venues, art galleries, cultural education programs, etc.);
- Programming that fosters inter-generational activities that bring together elder and young people in the process of creating together for a broader audience,
- Artists who are deeply grounded and engaged in the neighborhood where the project is based.
Applications from the following are encouraged:
- Activities that lift-up the cultural identity of a people or the historical significance of a neighborhood
- Artists who will engage with racial/ethnic-specific communities or other types of communities that are under-recognized or lack visibility in Oakland;
- Artists that will reach neighborhoods with few formal cultural resources (such as, cultural centers, performance venues, art galleries, cultural education programs, etc.);
- Programming that fosters inter-generational activities that bring together elder and young people in the process of creating together for a broader audience;
- Artists who are deeply grounded and engaged in the neighborhood where the project is based.
Evaluation And Scoring
A qualified, review panel will evaluate applications based on the criteria listed below:
Clarity of Project And Purpose (30 Points Maximum)
- Clear articulation of whose voice needs to be heard and why
- Strength and appropriateness of the partnership
- Potential of the project to empower the neighborhood(s)/community(s) addressed
Cultural/Programmatic Quality (30 Points Maximum)
- Understanding of and history with the neighborhood(s)/community(s) addressed
- Quality and appropriateness of activities (Do they enhance understanding of and respect for cultural practices and heritages?)
- Qualifications of key cultural personnel
Community Engagement (20 Points Maximum)
- Artist’s ability and commitment to engaging historically under-served communities
- Ability to foster cross-community engagement
- Quality and depth of engagement plans
Finance and Management (20 Points Maximum)
- Clarity and appropriateness of project budget
- Clarity and appropriateness of engagement methods, and roles and responsibilities
- Qualifications of key administrative personnel.
For more information, visit https://city-of-oakland-california.forms.fm/fy2020-21-neighborhood-voices-for-individual-artists/forms/7682