CCI "Investing In Artists" Grants Program

-------- Round III Applications Closed on June 6th, 2008 --------

Artistic creation rarely occurs without a frontline investment of time, money and talent, and this has made the need for grant support a critical part of the creative process for many working artists today. Traditionally, grant programs for individual artists have supported fellowships (“buying the artist’s time to be free to create”), or the commissioning of new artistic projects. These types of grantmaking programs have been critical in supporting the creation of new work across all disciplines, and have also helped to promote the intrinsic value of artists and “art for art’s sake.”

But what is largely missing from the current grants-to-artists landscape are grants that support the individual capacity-building and self-sufficiency of artists – investing in the working tools and market strategies that will allow them to create high-quality work more consistently, and to distribute that work to new audiences and “investors” to achieve greater long-term creative independence and financial sustainability. While there have been numerous grant programs developed to support capacity-building in nonprofit organizations few, if any, exist to help artists in similar ways.

To address this need, the Center for Cultural Innovation (CCI) was funded by The James Irvine Foundation to launch the Investing in Artists grants program initiative for California artists in 2007-2008.

The Investing in Artists grants program is designed to enhance the working lives and creative environment for California artists by funding tools and market strategies that will allow them to create their best work more consistently, and distribute that work more broadly to new audiences. Investing in Artists provides grants in two funding categories: 1) Grants for Artistic Equipment and Tools, and 2) Grants for Presenting and Marketing Work. Through a competitive application process conducted over three initial rounds of funding, a combination of planning grants up to $5,000 each, and implementation grants up to $15,000 each, will be awarded to California artists over two years.

If you have questions or require further information on the Investing In Artists grant program, please either email grants@cciarts.org or call the toll free grant hotline at (800) 418-1671.



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	-------- Round III Applications Closed on June 6th, 2008 -------- Artistic creation rarely occurs without a frontline investment of time, money and talent, and this has made the need for grant support a critical part of the creative process for many working artists today. Traditionally, grant programs for individual artists have supported fellowships (“buying the artist’s time to be free to create”), or the commissioning of new artistic projects. These types of grantmaking programs have been critical in supporting the creation of new work across all disciplines, and have also helped to promote the intrinsic value of artists and “art for art’s sake.” But what is largely missing from the current grants-to-artists landscape are grants that support the individual capacity-building and self-sufficiency of artists – investing in the working tools and market strategies that will allow them to create high-quality work more consistently, and to distribute that work to new audiences and “investors” to achieve greater long-term creative independence and financial sustainability. While there have been numerous grant programs developed to support capacity-building in nonprofit organizations few, if any, exist to help artists in similar ways. To address this need, the Center for Cultural Innovation (CCI) was funded by The James Irvine Foundation to launch the Investing in Artists grants program initiative for California artists in 2007-2008. The Investing in Artists grants program is designed to enhance the working lives and creative environment for California artists by funding tools and market strategies that will allow them to create their best work more consistently, and distribute that work more broadly to new audiences. Investing in Artists provides grants in two funding categories: 1) Grants for Artistic Equipment and Tools, and 2) Grants for Presenting and Marketing Work. Through a competitive application process conducted over three initial rounds of funding, a combination of planning grants up to $5,000 each, and implementation grants up to $15,000 each, will be awarded to California artists over two years. If you have questions or require further information on the Investing In Artists grant program, please either email grants@cciarts.org or call the toll free grant hotline at (800) 418-1671.