Proposal deadline: May 4, 2012
Grant decision date: September 2012
Please note: This grant opportunity is only available to organizations which have submitted letters of inquiry, and then been invited to submit proposals.
Overview
The Artistic and Cultural Diversity Initiative invites arts organizations and/or presenting venues of all sizes to apply individually or as a collaboration. Collaborators are encouraged to work together to submit complementary proposals requesting separate grants to support the clearly defined role of each partner. The goal is to foster arts participation in communities where it is currently low for the following reasons:
a.) Research has documented that significant barriers prevent residents of these communities from pursuing regular arts participation in other geographic areas, and these obstacles (such as the cost of gas and parking) have been exacerbated by the recession
b.) Performance and arts entrepreneurship should be nurtured among all creative residents to build the talent pool within Chicago and provide a career path for all emerging artists
c.) The presence of artists and arts audiences has been proven to strengthen the desirability, safety and vibrancy of communities
d.) Cultural Vitality Indicators document the inequitable distribution of these assets throughout the region. View the Cultural Vitality Indicators maps
e.) Collaborations between larger organizations seeking to diversify their artistic product and audience with culturally-specific and community-based organizations that reflect the desired diversity have demonstrated sustainable benefits to both entities, if appropriately and equitably designed and implemented
All projects should aim to achieve most of the following outcomes:
- Showcase the talents of diverse and culturally specific artists
- Perform/exhibit/conduct programs in arts venues located in areas of Cook County that are culturally underserved
- Perform/exhibit/conduct programs in public venues (such as libraries, parks or community colleges) located in areas of Cook County that are culturally underserved
- Plan and implement projects with meaningful involvement by leaders/collaborators from the target community or audience
- Ensure affordability and accessibility for the target community or audience
- Include an effective means of tracking market penetration and participant response
- Include well-defined strategies for building on or sustaining the collaboration, cross-promotion or presence within the target market or community
- Increase the Trust’s visibility within the target community
Eligible Applicants and Projects
Organizations may submit proposals by invitation only, based upon letters of inquiry submitted by March 15, 2012.
Evaluation Criteria
Applicants will be asked to complete an online application designed to collect information about your organization and project. Specifically, the following questions will be asked:
- Is there another organization(s) requesting funding from the Trust as a collaborator on this project? If so, please give the name(s).
- Is there another organization(s) that will be collaborating on this project, but will not be requesting funding directly from the Trust? If so, please give the name(s) of the organization and the contact person with email and phone for each collaborator. A separate Letter of Support from each non-funded collaborator is required.
- Please describe the project, production, exhibition and your organization's specific role in its design, marketing, implementation and evaluation.
- Describe how your project will guarantee that there is meaningful involvement by leaders/collaborators from the target community or audience.
- Describe how your project will ensure affordability and accessibility for the target community or audience. Please note that this does not mean free tickets.
- Describe how your project will include an effective means of tracking market penetration and participant response.
- Describe specific strategies for building on or sustaining the collaboration, cross-promotion or presence within the target market or community.
- Provide a brief summary of the proposed workplan/timetable.
- List ways that The Chicago Community Trust's support will be acknowledged and any opportunities to increase the Trust's visibility within the target community.
Proposals will be evaluated based upon the potential for successfully achieving the outcomes sought and the cohesion of the collaborators, if any. Separate proposals should be submitted by each collaborator, along with the appropriate attachments.
An invitation to submit a full proposal is not a guarantee of funding.
Grants will be made through a competitive process that will select projects/productions by different organizations each year. The grant program is not designed to support the same organization for multiple consecutive years.
*Special note on diversity and inclusion
The Trust requires all applicants to either adopt the Trust's Diversity Statement or have a similar policy adopted by their boards. The Trust believes that the diversity of our community is a fundamental strength of our region. Our mission to improve the quality of life for the residents of our region is best fulfilled when we embrace diversity as a value and a practice. We define diversity to include, but not limited to, age, disability status, economic circumstance, ethnicity, gender, race, religion and sexual orientation.
Additionally, the Trust asks that applicants provide demographic data on board and staff as well as clients/beneficiaries of the projects. The Trust believes that the board and staff composition of grantees should reflect the diversity and demographics of the clients/community being served, and include diversity among its leadership at the board and senior staff levels to ensure the diverse perspectives needed at the decision-making levels. For this reason, the Trust does take into consideration the demographic make-up of the board, staff and clients of a grant applicant as an important proposal evaluation criterion.
Total Awards
The Trust may make up to 25 grants for Artistic and Cultural Diversity and will support, as appropriate, separate grants to multiple collaborators on a single series of productions, shows or exhibits. Total support from the Trust for a single project will not exceed $100,000. Based upon the Letters of Inquiry and the number of proposals invited, applicants may receive guidance from a program officer regarding funds available for the proposed project, which will aid in determining a realistic project budget and whether to seek additional funding sources.
Application Process
To submit your letter of inquiry, please visit our online application system, where you can register to submit your project information.
