Columbia County Grant for Individual Artists
The Columbia County Creative Catalyst Grant is made possible by the Columbia County Legislature through an annual allocation of funds in the county budget.
COLUMBIA COUNTY
CREATIVE CATALYST GRANT
CREATE Council On The Arts is pleased to announce the debut of the Creative Catalyst Grant program for emerging artists in Columbia County. The initiative, sponsored by the Columbia County government, will award 9 individual artists chosen by lottery the opportunity to receive $1,000 each to create an experience for new work to be shared with the community. Deadline closed Wed, Nov. 15, 2023. Eligibility details are outlined here.
Learn more about the 2023 grant recipients.
INITIATIVE HIGHLIGHTS
Lottery-Based Selection: Utilizing a lottery system to choose grant recipients eliminates the need for traditional judging panels and expediting the process to fund artists.
Inclusive Review: Prioritize inclusivity by not dismissing applicants based on writing skills, focusing instead on ensuring all applications meet requirements.
Income Limit: Creating an opportunity open only to applicants within specific income range to maximize impact of the grants.
Space for Exploration: Allowing artists the autonomy to pursue their chosen projects.
FAQs
Who is eligible to apply for this grant?
- Individual artists; must be 18 years old or older
- Lives in Columbia County
- Maintains an active creative practice
- Cannot have received a grant through NYSCA SCR (Statewide Community Regrant) grant in the most recent cycle
What are the requirements?
- A complete application
- Proof of county residency (ie. lease, mortgage statement, utility bills that show your full time residence is in Columbia County)
- Present example of current creative practice activities
- Proposal of public presentation of new work
- Reference from a Community Partner, organization or business related to the arts in Columbia County, in the form of a letter or we can schedule a call.
- Proof of income (80% or less of median income for Columbia County).
What is the income limit and how is it determined?
Applicants with an income 80% or less of median income for Columbia County are eligible to apply. Refer to the chart on the top of page 2.
The income calculations are based on HUD (Department of Housing and Urban Development) estimates of median family income, with adjustments based on family size. HUD calculates a median family income for each metropolitan area and each nonmetropolitan county throughout the country.
Who is considered a Community Partner that can write a Letter or Call of Reference on your behalf?
CREATE defines a Community Partner as a business, organization, or affiliate established in Columbia County that also carries out some activity within the arts community (ex. venue, gallery, community organization with an arts component, bookstore).
What are examples to demonstrate creative practice or artistic activities?
CREATE welcomes any documentation that indicates public or private performances, readings, shows, exhibits, or other presentations of creative work for an audience (ex. event flyers, online promotional materials, live event recordings, photographs of an exhibition or your portfolio, music scores, video excerpts).
What are the important dates and deadlines?
Applications are open from Oct 15 – Nov 15.
Applicants will be notified by Dec 1st.
Grant ceremony will be hosted Dec 6th.
Funds will be distributed in December.
What is required if I receive a grant?
Grantees will be required to present their work in a public forum. CREATE’s definition is flexible and depends on your medium. It can be anything from a studio tour, publishing a newsletter, creating a website experience, public performances or readings, gallery exhibition that is open to the public, live physical or virtual demonstrations of your work, or many other ways to make creative work available for community members to view or experience. We are open to hear your ideas!
To be considered for future funding opportunities, a final report about the work shared in the public forum must be completed.
A grant recipient will be able to apply again after 2 grant cycles are complete.