Create & Connect

OVERVIEW

The Bed-Stuy Create & Connect Fund is a hyperlocal micro-grant program offered annually and directly managed by The LP. The Fund aims to enrich community life in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, by resourcing the creative ideas or civic actions of artists, cultural practitioners, community organizers, activists, and neighbors. 

For the 2025 cycle, we will grant up to 20 project proposals with $1500 each. We are looking for creative initiatives or civic projects that emerge from community needs, foster meaningful connections, and ignite socially conscious conversations. In other words, we aim to support community building amongst neighbors through community-led action.

We encourage both individuals and collectives to apply if you have a new project or an ongoing initiative that positively impacts and engages a Bed-Stuy group, audience, or community. We are particularly interested in proposals that nurture creativity, uplift local legacies, foster community wellness, or inspire collective advocacy. 

The Laundromat Project will reserve up to 5 grant awards for proposals that embody or engage our organization-wide theme, Black Quantum Futurism, which interrogates how time, space, and memory can inform our collective liberation.

Proposals that show potential creative and civic impact in Bed-Stuy will be prioritized. 

The Create & Connect application is open.

KEY DATES


Applications Open

Applications Close

Decision Notification

April 1

May 1

Mid-June

Eligibilty

Applicants

Self-organized groups or collectives (e.g., sewing clubs, writers groups, mutual aid groups); formal organizations (e.g., block associations, tenant associations); and individuals (at least 18 years of age) living, working, or otherwise committed to and invested in Bed-Stuy are eligible to apply. Please note: The legacy of place is a core value of this fund, so proposals must be responsive to or centered within the Bed-Stuy neighborhood and its communities. 

We also see the allocation of this fund as a way to help counter structural, systemic injustices in Bed-Stuy. Therefore, we will prioritize the following:

Types of Eligible Proposals

Proposed projects must include a publicly accessible component that activates or takes place in Bed-Stuy (between June 2025 and August 2026), providing Bed-Stuy community members with an opportunity to experience, interact with, or contribute to meaningful initiatives across creative and civic practice. 

Public components may be held in person, virtually, or some combination of both. Public components can include, but are not limited to, panel discussions, presentations, webinars, Instagram Lives, recording sessions, exhibitions, performances, festivals, listening parties, screenings, readings, and creative workshops. 

Preference is given to free and in-person public programs or initiatives held in community spaces outside of The Laundromat Project (i.e., libraries, parks, gardens, senior centers, storefront shops, restaurants, and laundromats).

Eligible proposals may include, but are not limited to:

Types of Ineligible Proposals:

DEFINING ART

At The Laundromat Project, artists are community organizers, and community organizers are artists. To be an artist is to be a creative problem-solver. Creative problem-solvers tap into communities and utilize resources to create and manifest ideas. 

By The LP’s definition, we consider any cultural tradition, practice, object, or action made with creative intent and grounded in community as art. This includes the visual, media, literary, and performing arts, as well as archival curation, scholarship, oral history, education, healing, gardening, community organizing, activism, and other modes of cultural production. 

You do not have to consider yourself an artist or community organizer to apply.

Consider the following list of types of art *categories and language adapted from Leeway Foundation’s Art and Change Grant.

Craft & Textiles

Book art
Costume design
Crocheting
Doll making
Fashion design
Furniture making
Knitting
Puppetry
Quilting
Weaving
Woodworking
Zines

Folk Arts

Cooking or baking
Hair braiding
Gardening
Storytelling
Traditional dance
Traditional music

Literary Arts

Creative writing
Playwriting
Poetry & Prose
Short Stories

Media Arts

Animation
Audio
Film
Interactive design
Podcast
Sound art
Video
Web-based work

Music

Composition
Deejaying
Hip-hop
Instrumental performance
Jazz
Opera
Producing
Rapping
Singing
Songwriting

Performance

Acting
Dance
Movement
Oral history
Performance art
Spoken word
Theater

Visual Arts

Comics/cartoons
Digital art
Drawing
Graphic design
Illustration
Installation
Mixed media
Murals
Painting
Photography
Pottery
Printmaking
Screen printing
Sculpture

FAQs

ELIGIBILITY

Do I have to be an artist or community organizer to apply?

No, applicants do not need to identify as artists or community organizers to be eligible. However, proposals must incorporate artistic or creative elements. At The Laundromat Project, we define art as visual, media, literary, and performing arts, as well as curation, scholarship, education, healing, gardening, community organizing, activism, and other cultural traditions, productions, and practices.

Where is Bed-Stuy?

As per the District 36 map, Brooklyn Community Board Map, Cultural Heritage Map of Bed-Stuy, we define Bed-Stuy as the neighborhood geographically bounded by Classon Avenue,  Atlantic Avenue, Eastern Parkway, Broadway, and Flushing Avenue.

 

 

Do I have to live in Bed-Stuy to apply?

No, you do not have to currently live in Bed-Stuy to apply ; however, all applicants must be committed to and invested in the Bed-Stuy neighborhood. Longtime Bed-Stuy residents will receive priority consideration. Proposals will be evaluated based on the clarity of the application and the potential of the project idea to make positive community impacts in Bed-Stuy. 

Proposals must be responsive to or centered within Bed-Stuy and impact or engage a group, audience, or community in Bed-Stuy, as this is the expressed purpose of the fund. All proposals also must include a public component or activation that will take place in Bed-Stuy.

 

Can I apply on behalf of my organization, like a 501(c)3?

Yes, any group, organization, or individual committed to or invested in Bed-Stuy is eligible to apply; however, priority will be given to informal groups with less access to funding sources.

 

I’m a small business owner, can I apply with a project idea that has to do with my business?

Yes, any group, organization, or individual committed to or invested in Bed-Stuy is eligible to apply; however, eligible proposals should focus on themes of community building, community wellness, or collective advocacy and must be free for participants.

 

We are looking for new creative projects or ongoing/long-term initiatives that positively impact and engage a Bed-Stuy group, audience, or community. Funds cannot be used for commercial purposes.

May I apply with an existing/ongoing project or initiative?

Yes.

If I applied last year and was awarded the Create and Connect Fund can I re-apply?

Previous Create & Connect awardees cannot receive funding from Create & Connect for the same project again. However, they may apply as a part of a new collective undertaking for a new project.

We welcome all past The LP program participants, including previous Create & Connect Fund recipients, to apply for Create & (Re)Connect to complete a new project or event.

APPLICATION SUPPORT QUESTIONS

Why should I attend an information session?

During these sessions, staff can directly help interested applicants by clarifying the grant application process and offering more tailored application support. 

The LP team will lead a brief presentation explaining the overall application process and then proceed to address individual application questions or give feedback on drafted responses. 

We encourage you to attend a session if you want to know if your idea is eligible, what to emphasize in your proposal, and whether your response to an application question is clear.  Attendance is also encouraged if you have questions about any parts of the application or the Fund timeline.

What is the format of the sessions?

These are casual walk-in sessions. During them, you should bring specific questions for The LP staff to help answer. However, we strongly suggest attendees RSVP so we can accommodate any staffing needs. 

Questions can be sent in advance by emailing [email protected].

If I am applying on behalf of a group, does my entire group need to be in attendance for the application support session?

No. Anyone who is available is welcome.

None of the dates and times listed work with my schedule. Can I receive application support outside of these sessions?

Yes! Questions can be sent electronically and individual appointments can be made in advance by emailing [email protected].

SUBMITTING THE APPLICATION

When will my application be reviewed?

Once applications open on April 1, 2025, all applications submitted before the deadline on May 1, 2025, at 11:59 pm ET are read in the order they are received. Because we can only fund up to 20 proposals, we highly encourage applicants to submit their proposals well before the deadline to ensure thoughtful consideration. We often receive more applications than we can fund.

Can I submit more than one application?

Applicants may submit only one application per project idea. If you have more than one proposal, please choose your strongest idea.

Applicants for collaborative works or applicants applying on behalf of a group or organized body should select one member to submit an application for review. 

If you are the project lead, applying on behalf of a group, you may also apply with another unrelated project idea as an individual.

Can I assist someone in the completion of their application?

Yes. Please be aware that communications regarding the application’s status will be sent to the email address associated with the Submittable account. Please make sure to create a Submittable account for the individual you are assisting.

I am a professional grant writer. Can I submit an application on behalf of an organization I am working for?

A grant writer can assist the organization they work for with the application process but cannot be the main contact person for the application. The contact information (including email and phone number) and Submittable account associated with the application must belong to the organization representative who would carry out the proposal if funded. The LP may reach out to the organization to confirm application details.

Notifications

How long will the online application process remain open?

The application opens Monday, April 1, and closes Thursday, May 1, 2025, at 11:59 pm ET.

When will I receive confirmation that my application was received?

You will receive an automated email response from Submittable confirming your application was received.

If I start an online application through the LP Submission manager (Submittable), can I save it and submit it later?

Yes, but we encourage you to save it often in case of any internet or technical difficulties. You can also draft your responses on a separate document, and copy and paste them onto Submittable when you are ready to submit.

How will I be notified?

You will be notified via the email you provided in your application.

When will I be notified?

We will send notifications indicating if proposals were accepted or declined by mid-June 2025.

DISBURSEMENT OF FUNDS

How will applications be selected for funding?

The LP staff members across departments will evaluate projects based on their alignment with the goals of the Fund: to foster community, relationship building, and collaboration in the Bed-Stuy neighborhood through creativity and community wellness. Applicants must be able to develop, install, or perform projects and activities independently without production support from The Laundromat Project, taking into consideration current CDC and New York City health and safety guidelines.

How will funds be disbursed?

Award amounts are $1,500 USD each, payable by Check, PayPal, or ACH bank transfer.

 

How long will it take for me to receive the funds after I’ve been notified I am a recipient of the award?

Funds can take up to 2 months to be received. Their disbursement follows notification that you have been selected and the timely return of any requested forms or contracts. We plan to disburse all funds by the first week of August 2025. Please take this timeline into consideration as you plan your project.

How can the funds be used?

Please see the list of eligible proposals above. The funds can be used to execute any aspect of the proposal, including purchasing supplies, renting a venue, or compensating the project lead (applicant) and additional artists, collaborators, or laborers. 

Do I have to pay tax on the funds received?

Yes. This is considered taxable income, please consult with a tax professional if you need guidance through this process.

FURTHER QUESTIONS

If you have further questions, you can contact the LP community engagement team by email at [email protected].

View full micro-grant guidelines, here.

2024 RECIPIENTS