The Create & (Re)Connect Fund (formerly Creative Action Fund) is a micro-grant program designed to seed the ongoing work of The LP Create Change alumni network. This fund is a critical part of our vision to make sustained investments in our growing artist network, now 260+ artists strong, by supporting their artmaking, leadership development, and professional growth.
We encourage you to apply if you have a new iteration of a past project, a new creative project, or an ongoing project that positively impacts and engages a group, audience, or community of your choice. There is no set theme of focus for Create & (Re)Connect. Applicants are welcome to explore a range of creative and civic topics. Proposals can be for ideas that are virtual, in-person, or a combination of both.
Only individuals or artist collectives within The LP’s alumni network are eligible to apply for the Create & (Re)Connect Fund. Members of the general public should apply to the Bed-Stuy Create & Connect Fund.
LP staff members will review all applications with the aim of selecting up to 20 proposals for the 2024 cycle. Contact the community engagement team with any questions you may have at [email protected] with “Create & (Re)Connect 2024” in the subject line.
Grant
$1,000
Applications Open
April 1
Applications Close
May 1
The Create & (Re)Connect application is now open
KEY DATES
Applications Open
Applications Close
Decision Notification
April 1
May 1
Early June
APPLICATION SUPPORT
If you would like individualized support as you complete your application, please request an appointment by emailing [email protected]. LP staff will be available for 30-minute virtual meetings to discuss specific questions in detail. You will receive an email confirmation with a personalized time slot for you and/or your group.
ELIGIBILITY
All past LP Program participants are eligible to apply. This includes artists in our alumni network, facilitators of past LP programs, former Create Change fellows and residents, and previous microgrant recipients.
Applicants can also propose collaborative projects that involve other LP alums or non-LP affiliated artists. We have a special interest in alumni collectives and collaboratives (involving two or more LP alumni). Applicants for collaborative works should select one member to submit an application for review.
Types of Eligible Proposals
Eligible proposals may include, but are not limited to:
- Workshops and Classes
- Art-making (i.e. painting, sculpture, printmaking, film, collage, dance, music);
- Skill-sharing (i.e. Creating an Artist Portfolio, Grant Writing 101)
- Cultural activities (i.e. folk arts & traditions, ritual, storytelling)
- Community Teach-Ins & Public Education Workshops
- Storytelling Initiatives
- Community Podcasts;
- Story Circles & Readings;
- Oral History, Material, and Digital Archives
- Public Performances or Outdoor Activations
- Dance (i.e. hip hop, jazz, folk)
- Theater (drama / comedy / musicals);
- Spoken Word Poetry or Open-mic;
- Community and Place-based Projects
- Public Murals;
- Walking Tours;
- Public Installations;
- Creative Scavenger Hunts;
- Sidewalk Chalk Art Competitions;
- Community Bike Rides or Roller Skating activations;
- Mapping and Wayfinding projects
- Gatherings for Intergenerational Community
- Sewing or Knitting Clubs;
- Black Women’s Book Clubs;
- Game Nights;
- Writing Groups;
- Singing Circles
- Civic Engagement
- Food or Clothing Drives;
- Community Resource Pantries;
- Wellness initiatives (i.e. herbalism & healing, yoga, double dutch, tennis);
- Campaigns that strengthen “connections to place” in Bed-Stuy;
- Mail or postal projects that encourage social connectedness;
- Innovative activations around mutual aid or cultural organizing;
- Community Gardening, Composting, or Sustainable Farming programs
- Support towards arts and cultural festivals including art making at block parties or fairs
Types of Ineligible Proposals:
- Solo production of art works made for personal practice
- Proposals with no involvement, impact, or engagement with additional stakeholders or a broader community.
- Projects, events, and/or activities that require an admission or participation fee
DEFINING ART
At The Laundromat Project, artists are community organizers and community organizers are artists. We believe that to be an artist is to be a creative problem-solver that taps into the community and resources around them to figure out how to create and manifest their ideas.
Thus, we define art as any cultural tradition, practice, object, or action made with creative intent and grounded in community. 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 to apply?
No, applicants do not need to identify as artists to be eligible. However, proposals must incorporate elements of art or creativity. At The Laundromat Project, we define art as visual, media, literary, and performing arts as well as curation, scholarship, education, healing, community organizing, and other cultural traditions, productions, and practices. You do not have to consider yourself an artist to apply.
Do I have to live in Bed-Stuy to apply?
No, you do not have to currently live in Bed-Stuy to apply. Proposals will be evaluated based on the project idea according to the criteria listed.
Can I apply on behalf of my organization, like a 501(c)3?
Yes, any group, organization, or individual within our alumni network 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 within our alumni network is eligible to apply, however eligible proposals must be free for participants. We are looking for new iterations of past projects, new creative projects, or ongoing/long-term initiatives that positively impacts and engages a group, audience, or community of your choice.
May I apply with an existing/ongoing project or initiative?
Yes.
If I applied for Create & Connect last year and was awarded funding can I re-apply?
We welcome all past LP Program participants, including previous Create & (Re)Connect recipients, to apply for Create & (Re)Connect to complete a new project or new iteration of a past project.
APPLICATION SUPPORT QUESTIONS
Can I receive individualized application support?
Yes! Questions can be sent electronically and appointments can be made in advance by emailing [email protected] with “Create & (Re)Connect” in the subject line.
Why should I request an application support meeting?
These meetings are designed to provide support on whatever might be most useful to you as you complete your application. The LP team can act as a thought partner or sounding board as you form your project idea and can review your application responses for clarity. We encourage you to request an appointment if you want to know if your idea is eligible, what part of your proposal to emphasize, if your response to an application question is clear, or if you have questions about parts of the application or the application process.
What is the format of these application support meetings?
These are virtual 30-minute 1:1 meetings with LP Programs staff, and you should bring specific questions for them to answer about your application. You can email your questions in advance and request an appointment by emailing [email protected] with “Create & (Re)Connect” in the subject line. In-person meetings at our storefront are welcome upon request.
If I am applying on behalf of a group, does my entire group need to be in attendance for the application support meeting?
No. Anyone who is available is welcome.
SUBMITTING THE APPLICATION
What does rolling application submissions mean?
Applications will be accepted on a continuing basis from April 10, 2023 until 11:59PM EDT on May 4, 2023 or until 20 proposals have been selected. We are accepting applications on a rolling basis to provide more flexibility for applicants to submit proposal ideas based on their project timelines. Applications will be periodically reviewed throughout the open call to ensure that applicants are notified in a timely manner. Because we can only fund up to 20 proposals, we will share widely if we are close to nearing our maximum recipients prior to the deadline, via social media, this webpage, email, and directly to all applicants who have an application draft started on Submittable.
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 the one you feel is the strongest.
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 status of the application 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 with the application process in collaboration with the organization they are working for, but the contact information (including email and phone number) listed on the application and the Submittable account associated with the application must belong to the organization representative that will be carrying out the proposal if funded.The grant writer cannot be the main contact person for the application. 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 10, and closes Thursday, May 4 at 11:59 pm EDT.
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 no later than June 1, 2023.
DISBURSEMENT OF FUNDS
How will applications be selected for funding?
LP staff members across departments will evaluate projects by their alignment with the goals of the Fund to make sustained investments in our growing artist network by supporting their artmaking, leadership, and professional growth. Projects and activities must be able to be developed, installed/performed by the applicant independently without production support from the The Laundromat Project.
How will funds be disbursed?
Award amounts are $1,000 USD each, payable by check or PayPal or Zelle electronic 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 one month to be received following notification that you have been selected. Please take this timeline into consideration as you plan your project.
How can the funds be used?
The funds can be used for any aspect of the proposal, including commission or compensation fees for the project lead (applicant) and/or additional artists/collaborators.
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.
