2022 Zoo Labs: FUND for BIPOC Artists in California

Zoo Labs: FUND will make available $225,000 in unrestricted grants to Bay Area BIPOC and BIPOC-led artist teams with a music business.

Donor Name: Center for Cultural Innovation (CCI)

State: California

County: Selected Counties

Type of Grant: Grant

Deadline: 06/22/2022

Size of the Grant: $50,000

Details:

Zoo Labs empowers Black, Indigenous, and people of color to own and amplify their music projects and businesses through entrepreneurial training, resource exchange, focused mentorship, and community building.

To address both the marked lack of capital for Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) artists, as well as the lack of practical and affordable business education that cultural innovators need in order to begin and scale their creative businesses, Zoo Labs evolved its West Oakland-based, in-person programming to reach a broader audience in the Bay Area and beyond

Zoo Labs: FUND returns in 2022 for a second grant cycle that will be administered in partnership with Center for Cultural Innovation (CCI), a trusted nonprofit intermediary focused on the financial well-being of artists, arts workers, culture bearers, and creative entrepreneurs.

Funding Information

CCI will award unrestricted grants in the amounts (i.e., tiers) of $5,000; $15,000; $25,000; and $50,000.

Award tiers, their associated criteria, and the approximate number of awards available include:
- $5,000 (approximately four awards available)
  - Seed Funding: Teams that request $5,000 are newly formed; have worked on the business for two consecutive (i.e., back-to-back) years or less; and are earning little to no revenue from the business.
- $15,000 (approximately five awards available)
  - Startup Funding: Teams that request $15,000 are starting to have traction; have worked together on the business for two to five consecutive (i.e., back-to-back) years; and are earning little to no revenue from the business.
- $25,000 (approximately three awards available)
  - Self-sustaining Funding: Teams that request $25,000 have traction; are on the cusp of realizing self-sustaining, revenue-generating activities; have worked together on the business for five consecutive (i.e., back-to-back) years or more; and are earning some revenue from the business.
- $50,000 (one award available)
  - Next Level Funding: Teams that request $50,000 are established; are ready to expand or further innovate; have worked together on the business for five consecutive (i.e., back-to-back) years or more; and are earning a steady stream of revenue from the business.

Eligibility Criteria

To be considered for funding, applicants:
- Must be BIPOC or BIPOC-led teams of two or more people, with at least one artist member. Additionally, they encourage teams who are of historically marginalized communities including LGBTQIA+ and gender variant people, people with disabilities, and immigrants to apply;
- Must be launching or have an already established music business
- Must reside full-time in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, or Sonoma County. This criterion applies to ALL team members; however, they recognize that the pandemic has resulted in the temporary and permanent displacement of individuals from their homes in the Bay Area. If all team members were living in an eligible Bay Area county as of March 1, 2020, but have been displaced as a result of the pandemic, the team is eligible to apply;
- Can be any age, however, if a member of the team is 18 years old or younger, CCI staff must be contacted to discuss the team’s eligibility;
- Can be a previous grantee, however, first-time award recipients will be prioritized; and
- Cannot have a conflict of interest (family or financial relationship) with the board, staff, or directors of Center for Cultural Innovation, Zoo Labs, or Intersection for the Arts.
Teams may consist of artists, content creators, producers, developers, engineers, managers, advisors, and other supporting roles.
Music as a product, program, service, or art form/cultural expression must be the key feature of the business. They are open to a range of music businesses such as groups/ensembles, recording studios, music festivals or events, vinyl record presses, record labels, music technology, music-based healing services, and music education nonprofits, to name a few examples.
Previous grantees must submit an approved final report and fulfill their mentorship requirements before reapplying.