The Fairfield County’s Community Foundation is inviting applicants for its Greater Bridgeport Grant: Arts in the Service of Equity.
Donor Name: Fairfield County’s Community Foundation
State: Connecticut
County: Fairfield County (CT)
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 05/31/2024
Size of the Grant: $500,000 to $1 million
Grant Duration: 3 Years
Details:
In recognition of the power arts and culture hold to amplify community voice, change narratives, promote inclusivity, and transform communities for the better, they are excited to announce a 3-year renewable grant opportunity focused on arts innovation for systems change in Greater Bridgeport. This funding opportunity honors the legacy and leverages the resources of the Greater Bridgeport Area Foundation, which merged in 2008 with Fairfield County’s Community Foundation.
With a total funding pool of $1 million, this initiative will support up to three collaborative projects in Greater Bridgeport. Each project will receive three general operating support grants over three years, with the largest of the three grants coming in year one, and smaller wind-down grants in years two and three. General operating support will allow collaborating organizations flexibility to allocate funding in the ways that they deem best facilitate their projects’ goals and objectives. This funding seeks to leverage the arts to accelerate and catalyze social change in community.
Competitive Proposals will:
- Demonstrate the impact/potential impact on Black, Indigenous, and People of color (BiPoC)
- Demonstrate the impact/potential impact on low-to-moderate income communities
- Clearly communicate how their work is addressing racial inequities in Fairfield County
- Clearly communicate partnerships with roles and responsibilities
- Have a clear three-year project plan/program design with an aligned budget.
- Aim to influence economic, physical, and social change
- Made a clear, detailed connection between the project and key results areas
Eligibility Criteria
They will consider requests from Arts and Culture-focused organizations located within Greater Bridgeport doing work that directly benefits residents of Greater Bridgeport. Eligible communities include:
- Bridgeport
- Easton
- Fairfield
- Monroe
- Stratford
- Trumbull
Grassroots, BiPoC-led organizations with systems-level change goals will be given preference. Organizations are encouraged to apply regardless of budget size.
Non-traditional arts organizations, defined as those not established for an arts-related purpose, must have an identified partnership with a traditional arts organization that will be expected to serve as the lead applicant. Lead applicants must be recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit or 509 (a) public charity, or work under a fiscal sponsor that is a registered 501(c)(3).
Foundation does not award grants for any of the following purposes:
- Persuading people to join/support a specific religion, political party, or candidate
- Capital campaigns or projects (e.g., major building repairs)
- Covering budget deficits
- Annual fundraising appeals
- Hosting a fundraising event
- Purchasing land as open space
- For-profit, parochial, charter, private, or individual public schools
- Nonprofit endowments
- Helping one specific person
For more information, visit Fairfield County’s Community Foundation.
