The Arts Work Fund is seeking applications for its Arts Capacity Grant Program.
Donor Name: Arts Work Fund
State: Illinois
County: Chicago County (IL), Cook County (IL)
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: All Time
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
The Arts Work Fund (AWF) is a funding collaborative supporting small and mid-sized arts organizations in Chicago and Cook County. Since 2006, AWF has helped these organizations strengthen their management and operations, enabling them to focus more fully on their artistic missions.
Focus
AWF’s responsive grants support individual arts organizations—or collaborations among them—as they adopt or improve new organizational practices. Grants aim to:
- Strengthen organizational resilience
- Advance strategy
- Improve community engagement and communication
- Address other key capacity-building needs
Funding Information
Grant sizes depend on the project’s scope but will not exceed $40,000.
Eligible Projects
- Operational Resilience
- Organizational Strategy
- Community Engagement & Communications
Eligibility Criteria
All applicants must:
- Have an arts-based mission where artistic work is the primary purpose and budget focus
- Be a 501(c)(3) public charity or have a fiscal sponsor with this status. Organizations with fiscal sponsors should have an independent budget and a board of directors or other formal, organized oversight team that serves a governance function and otherwise complements staff leadership.
- Operate with an annual budget under $2 million, based on the most recently completed audit or I.R.S. Form 990
- Be based in and serve Chicago and Cook County
All eligible organizations are welcome to apply. The AWF prioritizes organizations that:
Are Community-Rooted
- Deeply reflect and respond to their community’s cultural needs
- Are led by and for people of color, LGBTQ+, women, people with disabilities, and those at intersections of these identities
- Define their community or communities either geographically (e.g., Pilsen residents, South Side neighborhoods) or demographically (e.g., Latine families, LGBTQ+ youth), or through shared experiences and interests that may cross traditional boundaries (e.g., immigrant communities, artists with disabilities, formerly incarcerated artists).
Are Artist-Centered and Community-Represented
- Honor the leadership and lived experiences of artists
- Ensure leadership reflects and responds to the communities served
Have Clearly Defined and Timely Capacity-Building Needs
- Organizations with clearly defined operational capacity-building challenges or opportunities will receive priority consideration.
For more information, visit AWF.
