United States: Arts and Culture Grant Program - 2023

The Connecticut Community Foundation

Arts and culture play important roles in education, economic development, and general quality of life. Research shows a correlation between arts-based learning and enhanced student achievement, noting how the arts stimulate learning and improve overall academic performance. The arts are also an important part of Connecticut’s economy and more importantly, can serve as a bridge between cultures.

Their approach focuses on:

• Increasing access to quality creative arts programs, with a focus on addressing existing disparities.
• Nourishing community arts efforts and refreshing expectations for larger legacy institutions, exploring how traditional entities can serve and partner with diverse communities in non-traditional ways.

Efforts they support include:

• Participatory arts programs in various media (visual, theater, music, dance, writing, etc.) that create inclusive and supportive conditions for individuals of diverse backgrounds, ages, genders and cultures, and provide ways of making deeper connections to community life.
• Opportunities to create/showcase work and collaborate with others. This may also include integration of arts and community-building activities, or outreach to and inclusion of traditionally underrepresented audiences.
• Work to support/develop artists and efforts to build a supportive and thriving arts sector, welcoming to both current and new/non-traditional artists.
• Support for artists and organizations in forging creative efforts to uplift residents and inspire community & economic development.

Funding Information

• The average amount is between $5,000 and $10,000.

Eligibility Criteria

In order to apply for funding, an organization must:

• Be a not-for-profit organization recognized under Section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or a municipal entity seeking a grant for public purposes. Organizations may also have a nonprofit fiscal sponsor, if they do not have their own nonprofit status.
• Have a board, representative of the community, of which a majority is neither employees nor relatives of employees.
• Possess a Nonprofit Registration to Solicit Funds (or exemption, if appropriate) from the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection. This registration must be renewed annually.

They encourage requests that:

• Provide services or support to the communities located within their 21-town service area
• Support system change and advocacy efforts
• Include support for core nonprofit operations such as staff time, overhead and evaluation
• Support organizations led by Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC)