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Farah Yasmeen Shaikh | EnActe Arts | Photo: Brooke Duthie

Upcoming Events & Deadlines

Overview of Application Process

Letter of Inquiry window opens (March 13, 2023)
Bay Area artists and nonprofit organizations of all kinds are invited to submit a letter of inquiry to support collaborations that create new work.
Grantseeker Registration (March - May 2023)
Once you know who your collaborating partners will be, avoid the rush and complete a brief applicant eligibility quiz and request a grantseeker account at the Creative Work Fund application portal. These steps are easy to complete, but it takes the Fund a day or two to confirm your eligibility and assign your user name and password. Don’t wait until the last minute.
Applicant Information Webinars (April 2023)
Optional application webinars for potential Creative Work Fund applicants are offered in advance of a call for Letters of Inquiry. Applicants are not required to attend a webinar, but are encouraged to do so—especially if they are unfamiliar with the Fund.
Deadline for Letters of Inquiry: May 8, 2023
Organizations and artists should jointly prepare and submit a letter of inquiry of no more than three pages (including a brief, preliminary budget). The lead artist should submit a professional resume of no more than two pages.

Letters of inquiry must be received no later than May 8, 2023.

Reader Review (May - June 2023)
Letters of inquiry will be reviewed separately by up to ten readers.

Read our review criteria here.

Invitations to Full Proposal: June 20, 2023
From among the letters of inquiry received the Creative Work Fund will invite approximately 50 collaborating artists and organizations to submit more detailed proposals and provide a summary of reader comments. Full proposals restate and expand upon the ideas presented in the letter of inquiry, incorporate responses to the reader comments, and include documentation illustrating the quality of artist work, detailed budgets, and additional background information about the organization.
Application Grants Distributed: July 5, 2023
$500 application grants will be distributed to support costs of documenting the lead artist’s
work and any other application-related expense.
Deadline for Full Proposals: July 31, 2023
Full proposals include documentation illustrating the quality of the artists’ work, detailed budgets, and additional background information about the organizations.

Full proposals must be received no later than July 31, 2023.

Panel Review (September 2023)
A panel comprising artists, curators, and other arts professionals will review the finalists’ proposals and recommend projects to be funded. Representatives of the foundations that support the Creative Work Fund will approve the final awards.

Read the review criteria the panel uses here.

Notification of Awardees: October 2, 2023
The Creative Work Fund will notify applicants via email. Grants will be awarded to collaborating 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, not directly to collaborating artists.
Deadline for MOU & Grant Acceptance: October 30, 2023
Key participants in each awarded project must prepare and sign a memorandum of understanding. Lead artists and their collaborating organizations also must sign and return their award letters. Grants are paid to the collaborating 501(c)(3) organizations soon after signed paperwork is received.
Final Report
Final reports are due three months after the project ending date. Grantees must submit two final reports (one prepared by the artist and one by the organization), describing the project and how they used the grant funds. Final reports should document the finished projects through online media, fixed media, publications, or other appropriate medium.