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How to Apply

Neema Hekmat | Ballet Afsaneh Photo: RJ Muna

The window for 2023 Letters of Inquiry has closed

The following information provides insight into our process.

Before you apply
to the Creative Work Fund….

Read our guidelines. You can also download and read them in PDF format.

Then ask…

Is this the right kind of grant for our project?
The Creative Work Fund awards grants that range in size from $20,000 to $50,000 for projects in which artists and nonprofit organizations are working closely together to create new art works. Any kind of nonprofit organization is eligible to apply to collaborate with an artist. The Fund takes the idea of a close working relationship between the artist and the organization very seriously and specifically wants to support the creation stage for a new art work.
Does the project fit within the time frame for this funding opportunity?
Grants will be awarded in October 2023. If a project already has begun by that time, the artist and the nonprofit organization should still be actively involved in the new work’s creation and collaborating with one after after the grant awards are made.

The Creative Work Fund prefers that projects be completed in two to three years, but projects of longer duration are eligible and welcome.

Check your eligibility.

  • Both the lead artist and the organization need to complete a brief grantseeker eligibility quiz and request/update grantseeker accounts.
  • If you are eligible to apply, you will receive your username and password via email from “[email protected]” within one or two business days. If you complete the quiz after hours or on weekends it may take longer to receive your login information. Thanks for your patience. Be sure to check your spam and junk filters for this email and add the address to your address book to ensure delivery of future notifications
What makes an artist eligible to apply for this grant?

What’s a lead artist?

The lead artist is a person who meets the criteria outlined below, is playing a central role in creating the proposed art work, and who is not a regular staff member or board member of the applying nonprofit organization. Many projects feature more than one artist working in a team or ensemble, but only one of those artists should be identified as the “lead artist.”

Lead artists must meet four criteria to be eligible to apply:

  1. geographic location,
  2. artistic background,
  3. not being a recent Creative Work Fund recipient, and
  4. being named as lead artist in one, not multiple proposals

Geography

The lead artist must live and have lived for the previous two years in one or more of the following counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, or Sonoma County. In that two-year time period, it is acceptable to move among the eligible counties. The Fund also has considered applications from artists who have had temporary, short-term artist residencies outside of the 10 eligible areas but maintained a home base within them.

Artistic Background

Artists from all artistic disciplines are welcome to apply. Lead artists will be asked to identify primary and secondary artistic disciplines in which they have strong track records of accomplishment. Read this list of disciplines and their short definitions.

Prior Recipients

Lead artists who received Creative Work Fund grants in 2020, 2021, or 2022 are not eligible to apply as lead artists.

Lead artists who received Creative Work Fund grants prior to 2020 must have completed their projects and submitted their final reports.

An artist who played a non-lead role in a recently-supported Creative Work Fund project may apply as a lead artist for a 2023 request.

Just One Application

Lead artists can be named in no more than one letter of inquiry.

What makes an organization eligible to apply for this grant?

Organizations must meet four criteria to be eligible to apply:

  1. nonprofit status,
  2. geography, and
  3. not being a recent Creative Work Fund recipient, and
  4. being named as collaborating organization in one, not multiple proposals.

Nonprofit Status

Any kind of 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization may apply, as long as it is not a private foundation. A recognized religious organization, even if it does not have 501(c)(3) status, may apply. A public agency (such as a parks department, health department, or public school) may apply.

An organization or collective that clearly fills a charitable or educational purpose but does not have nonprofit status may apply with a nonprofit fiscal sponsor. Public agencies may apply using a fiscal sponsor.

Geography

The nonprofit organization must be based in one of the following counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, or Sonoma.

The Fund will consider applications from international, national, or statewide organizations that have offices or branches in one or more of the 10 eligible counties.

Prior Recipients

Organizations that received Creative Work Fund grants in in  2020, 2021, or 2022 are not eligible to apply,

Organizations that received Creative Work Fund grants prior to 2020 are eligible to apply if they have completed their projects and submitted final narrative and financial reports.

Fiscal sponsors may be part of applications at any time, even if they received a Creative Work Fund grant recently.

Just One Application

An organization may submit no more than one letter of inquiry.

There is no limit on the number of applications that may be submitted using a particular fiscal sponsor.

When ready, both lead artist and organizational collaborator visit this page to take their eligibility quizzes.

Review the Sample Letter of Inquiry

Download a sample letter of inquiry in Microsoft Word format. It includes a section on what reviewers look for in letters of inquiry and, ultimately, in full grant proposals.

When ready, both lead artist and organizational collaborator visit this page to follow a step-by-step process.