APPLY FOR FUNDING

STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS

2018 Artist Opportunity Grant recipient Morris Howard with the Land of Funk mural.

ARTIST OPPORTUNITY GRANTS

Final Deadline is
October 20, 2024 at 11:59pm

FUNDING FOR ARTISTS

EVALUATION CRITERIA & PROCESS

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

SUPPORT & WORKSHOPS FOR APPLICANTS

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

To be eligible for the Artist Opportunity Grant program, an applicant must:

Be a resident of Montgomery County, Ohio, with a valid street address (no P.O. boxes) demonstrated by a driver’s license, utility bill, bank statement, voter registration document, etc.; and
Be a United States citizen or a permanent legal resident; and
Be at least 18 years old; and
Be an artist or creative entrepreneur. For the purposes of this grant program, an artist is defined as someone who has practiced their artistic discipline for at least three years*, demonstrates strong artistic potential, and is committed to developing their craft and artistic career. Artists devote a significant portion of their time to creating, practicing, or teaching their artform and receive compensation for their work.
Have exhibited, performed, or published work as an artist within the past three years, including self-curated opportunities or those in non-traditional venues.

*NOTE: An applicant’s history of artistic practice can include time spent in, and activities completed as part of, an undergraduate or graduate art program.

Note: In the 2024-2025 application cycle, the project or opportunity for which an applicant seeks funding must take place between January 1, 2025 and December 31, 2025. If the grant is to complete a project already in progress, it must culminate with a completed work within the grant period. Projects anticipated to not be completed by December 31, 2025 will not be considered.

Before beginning your application, review the complete eligibility criteria in the Artist Opportunity Grant Program Guidelines.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

All proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

Artistic Merit: The artistic capabilities of the applicant; the strength and quality of the creative vision and the originality of the applicant’s work as demonstrated in the application, previous work, and artist’s statement. Grant reviewers will consider whether:

The artist’s work demonstrates familiarity and control of craft and technique and a level of skill appropriate to the artist’s career stage.
The artist’s work is of compelling artistic vision and singular voice.
The artist’s work is inventive, imaginative, and substantive in form and content.

Potential Impact of the proposed project to advance/further the applicant’s work/career. Grant reviewers will consider whether:

The opportunity is unique, time-sensitive, and not a repeat of past experiences.
The artist identifies clear and realistic artistic/professional goals and makes a case for how this opportunity will help achieve them.
There is a potential for the opportunity to deepen the artist's practice and facilitate future creative work.

Quality of Proposed Project: The artistic strength, quality, vision, and originality of the proposed opportunity/project. Grant reviewers will consider whether:

The opportunity/project is clearly defined and meets professional standards.
(As applicable) The mentors/instructors involved are well qualified and/or the artist demonstrates capacity for self-directed learning.
The opportunity/project is original and reflects awareness of the history and contemporary practice of the artist’s field and its relationship to both (i.e., it is not a duplication of an existing effort).
The opportunity/project is an important or a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Administrative Capability: The feasibility of the proposed project as determined by the applicant preparing and clearly articulating a logical, well- conceived project plan that can be reasonably executed and includes a realistic timeline and accurate budget. Grant reviewers will consider whether:

The artist provided a clear project timeline and explanation of how funds will be used.
The project budget is realistic and supported by documentation of expenses. (See the Artist Opportunity Grant Guidelines for more about budget requirements.)
The artist has a history of presenting work to the public and a record of creative accomplishment appropriate to their career stage.

Public Benefit: The applicant seeks to increase the public’s access to and direct participation in quality arts and cultural resources that celebrate diversity and foster creativity within Montgomery County. Grant reviewers will consider whether:

The artist has a clear plan to share their work or project outcomes with the community.
The artist articulates how the opportunity/project will benefit intended audiences.
(As applicable) The artist has a commitment from the intended exhibition space or performance venue.

THE REVIEW PROCESS

All applications will be reviewed by staff for completeness and eligibility before being submitted to an independent grant panel for consideration.

Grant Panel

Culture Works and the MCACD will identify an independent panel consisting of artists, arts administrators, educators, and community members who understand and have an appreciation for the careers and creative development of artists. Every effort is made to avoid conflicts of interest.

Panelists will be provided online access to eligible applications, supporting materials, and artistic samples. Panelists will review the applications independently over the course of a month and assign scores based on the criteria outlined above. The highest possible score an applicant can receive is 25.

Public Panel Meeting and Funding Recommendations

In late-November / early December 2024, the panel will convene at a virtual public panel meeting to discuss applications and make award recommendations as a group. To facilitate discussion and funding recommendations, applications with the lowest initial scores may be eliminated from consideration prior to the public meeting. Applicants will be notified in advance of whether their application will proceed to the panel meeting.

The panel meeting will be open to the public and will begin with introductions of everyone in the room. The audience will be given a brief overview of the grant review and scoring process.

Each application will be reviewed using the following process:

a) The first reader (discussion leader) will lead the panel in a general discussion of the application.
b) After all panelists have had a chance to comment, the panel facilitator will draw the discussion of the application to a close and each panelist will have an opportunity to adjust their scores if necessary.

When desired, panel members will be given the opportunity to review an artist’s application and/or documentation. This is done for clarification purposes. As a result of the panel discussion or further review of an applicant’s application or documentation, panelists may adjust their scores. Because materials will have been previously reviewed by panelists, they may or may not ask to review the same materials for every applicant.

After all applications have been discussed and final scores have been submitted, the panel will enter a closed session to review a master list of all applicants, ranked from highest to lowest average score. The panel will make funding recommendations based on these rankings and the funding that is available.

Following the panel meeting, all funding recommendations are reviewed for final approval by the MCACD board. Award recipients will then enter into a contract/grant agreement with Culture Works.

RESOURCES FOR APPLICANTS

Before beginning your application, read the full 2024-2025 Artist Opportunity Grant Guidelines here.
Review the Tips for Writing a Great Application
Review the Work Sample Guidelines
Watch the 2023-2024 Artist Opportunity Grant Info Session here and download the presentation slides here. (2024-2025 forthcoming)
Culture Works Director of Grantmaking & Impact is hosting a series of workshops. All applicants and interested parties are welcome to participate. Each weekly workshop focuses on a different aspect of the grant application and is offered at two different times to provide more access based on your own schedules.
The same Zoom link works for all workshops. Passcode: Arts4All
Please see the schedule below and come as you may!

September 16, 2024 at 12pm EST & September 17, 2024, at 7pm EST
Artist Opportunity Grant & Community Force Orientation

Not familiar with the application? New to grant writing? Unfamiliar with the application portal, Community Force? Be prepared for a thorough introduction with time for your questions! No registration required – Come when you can, stay as you can!
September 23, 2024 at 12pm EST & September 24, 2024, at 7pm EST
Artist Statement Workshop

The Artist Statement is your opportunity to share your vision as an artist and to tell grant reviewers about your journey as an artist, but how do you write one? Come read through samples with your fellow applicants and begin writing your own! No registration required – Come when you can, stay as you can!
September 30, 2024 at 12pm EST & October 1, 2024 at 7pm EST
Project Budget Workshop

A project budget is a crucial part of an Artist Opportunity Grant application, but how do you develop one? And how do you balance the story of your project with the projected costs of that project? This workshop will offer support as you create a project budget with supporting documentation and narrative. No registration required – Come when you can, stay as you can!
October 7, 2024 at 12pm & October 8, 2024 at 7pm EST
Peer Review Workshop
An opportunity to receive feedback on an early draft of your application from fellow applicants and past grantees. Registration will be required by October 1 for participation in this workshop by emailing REN@cultureworks.org. *Dates and times may be updated based on participation.

This application cycle opened on September 9, 2024. You can access the application through the Community Force portal here.

ACCESS YOUR APPLICATION

Questions? Contact Rachel Evans Nead, Culture Works Director of Grantmaking & Impact, at REN@cultureworks.org.

2023-2024 GRANT RECIPIENTS

2022-2023 GRANT RECIPIENTS

2021-2022 GRANT RECIPIENTS

2020-2021 GRANT RECIPIENTS

2019-2020 GRANT RECIPIENTS

2018-2019 GRANT RECIPIENTS

2017-2018 GRANT RECIPIENTS

2016-2017 GRANT RECIPIENTS

**Read the announcement of the 2024 Artist Opportunity Grantees here**

About the Program

The Artist Opportunity Grant Program empowers Montgomery County, Ohio, artists to advance their careers through professional development opportunities and the creation of new works. This program is made possible by funding from the Montgomery County Arts and Cultural District (MCACD) and is administered by Culture Works. Since 2016, the program has awarded more than $220,000 to 77 artists to complete career-advancing projects.

PROGRAM GOALS

The program’s goals are to assist artists in Montgomery County in furthering and innovating their work, to encourage the development and raise the profile of individual artistic work in the region, and to help artists achieve their goals for their craft, thereby increasing their access and influence in the dynamic creative environment across Montgomery County. Grants are intended to fund specific, unique, and imminent opportunities that have the potential to significantly impact an artist’s craft and deepen their creative and professional development, regardless of where they are in their artistic career.

The MCACD is providing $75,000 for the 2024–2025 grant cycle, and grants will range from $500 to $5,000.
The Final Deadline for the 2024-2025 Artist Opportunity Grant application is fast approaching: October 20, 2024 at 11:59pm.

Read the full 2024-2025 Artist Opportunity Grant Guidelines here.
Access a PDF of the application here. (It is always recommended to draft outside of the portal and then to copy and paste your application into Community Force.)

SUPPORT & WORKSHOPS FOR ALL APPLICANTS

A special last workshop is being held at 7pm on Tuesday Oct. 15, 2024, and all applicants are invited to attend: A representative from Dayton Metro Library will present on the project exhibit and performance spaces the library provides for interested applicants. Culture Works Director of Grantmaking & Impact will also be there to answer any final questions about the application process. Follow this Zoom link to attend. We hope to see you there!

PROJECT SUPPORT FOR ORGANIZATIONS

MONTGOMERY COUNTY
SPECIAL PROJECTS GRANTS

About the Program:

The Special Projects Grant program provides funding for organizations to create arts and cultural projects that engage the Montgomery County community. This program is made possible by funding from the Montgomery County Arts and Cultural District (MCACD), with support from the Board of County Commissioners, and is administered by Culture Works. The MCACD is providing $250,000 for the 2024-2025 grant cycle.

Small to mid-sized arts and cultural organizations, other nonprofits, schools, colleges and universities, municipalities and government agencies located in Montgomery County can apply for up to $10,000 to support arts and cultural projects--such as festivals, exhibitions, performances, artists’ series, and in-school arts programming. Organizations with arts and culture-focused missions may also use the grants to complete capacity building projects such as strategic plans, board development, marketing and branding initiatives, website development, staff professional development training, and feasibility studies.

Collectives and other unincorporated organizations may also apply in partnership with a nonprofit, tax-exempt fiscal agent. Arts and cultural organizations--and their auxiliary groups--that already receive general operating support from the MCACD are not eligible to apply.

Read the full 2024-2025 Special Projects Grant program guidelines here.

The deadline to apply for 2024-2025 Special Projects Grant funding was Wednesday, April 24, 2024 at 4pm EST. The application is now closed.

Access Your Application

Questions? Contact Rachel Evans Nead, Culture Works Director of Grantmaking & Impact, at rachel@cultureworks.org.

2023-2024 GRANT RECIPIENTS

2022-2023 GRANT RECIPIENTS

2021-2022 GRANT RECIPIENTS

2020-2021 GRANT RECIPIENTS

FUNDING FOR STUDENTS

LEONARD P. ROBERTS MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP

The Culture Works Leonard P. Roberts Memorial Scholarship was established in 1993 in honor of Mr. Roberts, who was the Chairman of the Dayton Performing Arts Fund (now Culture Works) at the time of his death. Since the first scholarships were awarded in 1994, more than $400,000 from the Leonard P. Roberts Scholarship Fund has been provided to 200 students to assist them in their educational pursuits.

Culture Works is pleased to offer scholarships to students who demonstrate participation in and patronage of the arts. Candidates must be graduating high school seniors living in the Dayton Region (Butler, Clark, Darke, Greene, Miami, Montgomery, Preble, or Warren County) or college students at any level who live in and attend college in the Dayton Region. Priority may be given to students majoring in arts disciplines, business, and engineering; however, all majors may apply. Scholarships will be awarded in the amount of $1,000 - $4,000.

SCHOLARSHIP ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:

Be a graduating high school senior living in the Dayton Region (Butler, Clark, Darke, Greene, Miami, Montgomery, Preble, or Warren County); OR be a college student living in and attending school in the Dayton Region
Plan to be a full-time student for the entire upcoming academic year
Demonstrate participation in the arts
Have a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA

How to Apply:

The deadline to apply for a 2024–2025 Leonard P. Roberts Memorial Scholarship through The Dayton Foundation's ScholarshipCONNECT system has passed. Applicants will be notified of their award status beginning in June 2024.

The deadline to apply for a 2024-2025 Leonard P. Roberts Memorial Scholarship has passed as of March 8, 2024. Applicants will be notified of their funding status in June 2024.

Go to Scholarshipconnect

Questions? Contact Rachel Evans Nead, Culture Works Director of Grantmaking & Impact, at rachel@cultureworks.org.

OPERATING SUPPORT FOR ORGANIZATIONS

COMMUNITY ARTS GRANTS

About the Program:

Community Arts Grants provide general operating support to organizations that enrich and inspire the Dayton Region through world-class performances, exhibitions, and acclaimed educational programs for all ages. Applicants are placed into one of the following categories based on their annual budget:

General Operating Support (GOS) - Organizations with annual budgets of $500,000 to $10 million
Community Arts Development (CAD) - Organizations with annual budgets of $100,000 to $499,999

The funding for these grants comes from our annual Campaign for the Arts—a community-wide fundraising effort that draws support from thousands of individuals, local companies, and foundations.

For the 2023-2024 arts season, Culture Works provided Community Arts Grants to 10 organizations: Bach Society of Dayton, The Contemporary Dayton, the Dayton Art Institute, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, Dayton Performing Arts Alliance, Dayton Public Radio (WDPR), The Human Race Theatre Company, K12 Gallery & TEJAS, Muse Machine, and the Springfield Symphony Orchestra.

General Operating Support (GOS) Eligibility

FAQS

Community Arts Development (CAD) Eligibility

2024-2025 TIMELINE

This year's deadline to apply was Friday, April 5, 2024 at 4pm EST.
The application period is now closed.

Application

Questions? Contact Rachel Evans Nead, Culture Works Director of Grantmaking & Impact, at rachel@cultureworks.org.

FAQS

What is the source of the funding used to provide Community Arts Grants?

The source of funding for these grants is money raised through Culture Works’ annual Campaign for the Arts. Individuals and companies throughout the region participate, with more than 50% of the funding coming from workplace giving campaigns. The annual Campaign allows individuals to support not just one art form or organization, but to invest in the fundamental value of arts and culture to our community.

How are funding decisions made?

In 2014, Culture works implemented an outcomes-based funding model to better evaluate the effectiveness of applicants in aligning with larger community objectives. Under this model, a panel of knowledgeable local citizens evaluates applications using an established scoring rubric (see "How Are Applications Scored?").

Panelists also make site visits to applicant organizations—attending a performance, exhibition, or other event—to gain additional insights into the organization beyond the information included in the application. Panelists review and score applications independently from mid-April to mid-May, then discuss the applications as a group and make final scoring decisions at a Public Grant Panel Meeting held in mid-late May. Final scores are entered into a funding formula that takes into consideration the total amount of funding available, the number of applicants, and each applicant organization’s budget to determine the grant amounts.

Why does Culture Works use an outcomes-based grantmaking process?

In 2014, Culture Works changed its process to provide more fairness, transparency, and accountability. We also wanted to have more precise outcomes to report back to those who support the annual Campaign for the Arts to show that their gifts are truly making a difference. We take our responsibility to be good stewards of the funding entrusted to us through the annual Campaign for the Arts very seriously.

Is there a precedent for this kind of grantmaking process?

Absolutely! An outcomes-based process with a panel, scoring mechanism, and public grant process is used by the Ohio Arts Council to make funding decisions, and by other state arts councils. The same process is also used by the National Endowment for the Arts and a majority of local area arts agencies across the country. Culture Works is now much more aligned with national standards for best practices through the changes that we have made to our grant making process.

Who serves on the panel?

Culture Works recruits an independent panel of arts administrators, artists, business leaders, and passionate community volunteers to serve on our grant panels.

How are grant applications scored?

Panelists score each application in three areas: Community Impact & Engagement (45 pts), Artistic & Cultural Vibrancy (35 pts), and Organizational Capacity (20 pts). A checklist showing the full evaluation criteria is available here. To determine each organization's final score, Culture Works takes the average score they received from panelists. Organizations must score at least 70/100 points to be eligible for funding.

Why are organizations required to support the annual Campaign for the Arts in order to apply for Community Arts Grant funding?

Conducting a united arts fund campaign is only one of the programs of Culture Works. Organizations that choose not to support the Culture Works annual Campaign are still eligible to take advantage of the marketing, advocacy, and other support provided to every cultural organization in the Dayton Region by Culture Works. However, if organizations wish to benefit directly from the pool of money gathered through the annual Campaign, we think that it is important that these organizations commit to partnering with us to achieve the best possible outcomes for the annual Campaign by being champions for this effort.

2024-2025 Community Arts Grant Timeline

Friday, January 17, 2024

Deadline for applicants to submit an Intent to Apply for 2024-2025 Funding form and a current board roster.

Friday, March 1, 2024

Grant application available through the Culture Works website.

March 1-May 5, 2024

Panelist site visits take place.

Tuesday, March 5, 2024

Grant application info session for applicants via Zoom.

Friday, April 5, 2024

Grant application deadline—must be received by 4pm.
(This is also the deadline for Culture Works leadership to give a brief presentation to your board about the Campaign for the Arts.)

Mid-April 2024

Grant panel begins application review.

Thursday, May 16, 2024

Public Grant Panel Meeting. During this meeting, grant panelists will discuss applications for 2024–2025 Culture Works Community Arts Grant funding. Applicants and interested members of the public are invited to attend. The discussions will be recorded, and a recording will be made available on the Culture Works website, cultureworks.org, within a week following the meeting.

Tuesday, June 25, 2024

Funding amounts approved by the Culture Works Board of Trustees.

July 2024

Applicant organizations receive panelist feedback and notification of 2024–2025 grant amounts.

DAYTON REGION ARTS RENEWAL GRANTS

Congratulations to the 24 organizations and 21 artists awarded Dayton Region Arts Renewal Grants for 2022-2023! This was a one-time funding opportunity. Read about the grantees here.

About the Program:

In summer 2022, Culture Works launched a one-time grant initiative, the Dayton Region Arts Renewal Grant program, to support jobs in the arts sector, keep the doors open to arts organizations in our community, and assist the field in its response to and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. This funding opportunity was made possible by a one-time $500,000 grant to Culture Works—the Dayton Region’s arts funding, advocacy, and service organization—from the National Endowment for the Arts’ American Rescue Plan (ARP) Subgranting program.

In fall 2022, Culture Works awarded $436,000 in Dayton Region Arts Renewal Grants to area nonprofit arts and cultural organizations and individual artists. Over the next year, funded organizations will use Dayton Region Arts Renewal Grants of up to $15,000 to offset staff salaries, facilities costs, and other expenses related to day-to-day operations. Individual artists will use grants of up to $5,000 complete creative projects that foster both professional growth and community engagement. Read more about the Dayton Region Arts Renewal Grantees here.

Learn More:
Click here for the Dayton Region Arts Renewal Grant Guidelines for Organizations
Click here for the Dayton Region Arts Renewal Grant Guidelines for Individual Artists
Read the June 2022 Notice of Funding Opportunity here
Read the November 2021 press release announcing the NEA grant here

Panel Meetings: September 13-16, 2022
During these virtual public meetings, grant panelists discussed applications and determined their funding recommendations.

All panelists reviewed and scored applications using an established rubric in advance of the public panel meetings, but the public deliberations provided an opportunity for panelists to hear each other's perspectives, and for applicants to hear specific, valuable feedback on their proposals.

View recordings of the panel meetings below:

Panel A: Individual Artists – Tuesday, September 13, 2022
View a recording here.
Panel B: Individual Artists – Wednesday, September 14, 2022
View recording here.
Panel C: Organizations – Thursday, September 15, 2022
View a recording here.
Panel D: Organizations – Friday, September 16, 2022
View a recording here.

The deadline to apply for this one-time grant opportunity has passed. Read about the organizations and individuals selected to receive Dayton Region Arts Renewal Grants here.

Questions? Contact Rachel Evans Nead, Culture Works Director of Grantmaking & Impact, at rachel@cultureworks.org.

OUR TOWN DAYTON

Culture Works has been awarded an Our Town Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to mobilize local artists to create a community-developed art installation at the Edgemont Solar Garden in West Dayton.

Culture Works Our Town Dayton: The Art of Business program addresses key missing business education and mentoring elements in the creative sector for emerging artists, provides community enhancement through the creation of public art, and articulates a community identity through creative placemaking. Creative placemaking is more than a location embellishment. It holds the promise of creating an essence – identifying, elevating, or assembling a collection of visual, cultural, social, and environmental qualities that imbue a location with meaning and significance, and thus will support and enhance community efforts. In this case, as a National Endowment for the Arts supported program, it will bring national attention to Culture Works, the Edgemont Community, Dayton, and Montgomery County, OH.

In the same way that local artists build local resources, local projects have local impact. This project will support and publicize the efforts of The Edgemont Community Coalition to address food insecurity issues and to provide resident food education. Constituents from throughout Montgomery County will be invited to the Edgemont Solar Garden’s Spring Planting and Fall Harvest events, which will showcase the artwork, build community, and demonstrate the power of creative partnerships.

Our Town Dayton has opportunities for volunteers.

Contact: OurTownDayton@cultureworks.org

Our Grateful Thanks to Our Town Dayton Project Sponsors:

The National Endowment for the Arts, The Montgomery County Arts and Cultural District, CenterPoint Energy, Ernst Concrete, and Messer Construction

YOUR SUPPORT MATTERS

INVEST IN THE ARTS TODAY

Support the Arts

APPLY FOR FUNDING

ARTIST OPPORTUNITY GRANTS

COMMUNITY ARTS GRANTS

SPECIAL PROJECTS GRANTS

STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS

ARTIST OPPORTUNITY GRANTS

Final Deadline is October 20, 2024 at 11:59pm

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

EVALUATION CRITERIA

THE REVIEW PROCESS

RESOURCES FOR APPLICANTS

About the Program

PROGRAM GOALS

SUPPORT & WORKSHOPS FOR ALL APPLICANTS

MONTGOMERY COUNTY SPECIAL PROJECTS GRANTS

About the Program:

LEONARD P. ROBERTS MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP

How to Apply:

COMMUNITY ARTS GRANTS

About the Program:

FAQS

What is the source of the funding used to provide Community Arts Grants?

How are funding decisions made?

Why does Culture Works use an outcomes-based grantmaking process?

Is there a precedent for this kind of grantmaking process?

Who serves on the panel?

How are grant applications scored?

Why are organizations required to support the annual Campaign for the Arts in order to apply for Community Arts Grant funding?

2024-2025 Community Arts Grant Timeline

Friday, January 17, 2024

Friday, March 1, 2024

March 1-May 5, 2024

Tuesday, March 5, 2024

Friday, April 5, 2024

Mid-April 2024

Thursday, May 16, 2024

Tuesday, June 25, 2024

July 2024

DAYTON REGION ARTS RENEWAL GRANTS

About the Program:

OUR TOWN DAYTON

INVEST IN THE ARTS TODAY

Final Deadline is
October 20, 2024 at 11:59pm

MONTGOMERY COUNTY
SPECIAL PROJECTS GRANTS