APPLY FOR FUNDING

COMMUNITY ARTS GRANTS

2021-2022 FUNDING CYCLE UPDATES

New applicants: In an effort to support our grantees as they navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, Culture Works did not accept new/first-time Community Arts Grant applicants in 2021. Organizations interested in applying in future cycles can refer to the criteria below to get a sense of what to expect in a typical year, and we encourage you to reach out to Karen Maner, Culture Works Grants Manager, at kmaner@cultureworks.org to discuss the process of establishing eligibility.

Current grantees: To support existing Community Arts Grantees as they navigate the challenges of COVID-19, we made several temporary changes to the Community Arts Grant eligibility criteria and application process for 2021-2022 funding. More details are available in the sections below. See General Operating Support for organizations with budgets of $500k to $10 million and Community Arts Development for organizations with budgets between $100k and $500k.

About the Program: Culture Works provides Community Arts Grants to organizations that enrich and inspire the Dayton Region through world-class performances, exhibitions, and acclaimed educational programs for all ages.

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.

In 2020-2021, 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.

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 the applications and determines scores based on the following criteria:

Public Benefit & Access
Artistic & Cultural Vibrancy
Organizational Capacity

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 at the end of 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.*

*Temporary changes for the 2021 funding cycle: In light of COVID-19, Culture Works has temporarily moved to a closed panel process for 2021. Panelists will review applications and provide feedback to applicants; however, they will not discuss applications at a public meeting, and panelist scores will not be used to calculate 2021-2022 award amounts. Our goal is to fund 2021-2022 Community Arts Grantees at their pre-pandemic, 2019-2020 funding levels. To that end, we will use the financial figures and panel scores received during the 2019 application cycle to calculate 2021-2022 grant amounts. Additionally, out of concern for the health and safety of panelists and arts organization staff, we will not be conducting site visits as part of the 2021 application cycle. See the General Operating Support and Community Arts Development Eligibility Criteria for more information about changes to the 2021 application process.

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: Public Benefit & Access, Artistic & Cultural Vibrancy, and Organizational Capacity. A checklist showing the full evaluation criteria is available here. This funding criteria has been developed to align with desired short-term, mid-term, and long-term outcomes that benefit the community. You can view the Logic Model and the desired outcomes 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.*

*Temporary changes for the 2021 funding cycle: Our goal is to fund 2021-2022 Community Arts Grantees at their pre-pandemic, 2019-2020 funding levels. To that end, this year's panel will review applications and provide feedback to applicants; however, they will not be asked to provide scores. We will use the financial figures and panel scores received during the 2019 application cycle to calculate 2021-2022 grant amounts. See the General Operating Support and Community Arts Development Eligibility Criteria for more information about changes to the 2021 application process.

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.

2021-2022 Community Arts Grant Timeline

NOTE: In light of COVID-19, we have made several temporary changes to our Community Arts Grant process for the 2021 funding cycle. Please see our Temporary Eligibility Requirements documents for General Operating Support and Community Arts Development applicants for full details.

Friday, February 5, 2021

Deadline for current grantees to submit an Intent to Apply for 2021-2022 Funding form and a current board roster

Wednesday, March 3, 2021

Grant application available through the Culture Works website

Tuesday, March 9,
2021

Grant application info session for applicants via Zoom

Friday, April 9,
2021

Grant application deadline—must be received by 5pm
(This is also the deadline to schedule Culture Works leadership to give a brief presentation to your board about the Campaign for the Arts.)

TBD

Grant panelist orientation via Zoom

Friday, April 16-Friday, May 28,
2021

Closed review of applications by the grant panel
(Note: We have temporarily adjusted our Community Arts Grant panel process in light of COVID-19. An independent panel will review 2021 applications and provide written feedback for applicant organizations. However, panelists will not discuss applications at a public meeting in 2021, and panelist scores will not be used to calculate 2021-2022 grant amounts.)

Thursday, June 17,
2021

Funding amounts reviewed by the Culture Works Board of Trustees
(Note: To calculate grant amounts, Culture Works uses a funding formula that considers the budget size of each applicant, the number of applicants, and the amount of funding raised through the Campaign for the Arts, which ends June 30th. Our goal is to fund 2021-2022 Community Arts Grantees at their pre-pandemic, 2019-2020 funding levels. To that end, we will use the financial figures and panel scores received during the 2019 application cycle to calculate 2021-2022 grant amounts.)

Mid-July 2021

Applicant organizations receive panelist feedback and notification of 2021–2022 grant amounts.

The 2021-2022 Community Arts Grant application deadline has passed.

Applicants will receive award notifications in July 2021.

Access Your Application

Questions? Contact kmaner@cultureworks.org.

PROJECT SUPPORT FOR ORGANIZATIONS

MONTGOMERY COUNTY
SPECIAL PROJECTS GRANTS

Congratulations to the 2021-2022 Special Projects Grantees!
Read about the 22 Montgomery County organizations awarded Special Projects Grants to complete 2021-2022 arts and cultural projects here.

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) and is administered by Culture Works. The MCACD, with funding from the Board of County Commissioners, is providing $166,000 for the 2021 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--happening between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022. 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 2021 Special Projects Grant Program Guidelines here.

This year's Special Projects Grant cycle has now closed. Read about the 2021-2022 grantees here.

The next grant cycle will launch in early 2022. Check back soon for details!

Access Your Application

Questions? Contact kmaner@cultureworks.org.

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

FUNDING FOR ARTISTS

ARTIST OPPORTUNITY GRANTS

Now accepting applications for 2021-2022 Artist Opportunity Grants!

Montgomery County artists can apply through October 8, 2021

About the Program

The Artist Opportunity Grant Program is intended to provide financial assistance to Montgomery County artists to further their careers through professional development opportunities and through opportunities associated with new works. This program is made possible by funding from the Montgomery County Arts and Cultural District (MCACD) and is administered by Culture Works. The MCACD is providing $40,000 for the 2021-2022 cycle, and grants will range from $500 to $3,000.

The project or opportunity for which an applicant seeks funding must take place between January 1, 2022 and December 31, 2022. If the grant is to complete a project already in progress, it must culminate with a completed work in 2022. Projects anticipated to not be completed by December 31, 2022 will not be considered. Click here to read the full 2021-2022 Artist Opportunity Grant Guidelines.

PROGRAM GOALS

Artist Opportunity Grants help advance the careers of individual artists by supporting expenses related to specific, unique opportunities that have the potential to significantly impact an artist’s work and professional development. The purpose of these grants is to empower artists at critical stages in their creative lives. The goal is to assist artists in Montgomery County in furthering and innovating their work, to elevate the quality and raise the profile of individual artistic work in the region, and to help artists achieve their artistic and career goals through the pursuit of new works or professional/career development opportunities in the field, thereby making them competitive in the creative marketplace. Grants are intended to fund an artist’s vision or voice, regardless of the level of his or her artistic career point (emerging, mid-career, mature) or genre.

2021-2022 Timeline

Monday, August 9, 2021 - Application opens.
Tuesday, August 31, 2021, noon - Virtual Artist Opportunity Grant Info Session for first-time applicants via Zoom. Watch a recording here.
Friday, October 8, 2021 - Deadline to apply, 11:59pm EST
Mid-November 2021 - Virtual public panel meeting. Applicants will receive notification of their initial award status following the meeting. The panel's funding recommendations must then receive final approval by the MCACD board.
January 2022 - Funding distributed to grantees.
December 31, 2022 - Projects must be completed.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROGRAM:

EVALUATION CRITERIA & PROCESS

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

RESOURCES FOR APPLICANTS

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

To be eligible for the Artist Opportunity Grant program, applicants 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.
Be a United States citizen or a permanent legal resident
Be at least 18 years old
Be a professional artist or creative entrepreneur. This is defined as someone who:
- Has specialized training in the field (not limited to academic training; may be self taught)
- Is recognized as a “professional” by peers (artists working in the same discipline)
- Has at least a one-year history of public presentation or publication.

It should be noted that the word “professional” refers to the nature of the artist’s commitment, particularly as it is conveyed on the artist’s resume.

Note: The project or opportunity for which an applicant seeks funding must take place between January 1, 2022 and December 31, 2022. If the grant is to complete a project already in progress, it must culminate with a completed work in 2022. Projects anticipated to not be completed by December 31, 2022 will not be considered.

Before beginning your application, review the complete eligibility criteria in the 2021-2022 Artist Opportunity Grant Program Guidelines.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

All proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

Artistic Merit: The professional capabilities of the applicant; the artistic strength, quality, vision, originality of the applicant’s work as demonstrated in the application, previous work, and artist’s statement.

Work is of compelling artistic vision and singular voice.
Work is inventive, imaginative, substantive in form and content.
Work is self-reflective/critical, demonstrating internal development and willingness to take risks, as appropriate.

Potential Impact of the proposed project to advance/further the applicant’s work/career

Opportunity is unique and not a repeat of past experiences (i.e., is it juried selectively, time sensitive, prestigious for the artist’s field, a “first” for the artist?).
Potential for the opportunity to facilitate subsequent creative work.
Potential impact of the proposed opportunity on the professional development of the applicant (i.e., clearly defined, realistic, attainable goals based on the artist's level of achievement).

Quality of Proposed Project: The artistic strength, quality, vision and originality of the proposed project.

Artist demonstrates an understanding and awareness of professional practice and standards in his/her field.
Artist has demonstrated capacity to be self-directed and is well positioned to take full advantage of the opportunity the grant affords.
Work is well-executed and well-produced, demonstrating control of craft/materials/production values and technique, as appropriate and clear intentionality of purpose.
Work reflects awareness of the history and contemporary practice of its field and its relationship to both.

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, clear goals, and an accurate budget.

Professional resume, including education, artistic training, and level of achievement and/or evidence of commitment to personal artistic development as demonstrated through efforts to attain performances, exhibits, etc.
Artist has a history of active engagement in creating artwork and presenting it to the public, with a record of professional accomplishment appropriate to career stage.
Completeness and clarity of the application. The reasonable likelihood that the project can be completed based on the itemized budget and proposed timeline. (See page 6 of the full Artist Opportunity Grant Guidelines for more about budget requirements.)

Public Benefit: The applicant seeks to increase access to and direct participation in high-quality arts and cultural resources that celebrate diversity and foster creativity within Montgomery County.

The applicant is actively involved in the arts and cultural community.
The applicant has experience sharing his/her work through public exhibition/performances and plans to do the same with this project.
Applicant has capacity or is actively seeking to share through exhibits, performances, readings, marketing, local artist organizations, personal website, newsletter or advocacy.
Applicant has identified ways to share about this opportunity with the public.

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 leaders who understand and have an appreciation for the careers and professional development of artists. Every effort is made to avoid conflicts of interest.

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

In November, they convene at a 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.

Public Panel Meeting and Funding Recommendations

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 2021-2022 Artist Opportunity Grant Program Guidelines here.
Review the Tips for Writing a Great Application
Review the Work Sample Guidelines
Download a Sample Application
Watch the 2021 Artist Opportunity Grant Webinar for Applicants

Culture Works is now accepting applications for 2021-2022
Artist Opportunity Grants.
The deadline to apply is Friday, October 8, 2021 at 11:59pm EST.

APPLY NOW

Questions? Contact kmaner@cultureworks.org.

2020-2021 GRANT RECIPIENTS

2019-2020 GRANT RECIPIENTS

2018-2019 GRANT RECIPIENTS

2017-2018 GRANT RECIPIENTS

2016-2017 GRANT RECIPIENTS

FUNDING FOR STUDENTS

LEONARD P. ROBERTS MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP

The Culture Works Leonard P. Roberts 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 will 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 2021-2022 Leonard P. Roberts Memorial Scholarships has passed. Applicants will receive notification of their award status in summer 2021. Dates for the next application cycle will be posted in the fall.

APPLY NOW

Past Scholarship Recipients:

YOUR SUPPORT MATTERS

INVEST IN THE ARTS TODAY

Support the Arts

APPLY FOR FUNDING

COMMUNITY ARTS GRANTS

SPECIAL PROJECTS GRANTS

ARTIST OPPORTUNITY GRANTS

STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS

COMMUNITY ARTS GRANTS

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?

2021-2022 Community Arts Grant Timeline

Friday, February 5, 2021

Wednesday, March 3, 2021

Tuesday, March 9, 2021

Friday, April 9, 2021

TBD

Friday, April 16-Friday, May 28, 2021

Thursday, June 17, 2021

Mid-July 2021

MONTGOMERY COUNTY SPECIAL PROJECTS GRANTS

ARTIST OPPORTUNITY GRANTS

Now accepting applications for 2021-2022 Artist Opportunity Grants!

About the Program

PROGRAM GOALS

2021-2022 Timeline

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROGRAM:

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

EVALUATION CRITERIA

THE REVIEW PROCESS

RESOURCES FOR APPLICANTS

LEONARD P. ROBERTS MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP

How to Apply:

Past Scholarship Recipients:

INVEST IN THE ARTS TODAY

Tuesday, March 9,
2021

Friday, April 9,
2021

Friday, April 16-Friday, May 28,
2021

Thursday, June 17,
2021

MONTGOMERY COUNTY
SPECIAL PROJECTS GRANTS