APPLY FOR FUNDING

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.

A key component of the project is providing emerging artists who participate with coaching in entrepreneurial skills and community engagement. Culture Works has selected a team of established artists with experience in business and community projects to share their experiences and offer mentoring throughout the training and community-based work to foster artist and program success. Artist participants will gain valuable insight into the business-side of being an artist and will help transform a part of our community.

The deadline to apply has passed as of Tuesday, January 10, 2023.

The deadline to apply to be a part of Our Town Dayton has passed.

Learn More

Questions? Contact OurTownDayton@cultureworks.org.

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

FUNDING FOR ARTISTS

ARTIST OPPORTUNITY GRANTS

Congratulations to the 12 artists awarded Artist Opportunity Grants in 2023! Read about the grantees here.

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 program has nurtured the careers of 76 artists and awarded over $190,000 since launching in 2016.

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.

The Montgomery County Arts & Cultural District provided $60,000 for the 2022-2023 application cycle to support projects and opportunities taking place between March 1, 2023 and February 29, 2024.

Read the full 2022-2023 Artist Opportunity Grant Guidelines here.

2022-2023 Timeline

Monday, October 3, 2022 - Application opens.
Thursday, October 27, 2022 at 12pm EST - Virtual Artist Opportunity Grant Info Session for first-time applicants via Zoom. View a recording of the session here. Download the presentation slides here.
Friday, December 2, 2022 - Deadline to apply, 11:59pm EST.
Thursday, January 19, 2023, 9:00am-2:00pm - Virtual public panel meeting via Zoom. During this meeting, panelists discussed applications and determined their funding recommendations. Panel recommendations are subject to final review and approval by the MCACD Board of Trustees. View a recording of the meeting here. View the meeting agenda here.
March 2023 - Culture Works begins issuing grant payments. (Grants are paid in one lump sum 30 days prior to each grantee’s project start date and following completion of their grant agreement).
February 29, 2024 - Funded 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: In the 2022-2023 application cycle, the project or opportunity for which an applicant seeks funding must take place between March 1, 2023 and February 29, 2024. 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 February 29, 2024 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 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 7 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 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 mid-January 2023, the panel will 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.

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 Artist Opportunity Grant Program Guidelines here.
Review the Tips for Writing a Great Application
Review the Work Sample Guidelines
Watch the 2022 Artist Opportunity Grant Info Session here (download the slides here)

The deadline to apply for a 2022-2023 Artist Opportunity Grant has passed. Read about the 2023 grantees and their projects here!
Check back in summer 2023 for information about the 2023-2024 application cycle.

ACCESS YOUR APPLICATION

Questions? Contact Karen Maner, Culture Works Director of Grantmaking, at kmaner@cultureworks.org.

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

DAYTON REGION ARTS RENEWAL GRANTS

Congratulations to the 24 organizations and 21 artists awarded Dayton Region Arts Renewal Grants for 2022-2023! 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.

Access Your Application

Questions? Contact Karen Maner, Culture Works Director of Grantmaking, at kmaner@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 2022-2023 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.

2023-2024 Public Grant Panel Meeting

Thursday, May 18, 2023 - 9:00am-1:30pm via Zoom
View the meeting recording here. Download the meeting agenda here. Read the panelist and financial reviewer bios here.
During this meeting, grant panelists discussed applications for 2023-2024 Culture Works Community Arts Grant funding.

General Operating Support (GOS) Eligibility

FAQS

Community Arts Development (CAD) Eligibility

2023-2024 TIMELINE

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 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.

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.

2023-2024 Community Arts Grant Timeline

Friday, January 13, 2023

Deadline for applicants to submit an Intent to Apply for 2023-2024 Funding form and a current board roster.

March 1-May 7, 2023

Panelist site visits take place.

Wednesday, March 1, 2023

Grant application available through the Culture Works website.

Thursday, March 2, 2023

Grant application info session for applicants via Zoom.

Friday, March 31, 2023

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 2023

Grant panel begins application review.

Thursday, May 18, 2023, 9:00am-1:30pm via Zoom (NOTE: Public portion begins at 9:30)

Public Grant Panel Meeting. During this meeting, grant panelists will discuss applications for 2023–2024 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. Register to attend here. Download the meeting agenda here.

Tuesday, June 20, 2023

Funding amounts approved by the Culture Works Board of Trustees.

July 2023

Applicant organizations receive panelist feedback and notification of 2023–2024 grant amounts.

The deadline to apply for a 2023–2024 Community Arts Grant has passed.

Access Your Application

Questions? Contact Karen Maner, Culture Works Director of Grantmaking, at kmaner@cultureworks.org.

PROJECT SUPPORT FOR ORGANIZATIONS

MONTGOMERY COUNTY
SPECIAL PROJECTS GRANTS

**Deadline to Apply: Wednesday, April 26, 2023 at 4pm**

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 $300,000 to support the 2023 Special Projects Grant program.

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 2023 Special Projects Grant Program Guidelines here.

2023-2024 TIMELINE:

2023 Special Projects Grant Info Session:
Wednesday, February 8, 2023
Noon-1:15pm via Zoom
Culture Works and the MCACD invite interested organizations to attend this free, virtual info session to learn more about the program guidelines, eligibility requirements, and application process. View the recording here. Download the slides here.

Project Ideation Sessions:
Wednesday, February 15, 2023, 11am-1pm and 6-7pm
Wednesday, February 22, 2023, 11am-1pm
via Zoom
Is your Montgomery County organization interested in applying for a 2023 Special Projects Grant but unsure whether your project is a good fit? Culture Works and the Montgomery County Arts and Cultural District (MCACD) staff will host Project Ideation Sessions for organizations to have a quick chat with us, brainstorm, and get feedback on your project ideas.

Intent to apply form deadline: Friday, March 3, 2023, 4pm. Organizations must submit an intent to apply through our application platform, e-CImpact. Culture Works and the MCACD will review all intent to apply forms for eligibility, and approved organizations will be invited to complete the full grant application beginning in late March.

Q&A Session for Applicants: Wednesday, April 12, 2023, 12-1pm via Zoom. Have questions about how to polish your application before submitting? Want to know what panelists like--and don't like--to see in an application narrative? The Culture Works team and past and current grant panelists hosted this casual Q&A session to provide answers to applicants' most burning questions about the application, evaluation, and funding process. View a recording of the session here.

Application deadline: Wednesday, April 26, 2023, 4pm. Note: Only organizations that completed an intent to apply form in March and were approved to complete the full application may apply. Download a sample application here. Download a sample project budget worksheet here.

Public Grant Panel Meetings (via Zoom)
Tuesday, June 13, 2023, 9:00am-2:00pm
Panel A: Cultural/Multi-Arts and Literary/Performing Arts project categories. Register to attend here.

Thursday, June 15, 2023, 9:00am-2:00pm
Panel B: Capacity Building, Education, and Visual Arts project categories. Register to attend here.

At these meetings, grant panelists will discuss applications and make funding recommendations. All funding recommendations must be reviewed by the MCACD board for final approval. Following the MCACD board’s approval, applicants will receive written notification of the results of their grant applications along with panel comments (by early July). Check back soon for the full meeting agendas.

The deadline to apply for a 2023-2024 Special Projects Grant has passed.
Applicants will be notified of their funding recommendation status in mid-June following the public panel meetings. See above for more information.

Access Your Application

We've switched to a new application platform, e-CImpact. If you need to access an application from a previous cycle (2020, 2021), you can sign into CommunityForce here.

Questions? Contact Karen Maner, Culture Works Director of Grantmaking, at kmaner@cultureworks.org.

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 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 2023-2024 scholarships has passed as of Friday, March 3, 2023. Check back in the fall for information about how to apply for 2024-2025 scholarships.

YOUR SUPPORT MATTERS

INVEST IN THE ARTS TODAY

Support the Arts

APPLY FOR FUNDING

ARTIST OPPORTUNITY GRANTS

ARTS RENEWAL GRANTS

COMMUNITY ARTS GRANTS

SPECIAL PROJECTS GRANTS

STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS

OUR TOWN DAYTON

ARTIST OPPORTUNITY GRANTS

About the Program

PROGRAM GOALS

2022-2023 Timeline

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROGRAM:

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

EVALUATION CRITERIA

THE REVIEW PROCESS

RESOURCES FOR APPLICANTS

DAYTON REGION ARTS RENEWAL GRANTS

About the Program:

COMMUNITY ARTS GRANTS

About the Program:

2023-2024 Public Grant Panel Meeting

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?

2023-2024 Community Arts Grant Timeline

Friday, January 13, 2023

March 1-May 7, 2023

Wednesday, March 1, 2023

Thursday, March 2, 2023

Friday, March 31, 2023

Mid-April 2023

Thursday, May 18, 2023, 9:00am-1:30pm via Zoom (NOTE: Public portion begins at 9:30)

Tuesday, June 20, 2023

July 2023

MONTGOMERY COUNTY SPECIAL PROJECTS GRANTS

2023-2024 TIMELINE:

LEONARD P. ROBERTS MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP

How to Apply:

INVEST IN THE ARTS TODAY

MONTGOMERY COUNTY
SPECIAL PROJECTS GRANTS