Frequently Asked Questions
Q: I’m an artist working on a project idea of my own, but a friend who is applying with a group of artists asked if I would be part of their project, too. Would that jeopardize my own letter of inquiry?
A: It is fine for you to participate in both projects as long as you are not the “lead artist” for more than one of them. However, the Fund tries to support a range of projects and artists; the two projects will be competing against each other; and in a “close call” it might influence a decision.
Q: What if the organization I want to work with is national or statewide?
A: That is fine if it has a local office and staff.
Q: What if I want to work with a new organization that does not yet have its 501 (c)(3) nonprofit status?
A: You may use a fiscal sponsor. If you choose to do so, the Creative Work Fund will assess the financial stability and organizational reliability of the fiscal sponsor and will evaluate the genuineness of the collaborative partnership between the applying artist and the organization that does not yet have nonprofit status.
Q: I am part of an artistic group whose members regularly make work by collaborating with one another. May we apply?
A: Yes, you may apply if your group is collaborating with a nonprofit organization. One member of the group will need to put his or her name forward as the “lead artist” on behalf of everyone. For example, John Jota Leaños served as lead artist on behalf of Los Cybrids—a group of three artists who collaborated with Galería de la Raza.
Q: I want to collaborate with an organization that previously presented my work or hired me to lead a workshop. Would that be acceptable?
A: Yes, that would be fine. A lead artist may not be an employee or a board member of the organization with which he or she is collaborating. However, having occasionally done a project with or volunteered for the organization is fine. If you have questions about your eligibility, call the Creative Work Fund.
Q: May I submit one letter of inquiry for a literary arts collaboration and one for a performing arts collaboration?
A: Yes, but they may be two different letters and, if competitive, only one of the two projects would be invited to submit a full proposal.
Q: I’m a hip-hop artist, who incorporates spoken word in my performances. Do I apply as a literary or a performing artists?
A: Apply in the category in which your work samples would be strongest should you be invited to submit a full proposal. Literary artists must submit written manuscripts as part of their work samples. If your work is strong in performance but not so strong “on the page,” you may do better applying as a performing artist.
Q: Can my fiscal sponsor be part of more than one project?
A: Yes, a fiscal sponsor may be part of an unlimited number of projects
Q: I want to apply with an organization that received a Creative Work Fund grant in the past. Is it eligible?
A: Organizations and artists that received grants in June 2005 or earlier are eligible to apply if they have completed their projects and submitted their final reports.
Q: How competitive is the application process?
A: The Fund likely will receive 60-80 letters of inquiry in the literary arts and 100-150 letters of inquiry in the performing arts. From among these, it will invite up to 25 full proposals in the literary arts and up to 30 full proposals in the performing arts. It will be able to award an estimated eight or nine grants in each category.
Q: What portion of the budget should support artists’ fees?
A: A minimum of two-thirds of the project budget must be dedicated to paying the artists or covering their direct expenses for creating the work.
Q: Will my proposal be more competitive if I ask for less than $40,000?
A: Not necessarily. Project budgets should be reasonable and well-considered. It’s just as much of a disadvantage to request a grant that appears to be too low to meet your goals as it would be to request a grant that appears higher than is reasonable to complete your project plan.
Do you still have questions? Call 415-402-2793.
