Date: 14 Apr 2010
| Tags: Grants for artists,grants for artist spaces. |
 Ford Foundation Offers $100 Million In Grants to Develop Arts Spaces NEW YORK, 5 April 2010—With funding for arts and cultural institutions under intense downward pressure nationally, the Ford Foundation today announced a 10-year, $100 million initiative to support a new generation of arts spaces. The Ford initiative is an investment in the creative energy of America, to help artists and arts organizations develop vibrant cultural spaces even in times of economic hardship. The Ford grants will be awarded to projects that incubate and produce creative work across all disciplines. REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS The $100 million commitment comes at a time when funding for the arts has been severely curtailed by the financial downturn and acknowledges the potential of a strong cultural sector to help drive economic revitalization in hard-hit neighborhoods. The initiative, Supporting Diverse Arts Spaces, will provide grant funds to support both new projects and the revitalization and expansion of existing arts spaces. Boosting Local Economies "The cultural richness of our country is no less important in times of economic uncertainty. We must promote the creative work of individual artists and institutions in these difficult times," said Luis Ubiñas, president of the Ford Foundation. "We also believe that this investment in arts infrastructure will advance the well-being of our communities because artists and art spaces can play a significant role in boosting local economies. Now more than ever, standing by the arts is pivotal." The design and development of these projects will be a collaborative exercise, bringing together artists, community residents, local groups and organizations, with private and public funders to support facilities that meet the needs and aspirations of all those involved. The foundation will support three types of projects:
Request for Proposals As part of the initiative, the Ford Foundation has joined with LINC (Leveraging Investments in Creativity), and the MetLife Foundation, to call for applications for the first round of Ford Foundation Space for Change predevelopment and planning grants. Through an open RFP process, grants of up to $100,000 will go to organizations that are in the early stages of planning facilities that support artistically innovative and culturally diverse endeavors that will strengthen relationships between the community and artists. The pipeline of competitive predevelopment grants will form the platform for large investments in the institutions that develop the strongest and most sustainable plans. The predevelopment grants build on the recent MetLife Innovative Space Awards, which were supported by the same three organizations and recognized innovative artist spaces across the country. "This collaboration with the MetLife Foundation builds on Ford's longstanding collaboration with the business community in arts funding," said Ubiñas. "We're creating an innovation pipeline—arts groups that have gone through this kind of growth process will be brought in to offer their experience and expertise to others that are just embarking on a project," said Alison Bernstein, vice president for Education, Creativity and Free Expression at the Ford Foundation. "It's sharing best practices that will have an enduring effect on the cultural dynamics of American neighborhoods." Pre-Development GrantsLINC, in partnership with the Ford Foundation, announces an open call for proposals to the Ford Foundation Space for Change Planning and Pre-Development Grant program. The grants will provide a complementary suite of material support, with access to a national learning community, as well as technical assistance. Non-profit arts organizations with strong track records of artistic excellence, who are intending to buy, build, renovate, partner in the development of, or become anchor tenants in a vibrant artist space can apply for up to $100,000 in support of a facility project. Exemplary projects will not only result in dynamic artist space facilities, but will also function as engines of cultural equity and social change, applying innovations and best practices in artist space development that produce sustainable, affordable facilities for the continuation of artistic excellence. LINC’s core commitment to diversity —cultural, geographic, and genre—which extends to our grantee network spanning from Massachusetts to Hawai’i, has informed the design of the Ford Foundation Space for Change Planning and Pre-Development Grants. We encourage a wide range of organizations with cultural facility projects in their pipelines to consider how the program can deepen their planning processes and help them to leverage a stronger position as collaborative partners with municipalities, developers, and local stakeholders, while also expanding their national network of peers. 
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| Posted By: ARTBITCH |
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