2020 Craft Futures Fund - Eligibility

Applicants must be:

• 21 years of age or older
• Eligible to receive taxable income in the U.S.
• Residing and working in the U.S. or its territories for the last two years and for the duration of the grant period proposed by the applicant.

Applicants cannot be:

• Disqualified persons, such as substantial contributors to the Center for Craft as well as current employees, consultants, or board members of the Center for Craft, or immediate family members of such a person
• A previously awarded Craft Futures Fund recipient.

Current and past recipients of other grants from the Center for Craft are eligible to apply for support for projects that have not been previously funded by the Center for Craft.

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For the purpose of this grant, the Center for Craft requires that all grant recipients provide financial renumeration to working artists for their time, labor, and services rendered towards the awarded project scope and goals. For renumeration estimates, we recommend consulting the floor wages listed on the Working Artists and the Greater Economy (W.A.G.E.) fee calculator website for comparison: https://wageforwork.com/fee-calculator#top

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The Center for Craft prohibits discrimination, harassment and retaliation based on sex, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability or perceived disability, age, marital status, gender identity, veteran status, or any other protected category. The Center encourages applications from historically under-represented populations. Submitting an application does not constitute a promise or guarantee of being awarded a grant or fellowship

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2020 Craft Futures Fund - Requirements

• The full $5,000 grant will be awarded upon mutual completion of the grant agreement and receipt of the recipient’s W9.
• Grant permission for the Center for Craft to use the language and images from the recipient's application, or other high-resolution images the recipient may want to provide, in press releases, social media, and/or reports of work by recipients of the Craft Futures Fund. 
• Recipients agree to fill out a brief survey evaluating the impact of the Craft Futures Fund on their proposal. 
• Acknowledge “Support by the Center for Craft: Craft Futures Fund” in any digital or print publication or press release during the grant period and at any time the recipient acknowledges support of this grant moving forward.
• The application process requires a $5 application fee, which goes directly to supporting the Craft Futures Fund. Applicants who cannot pay the fee may request for the fee to be waived after receiving an invitation to apply. Up to 60 application fees per monthly cycle can be waived upon request.

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2020 Craft Futures Fund - Review Process

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A panel of reviewers, who are recognized craft artists, educators, scholars, and/or curators, free of any conflict of interest, will evaluate the applications based on the criteria (below) and select approximately 6 proposals to be funded on a monthly basis. 

• Proposal seeds resilience in and/or moves forward the idea or field of craft (sharing of knowledge, skills, and values). 
• Applicant demonstrates an equitable and collaborative approach to working with the community/communities identified in the application. 
• Feasibility of the proposal. 
• Strength of outcomes and/or deliverables. 

Considerations in final selection:

• Priority will be given to collaborative, grassroots, and community-driven projects that address needs due to Covid-19 within the community/communities identified by the applicant. We acknowledge that new needs are arising daily and encourage applications that will be responsive to these yet undefined constituencies as well.
  

• The Center for Craft respects, values, and celebrates the unique attributes, characteristics and perspectives that make each person who they are. We foster open communication of diverse perspectives and bring a broad range of individuals together to enrich and support programming. Ultimately we will ask the jury to compose a set of recipients representing a diversity of applicants from a variety of backgrounds in and outside of academia and representing a range of geographies, materials, communities served, and educational approaches reflected in the applicant pool. 
• Proposals should be consistent with and further the mission of the Center for Craft and its tax exempt purposes.

For the purposes of this grant, the Center for Craft understands craft education projects to include sharing of knowledge, skills, and values, supporting critical thinking, and facilitating learning about or through craft. We also recognize an expansive definition of learning models (traditional, horizontal, distributed, etc.) and who can be an educator, including artists, curators, makers, writers, community organizers, activists, museum educators, scholars, teachers, professors, and others.

The Center for Craft expressly prohibits discrimination, harassment and retaliation based on sexual orientation, race, color, religion, creed, national origin, disability or perceived disability, age, marital status, or any other protected category.

2020 Craft Futures Fund - How to Apply

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This grant program is now closed.

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INTEREST FORM: 

To submit your interest in applying to the Craft Futures Fund, click here. 

MONTHLY LOTTERY: 

The Center will accept responses to the Interest Form on an ongoing basis and will host a random lottery each month through October 2020. Through this lottery process, the Center will invite a maximum of 250 applicants per month. If you would like to be considered for an invitation to submit an application in June, please submit your Interest Form before midnight EST June 1, 2020. 

INVITATION TO APPLY: 

If you submit an Interest Form before the designated monthly deadline, you will receive notification via the email you provide the day after the designated monthly deadline regarding the status of your invitation. If you are not selected in the lottery to apply to this month’s grant cycle, you will automatically be included in the lotteries for each of the following months through October 2020. 

DEADLINE: 

Upon receipt of your invitation to apply, you can access the application via a link to SlideRoom. 

The application for the Craft Futures Fund must be submitted via SlideRoom no later than 11:59pm EST of the Application Deadline (see Overview page for Timeline). 

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NOTIFICATION: 

The e-mail address listed on the application form will be used to send out notifications. Please be sure that it is a valid account that you check regularly. Applicants will be notified of their award status two weeks after the Application Deadline. 

HONORABLE MENTIONS: 

The top 15-20 applications rated and discussed by the review panel will be invited to be reviewed again in the next month’s Craft Futures Fund. Applicants will be notified via email and sent the link for the next month’s application.  

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HOW TO APPLY: 

Applicants must apply using the online application program SlideRoom provided via Invitation email from the Center for Craft. Please review the sample application below before beginning your application. All applicants should create a login to be able to partially complete the form and return to finish it at a later date. Before submitting your application, you will be directed to a confirmation page where you will be able to review your form and return to edit or delete your uploaded files as needed. Once you submit your application, you will not be able to access your form again. Applicants will receive a confirmation email from SlideRoom once the application form has been successfully submitted.

Craft Futures Fund SAMPLE APPLICATION

This is only a sample application, all applications must be completed via the link provided in the Invitation email through SlideRoom.

Proposal to be submitted via SlideRoom as follows:

SAMPLE Application 

-Please submit 2-3 images that are representative of your project. 

*If this proposal is selected for funding or is within the top applications, submitted images and application language will be used for grant and press-related purposes by the Center for Craft* 

1. Please describe your most relevant experience(s) as a craft educator. *We recognize an expansive definition of learning models (traditional, horizontal, distributed, etc.) and who can be an educator, including artists, curators, makers, writers, community organizers, activists, museum educators, scholars, teachers, professors, and others.  (500 character max)

2. Project Proposal Title: ____________________ (up to 15 words) 

3. Please summarize your project proposal of your new or ongoing project and how it uniquely responds to or has pivoted in response to Covid-19 in 75 words or less. 

4. How does your project create opportunities to learn, share, or think about or through craft? The Center for Craft defines craft on our web page (500 character max) 

5. Which community/communities will your project serve? (500 character max) 

6. Please briefly describe your work plan and timeline, including your approach to collaborations, partnerships, or previous work with the proposed community/communities served. (900 character max) 

7. Please describe the history of your relationship and work with the community your project serves. (900 character max) 

8. Please briefly describe how your project will utilize the $5,000 allocated. (300 character max, i.e. “Equipment purchase: $300”)  

9. What outcomes and/or deliverables do you expect from your proposal? (500 character max)

10. If there are any additional resources that you would like the review panel to see, i.e. websites or links to articles, please include them here. (800 character max) 

-Please attach a copy (JPEG or PDF) of an email from a member of the community your proposal intends to serve that indicates support for your project (collaboration, community support, or additional resources provided for your proposal). This email should include the full name of the community member, their email, their relationship to the applicant, and speak to the previous work or commitment to future work with the applicant. Word limit: 250 words.

2020 Craft Futures Fund - FAQ

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My project is already underway. Am I eligible to apply? 

Yes, we encourage applications for projects that are already underway as well as new and burgeoning approaches. For both new and ongoing projects, the grant application should detail how the project is directly addressing needs in response to Covid-19.

I am a student; am I eligible to apply? 

Yes. 

Where can I find information about previous recipients of the Craft Futures Fund Grant?

Check out our online Grant Recipient Archive here. You can sort by grant opportunity by clicking on “Grant” or search “Craft Futures Fund” in the search Filter.

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What are some successful examples of craft education projects that are responding to Covid-19? 

Examples of craft education projects that respond to Covid-19 could include but are certainly not limited to: building a website to host digital thesis exhibitions for graduating BFA and MFAs; digitizing hard to find craft books, catalogs, and other publications so students can complete research assignments digitally; the creation of broad spectrum resources that live beyond addressing immediate needs; quarantine Craft Kits, such as Sculpture Support System; materials/equipment loan programs aimed at rural and at-risk communities; and virtual skill-sharing and training. 

Can collectives apply?

The Center has supported many collaborative partnerships, and we encourage you to apply as long as all members of the collective meet the requirements of the application. Please designate one person as the point of contact for the purposes of your proposal. 

Can institutions, such as universities and museums, apply? 

Yes. 

If I did not receive an Invitation to Apply email, do I need to fill out the interest form again to be considered for the following months’ Craft Futures Fund? 

No. If you are not selected in the lottery to apply to a month’s grant cycle, you will automatically be included in the lotteries for each of the following months through October 2020. 

If my application is not selected for funding, am I eligible in the lotteries for the following months?

Yes, as long as you still meet the requirements for application. You will automatically be included in the lotteries for each of the following months through October 2020 unless you receive notification indicating otherwise. 

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If I win, will I have to pay taxes on my award?

Yes, all cash prizes are taxable income. Please consult a tax expert for tax advice. 

May I mail a hard copy of my application materials to the Center for Craft’s office?

No, hard copy submissions will not be accepted. The application must be completed and submitted through the link provided via email to SlideRoom. If you need help filling out or accessing the application, please contact grants@centerforcraft.org

Can I work on my application and return to complete it at a later date?

Yes, and we recommend doing so! Creating a login account will enable you to complete the form in several online sessions.

I just submitted my application, but I want to return to it and make an edit. Is this possible?

No, once your application is submitted, you will not be able to return to the form or change any submitted information. The application fee must also be paid at the time of submitting your application as you will not be able to log-in again to access the payment page again.

I cannot pay my application fee at this time. Can you waive application fees? 

Applicants who cannot pay the fee may request for the fee to be waived after receiving an invitation to apply. Up to 60 application fees per monthly cycle can be waived upon request. 

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Does the Craft Futures Fund reimburse for lost income due to COVID-19? 

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No. The Craft Futures Fund supports projects that respond to COVID-19. For information about emergency relief funds, we recommend visiting artistrelief.org and Cerf+.

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I have a question that wasn’t answered. How can I reach the Center for Craft?

If you have any further questions, please contact grants@centerforcraft.org.