The Creative Work Fund

Grants to California individual artists and nonprofit organizations in eligible counties for joint art projects. Applicants are required to submit a letter of inquiry prior to submitting a full proposal. Applications are invited from artists in all art disciplines. Eligible artists must live in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Monterey, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, or Sonoma County. Collaborating organizations must also be based in one of the 11 counties.

The Creative Work Fund invites artists and nonprofit organizations to create new art works through collaborations. It celebrates the role of artists as problem solvers and the making of art as a profound contribution to intellectual inquiry and to the strengthening of communities. Artists are encouraged to collaborate with nonprofit organizations of all kinds, stretching boundaries and forging new partnerships.

The Fund Seeks:

• Projects in which the creation of an artwork is central
  
• Projects in which the artist functions primarily as an artist, not as a teacher, an art therapist, or in another capacity
• Projects in which an active, authentic working partnership between the artist or artists and the organization is central to the work’s development
• Projects that engage the organization’s constituents in the artist’s work
• Projects that draw upon artists’ creativity and problem-solving abilities
• Projects through which the making of art can strengthen a community, draw attention to an important issue, or engage audiences in new ways
• Projects that challenge artistic imagination and organizational thinking
• Projects that will be presented in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Monterey, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, or Sonoma County
• Projects that designate at least two-thirds of the grant funds to the principal artists and their direct expenses for creating the work.

Artists from all artistic disciplines are welcome to apply in collaboration with a nonprofit organization. Lead artists will be asked to identify primary and secondary artistic disciplines in which they have strong track records of accomplishment.