Artists & Arts Groups! Get Your Community-Based Arts Projects Funded

 

For artists and arts organizations who ever dreamed up a community-based art project, ArtsWestchester provides the potential for these programs to become a reality. With that, the 2023 cycle of the organization’s Arts Alive grant opportunity is officially open for applications. In fact, arts access and engagement are priorities for this funding. The focus of Arts Alive is to support local, grassroots programs that serve a broad constituency and provide access to an arts experience or art form that the community may not otherwise have.  

Funding is available in awards up to $5,000 for artists, organizations and collectives based in Rockland or Westchester Counties. Grants are awarded in the three categories:

  • Community Projects: This can include public performances, workshops or exhibitions that are open to the public.

  • Education Projects: These projects can include in-school artist residencies or targeted programming for community sites, such as senior centers. 

  • Individual Artists: Artists, including early-career or emerging professionals, may seek funding to create new work and further develop their portfolio while incorporating community engagement.  

Arts Alive is supported with funding from the New York State Council on the Arts through its Statewide Community Regrant program. Additionally, increased support from Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and the New York State Legislature allowed for added funding being allocated for this year’s program – bringing the total to $550k for both Westchester and Rockland Counties – so new applicants are encouraged in all categories. 

While an online Arts Alive information session will take place on September 14, professional development and application assistance programs will be announced later in the year.

The application deadline for both counties is October 18.

A version of this article first appeared in the September 2022 issue of ArtsNews, ArtsWestchester’s monthly publication. ArtsNews is distributed throughout Westchester County. A digital copy is also available at artsw.org/artsnews.