City o ering artists, art nonpro ts grant opportunities
PAWTUCKET – If you’re an artist or any kind of art/cultural nonprofit organization looking for financial aid, the city has just the solution for you.
Officials announced Tuesday morning the availability of arts grants to support and expand artistic and cultural activities in Pawtucket, and also to assist 501(c)(3) art organizations in need. All you have to do is apply, but you need to hurry, as the deadline for submission is Monday, May 6 at noon.
The Pawtucket Arts Organizational Grant program makes funds available to art-related nonprofits based in the city, specifically to assist with operating costs. Eligible applicants must demonstrate the ability to provide year-round art-related programs for both residents and visitors to Pawtucket.
The programming may include, but is not limited to, performances, art exhibitions, music, concerts, classes or workshops or other ongoing art-driven activities at a Pawtucket-based venue. Grant awards of up to $5,000 are available to qualifying organizations.
Then there’s the Pawtucket Arts Review Panel Grants program, which is designed for local artists and nonprofits that are dedicated to community enrichment. The Arts Review Panel requests that applicants align their proposed projects with the annual Pawtucket Arts Festival, which this year is slated for Aug. 30-Sept. 8.
Applicants are also encouraged to highlight how their project, performance or event will enhance the festival as an inclusionary celebration of art and culture in Pawtucket.
Grant awards of up to $1,000 are determined by the Arts Review Panel based on established criteria, including the proposed project’s artistic merit, potential for cultural and community connections
and the project’s clarity and achievability.
Emphasis is also placed on projects that are available at no or minimal cost to Pawtucket residents. Successful applicants will be reimbursed upon the completion of the project. Any applicant who last year received a grant must submit their final report before they can apply for a new grant this time around.
“Simply put, there are two grants out right now from the city, and one is for operational support just for nonprofits,” said Jennifer Kilsey, the Pawtucket Cultural Affairs Officer. “There’s also one called Arts Review Panel, and that offers a smaller amount that can be used. Say if someone wanted to do something in conjunction with a particular event or performance, we encourage them to do that in conjunction with the festival.
“They’re encouraged to, but it’s not 100 percent that you have to,” she added. “Say you had a reason to do it at another time and during the festival, it doesn’t mean you wouldn’t get a grant.
But, again, we’d like them to be part of the arts festival because it’s a great way for us to do more marketing and extra publicizing about it if it takes place during the event.”
Kilsey mentioned more than a few organizations have already registered, and one includes the Puerto Rican Institute for the Arts in Advocacy. Applications for the two grant programs are now available on-line through the deadline of May 6. Visitors to the web site may find a link on the city’s arts page, which is www.pawtucketri.com/arts.
For more information, call Kilsey in the Pawtucket Planning Department at (401) 728-0500 (ext. 454) or email her at jkilsey@ pawtucketri.gov.
“Our city believes that arts and culture benefit Pawtucket residents; it’s a quality of life thing, where residents are able to enjoy and benefit from the arts,” Kilsey said. “But it also supports our small nonprofits who provide these services, and the festival, which is an event that brings thousands of people into Pawtucket.
“It highlights the city as a whole as a place that celebrates and embraces arts and culture.”