Creative Pinellas, the Countyäó»s Local Arts Agency has announced the launch of their new 2016/2017 grants program with increased funding and more opportunities to support and sustain working artists, to lift emerging artists and to help nonprofit arts and cultural organizations to fulfill their mission.
Grants in the new cycle include individual artist fellowship grants, similar to the 2016 program for professional artists with the addition of grants for returning artists this year; grants for emerging artists and for mentoring artists to help them develop their skills and portfolio; funding for artists and arts organizations to travel and represent Pinellas County at renown arts and cultural events, or to host visiting artists locally; funding to expand existing successful events to larger audiences throughout Pinellas County; organizational grants to support nonprofit arts and cultural programs and revolving grants to help nonprofit organizations meet specific needs throughout the year.
äóìWe learned a great deal from our successful inaugural grants programs and the 126 individual artists who applied,äó says Barbara St. Clair, Executive Director of Creative Pinellas. äóìIn addition to artists of national and international renown, there are many young artists in Pinellas County at the beginning of their career, and also many mature artists who are returning to the profession after hiatus.
äóìSo in order to respond to that and meet the needs of our community we increased our budget for individual artists grants overall, and expanded the type and number of grants for artists from 10 to 26. We are continuing our fellowship grants at the same funding level although we will have eight instead of 10, including returning artists grants, and in addition, we are offering 10 grants to emerging artists and 10 grants to experienced professional artists to work with them as mentors. We are also expanding programs for nonprofit arts and cultural organizations.äó
The grant cycle kicks off on October 5 with the launch of the fellowship and returning artists grants. Other grants will follow on a rolling schedule, with organizational grants planned for January and emerging and mentoring grants planned for February or March. The launch schedule for other grants will be announced over the next few months.
äóìThe timing of the launch of our fellowship and returning artist grants could not be better,äó said Elizabeth Brincklow, Engagement Director for Creative Pinellas, who directs the Creative Pinellas grants program. äóìWe are finishing our first grants cycle, which was very positively received by the community as demonstrated not only by traditional site visits and reports, but by the weekly blogs that each of our grantees posted on rapidreturns.org and by our äóìConversations With the Fellowsäó at freeFall Theatre in St. Petersburg, and at the Museum and Cultural Center in Safety Harbor. Based on the impact of the grants on the artists and arts organizations who received them this past year, we are certain that with increased funding and an expanded program our 2016/2017 grants program will be even more successful.
Individual Artists who have created a recognized body of original work, are striving to achieve the highest level of professional recognition and who have a history of increasingly successful work, and returning artists of outstanding talent and ability whose work in their discipline has been interrupted for a period of time are encouraged to apply for the individual and returning Artists Grants. The application period opens October 5, and closes at 5 p.m. on November 16.
Grants are financially unrestricted, and artists are encouraged to use them in ways they believe will be meaningful to the enhancement of their work or their careers.
Find out more information about Creative Pinellasäó» new grants program here.
Funding for these and other Creative Pinellas grants are dependent on the support and overall budget approval of the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners.
