Once your organization’s eligibility status has been confirmed, you will receive a link to the application form by email. All of the information and attachments that will be required for the application are detailed below.

Applications are due no later than 5 pm on Friday, December 30. Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted, and application materials cannot be updated after the deadline. Panel review will take place in January, and funding decisions will be announced on February 3, 2023.

Staff will be available to answer questions or assist with technical difficulties until 5 pm on Wednesday, December 21. Please contact us with any questions as far in advance as possible by sending an email to communityarts@createbirmingham.org.

Applicants may also request a 30-minute meeting with staff to answer questions either in person or via Zoom. If you would like to schedule a meeting, please contact us at the email address above for available dates.

Before preparing your application, please carefully review the partnership and project requirements for community arts collaborations. The funding criteria and scoring rubric that will be used by the review panel is available here.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

This program will fund community-based organizations, groups, collectives or artists for arts and cultural projects taking a creative approach to addressing an issue impacting the City of Birmingham communities and neighborhoods where they live and work, as listed here.

Collaborations eligible for funding include but are not limited to workshops, performances, concerts, festivals, demonstrations, screenings, and readings. Projects may be new collaborations or continuations of existing work.

Arts education projects that serve students attending a specific school or schools, either during or after school hours, are not eligible to for funding. Activities must be accessible to the public, regardless of the age group being served.

Funded projects must provide 1:2 matching funds. For every dollar awarded, the project partners must contribute 50 cents, for a total match of $5,000. Matching funds may be in-kind or cash. The total budget must be at least $15,000: $10,000 in grant funds and $5,000 in matching funds.

In addition to complete contact information for both lead partners, you will be asked to provide the following information on your proposed community arts collaboration.

A description of the community arts collaboration, including timeline and location

Please describe your project’s goal and activities, including how this collaboration uses an arts-centered approach to address community needs. Please note if the activities will be free or fee-based and provide key project dates and locations. (2000 characters or less)

A description of both partners and their roles in the collaboration

Please describe how your project will utilize a diverse team of qualified professionals to carry out this project. Please outline how both partners will be involved in the planning and execution of the project. (2000 characters or less)

A description of how the collaboration serves City of Birmingham citizens

Please describe how your project addresses an issue impacting the City of Birmingham. Please include details on the community (or communities) you will engage with in this work and how many people you estimate that this project will serve. (2000 characters or less)

A project budget form detailing expenses and sources of matching funds

This budget, using the required template below, must total at least $15,000 and include both the anticipated expenses for the collaboration and the anticipated sources of income, including the $5,000 that will serve as the required 1:2 match for the $10,000 grant. Please note which sources will be in-kind and which, if any, will be cash. Complete instructions can be found on the budget template. (Download required template here)

A partnership agreement form signed by both partners

This agreement, which must be signed and dated by both partners, affirms each partner’s commitment to the proposed project and confirms that each partner has reviewed this application in full prior to submission (Download required template here)

A current IRS Form W-9 signed by the primary partner
(Available for download here)

The application instructions on this page can also be downloaded here.