ABOUT
Create & (Re)Connect (formerly Creative Action Fund (CAF)) is a micro-grant initiative to seed the ideas and civic actions of The LP Create Change alumni network. This fund is a critical part of our vision to make sustained investments in our growing artist network, now 200+ artists strong, by supporting their artmaking, leadership, and professional growth.

We encourage you to apply if you have a new iteration of a past project, a new creative project, or an ongoing project that positively impacts and engages a group, audience, or community of your choice. There is not a set theme of focus for Create & (Re)Connect. Applicants are welcome to explore a range of creative and civic topics. Proposals can be for ideas that are virtual, in-person, or some combination of both.

LP staff members will review all applications, with the aim of selecting up to 20 proposals for the 2023 cycle. 

KEY DATES
Applications Open: April 10, 2023
Applications Close: May 4, 2023
Decision Notification: May 31, 2023

GUIDELINES

• For the 2023 cycle, micro-grant awards are $1,000 USD each, payable by check or PayPal or Zelle electronic transfer. The award is inclusive of production, supplies, and materials costs.
• There is not a set theme of focus for Create & (Re)Connect. You are welcome to explore a range of creative and civic topics that impact local communities of your choice.
• Recipients have up to one year from the selection announcement to use their funding.
• Recipients will be asked to share documentation (screenshots, images, or recordings, etc), related project stats, and submit a short survey to provide reflection and feedback on the Create & (Re)Connect fund initiative.
• Applicants for collaborative works or applicants applying on behalf of a group or organized body should select one member to submit an application for review.
• Applicants can only be awarded a micro-grant once within a calendar year. An awardee of a collective may apply again as an individual within the same calendar year. Please note that we prioritize new applicants for each cycle.
• Applicants can apply with new project ideas, ongoing initiatives or programs, or new iterations of past projects. Only one submission per applicant is permitted. An applicant can only be represented on one solo or collaborative submission.
• There is no additional project production support with the award. The LP may assess opportunities for collaboration on a case by case basis, including co-production, technical support, facilitating connections, etc.
• The LP may inquire about featuring you and the project on social media.
• Awards cannot fund projects that are already completed prior to when the grant awardees are announced.
• Projects, events, and/or activities should be free to participants, audience, and community members.

SELECTION CRITERIA:
Projects and activities must be able to be developed, installed/performed by the applicant independently without production support from The Laundromat Project.

LP staff members will review projects by their alignment with the goals of the Create & (Re)Connect Fund to make sustained investments in the creative ideas and civic actions of our growing artist network by supporting their artmaking, leadership, and/or professional growth. We will select up to 20 proposals for the 2023 Cycle. 

Contact our Community Engagement team with any questions you may have at community@laundromatproject.org with "Create & (Re)Connect" in the subject line.

ELIGIBILITY
All past LP Program participants are eligible to apply. This includes artists in our alumni network, former Create Change fellows and residents, and previous microgrant recipients. 

Applicants can also propose collaborative projects that involve other LP alums or non-LP affiliated artists. We have a special interest in alumni collectives and collaboratives (involving two or more LP alumni). Applicants for collaborative works should select one member to submit an application for review.

TYPES OF ELIGIBLE PROJECTS

Eligible proposals may include, but are not limited to:

• Virtual workshop series focused on art-making, skill-sharing, and / or creative or cultural activities that create space for community building
• Projects / initiatives that strengthen connections to place
• Ongoing podcasts, storytelling, or oral history projects 
• Outdoor performances or activations in local parks or community gardens including dance, theater, musical, spoken word/open-mic
• Community and place-based projects including temporary public murals or installations, walking tours, sidewalk chalk art competitions, performances, creative scavenger hunts, community bike rides or roller skating activations, wayfinding projects
• Virtual or socially distant gatherings for intergenerational community members including sewing or knitting clubs, writing groups, singing circles, etc.
• Support towards arts and cultural festivals including art making at block parties or fairs
• Mail or postal projects that encourage social connectedness
• Creative activations around mutual aid or cultural organizing

TYPES OF INELIGIBLE PROJECTS

• Solo production of art works made for personal practice
• Proposals with no involvement, impact, or engagement with additional stakeholders or a broader community
• Projects, events, and/or activities that require an admission or participation fee

DEFINING ART
At The Laundromat Project, we define art as visual, media, literary, and performing arts as well as curation, scholarship, education, healing, community organizing, and other cultural traditions, productions, and practices. You do not have to consider yourself an artist to apply.