ABOUT
The Bed-Stuy Create & Connect Fund is a hyperlocal micro-grant program offered annually and directly managed by The LP. The Fund seeds and supports the creative ideas or civic actions of artists, cultural practitioners, community organizers, activists, and neighbors whose proposals aim to enrich community life in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. 

We will provide $1000 grants towards each funded project, for a total of up to 20 proposals. We are looking for creative initiatives or civic projects that are rooted in community, foster meaningful connections, and ignite socially conscious conversations. In other words, we aim to support community building amongst neighbors through community-led action.

We encourage both individuals and groups to apply if you have a new project or an ongoing initiative that positively impacts and engages a group, audience, or community in Bed-Stuy. We are particularly interested in proposals that nurture creativity, uplift local legacies, foster community wellness, or inspire collective advocacy. 

Proposals can be for ideas that are virtual, in-person, or some combination of both. We will prioritize proposals that show potential for both creative and civic impact across Bed-Stuy. 

KEY DATES
      Applications Open: Monday, April 1, 2024
      Applications Close: Wednesday, May 1, 2024
      Decision Notification: Early June 2024

GUIDELINES
 

• For the 2024 cycle, award amounts are $1,000 USD each. The awards are payable by PayPal, paper check, or ACH bank transfer. The award is inclusive of production, supplies, and materials costs.
• The themes of the fund are community building, nurturing creativity, uplifting local legacies, collective wellness, and collective advocacy for communities in Bed-Stuy. You can creatively explore these topics with local communities of your choice across Bed-Stuy neighborhoods.
• Recipients have up to one year (Summer 2024 - Summer 2025) from the selection announcement to use their funding.
• Recipients will be asked to share documentation (images, recordings, etc), related project statistics, and submit a short survey to provide reflection and feedback on the Bed-Stuy Create & 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 grant once within a calendar year. An awardee of a collective may also apply as an individual within the same calendar year. However, please note that we prioritize new applicants. Previous awardees are invited to apply to Create & (Re)Connect.
• Applicants can apply with new project ideas, ongoing initiatives or programs, or new iterations of past actions. Only one solo submission per applicant is permitted per year. An applicant can only be represented on one solo or collaborative submission.
• There is no additional project production support from The LP 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. In other words, the funding cannot go towards paying outstanding balances on an already-completed initiative or event.
• Projects, events, and/or activities should be offered for free to participants, audience, and community members.

SELECTION CRITERIA
LP staff members across departments will review applications and select grant recipients. We will evaluate proposals based on the following criteria. 

• Overall clarity and feasibility of the proposed project
• Thoughtful engagement with a specific community in Bed-Stuy 
• Demonstrated understanding of community needs and potential for impact
• Alignment with at least one of our thematic foci:                          
  • nurture creativity, uplift local legacies, foster community wellness, or inspire collective advocacy
     

Accepted proposals must be implemented by the applicant independently without additional production or staffing support from The Laundromat Project, and in consideration of public health and safety guidelines. We aim to select 20 recipients for the 2024 cycle of the Bed-Stuy Create & Connect Fund. 

Contact our Community Engagement team at community@laundromatproject.org with any questions.

ELIGIBILITY
Self-organized groups or collectives (i.e. sewing club, writers group, mutual aid groups); formal organizations (i.e. block associations, tenant associations); and individuals (at least 18 years of age) living, working, or otherwise committed to and invested in Bed-Stuy are eligible to apply. Please note the legacy of place is a core value of this fund, so proposals must be responsive to or centered within the Bed-Stuy neighborhood and its communities. 

We also see the allocation of this fund as a way to help counter structural, systemic injustices in Bed-Stuy. Therefore, we will prioritize:

• Proposals led by residents born and/or raised in Bed-Stuy, generational Bed-Stuy residents, and residents who have lived in Bed-Stuy for more than 10 years
• Proposals led by individuals who identify as Black, Indigenous, Native and/or People of Color
• Proposals led by individuals in the disability community, including immunocompromised individuals
• Proposals led by individuals who identify as LGBTQIA+

TYPES OF ELIGIBLE PROJECTS

Proposed projects must include a publicly accessible component that activates or takes place in Bed-Stuy (between summer 2024 and summer 2025) and provides Bed-Stuy community members with the opportunity to experience, interact with, or contribute to meaningful initiatives across creative and civic practice. 

Public components may be held in-person, virtually, or some combination of both. Public components can include, but are not limited to: panel discussions, presentations, webinars, IG Lives, recording sessions, exhibitions, performances, festivals, listening parties, screenings, readings, and creative workshops. 

Preference is given to public programs or initiatives that are free and held live in community spaces outside of The Laundromat Project (i.e. libraries, parks, gardens, senior centers, storefront shops, restaurants, laundromats).
 

Eligible proposals may include, but are not limited to:

Workshops and Classes

• Art-making (i.e. painting, sculpture, printmaking, film, collage, dance, music);
• Skill-sharing (i.e. Creating an Artist Portfolio, Grant Writing 101) 
• Cultural activities (i.e. folk arts & traditions, ritual, storytelling) 
• Community Teach-Ins & Public Education Workshops

Storytelling Initiatives

• Community Podcasts;
• Story Circles & Readings;
• Oral History, Material, and Digital Archives

Public Performances or Outdoor Activations

• Dance (i.e. hip hop, jazz, folk) 
• Theater (drama / comedy / musicals); 
• Spoken Word Poetry or Open-mic;

Community and Place-based Projects 

• Public Murals;
• Walking Tours;
• Public Installations;
• Creative Scavenger Hunts;
• Sidewalk Chalk Art Competitions;
• Community Bike Rides or Roller Skating activations;
• Mapping and Wayfinding projects

Gatherings for Intergenerational Community

• Sewing or Knitting Clubs;
• Black Women’s Book Clubs;
• Game Nights;
• Writing Groups;
• Singing Circles

Civic Engagement

• Food or Clothing Drives;
• Community Resource Pantries;
• Wellness initiatives (i.e. herbalism & healing, yoga, double dutch, tennis);
• Campaigns that strengthen “connections to place” in Bed-Stuy;
• Mail or postal projects that encourage social connectedness;
• Innovative activations around mutual aid or cultural organizing;
• Community Gardening, Composting, or Sustainable Farming programs

Support towards arts and cultural festivals including art making at block parties or fairs

 
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 in Bed-Stuy
• Projects, events, and/or activities that require an admission or participation fee

DEFINING ART
At The Laundromat Project, artists are community organizers and community organizers are artists. We believe that to be an artist is to be a creative problem-solver that taps into the community and resources around them to figure out how to create and manifest their ideas. 

Thus, we define art as any cultural tradition, practice, object, or action made with creative intent and grounded in community. This includes the visual, media, literary, and performing arts as well as archival curation, scholarship, oral history, education, healing, gardening, community organizing, activism, and other modes of cultural production. 

You do not have to consider yourself an artist or community organizer to apply.

ABOUT
The Create & (Re)Connect Fund (formerly Creative Action Fund) is a micro-grant program designed to seed the ongoing work 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 260+ artists strong, by supporting their artmaking, leadership development, 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 a combination of both.

Only individuals or artist collectives within The LP’s alumni network are eligible to apply for the Create & (Re)Connect Fund. Members of the general public should apply to the Bed-Stuy Create & Connect Fund. 

LP staff members will review all applications with the aim of selecting up to 20 proposals for the 2024 cycle.

KEY DATES
        Applications Open:         Monday, April 1, 2024
        Applications Close:         Wednesday, May 1, 2024
        Decision Notification:      Early June 2024

GUIDELINES

• For the 2024 cycle, micro-grant awards are $1,000 USD each, payable by PayPal, check, or ACH Bank 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. Ideally, projects will be executed by the end of July 2025.
• Recipients will be asked to share documentation (screenshots, images, or recordings, etc), related project stats, and/or 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 your funded project on social media.
• Awards cannot fund projects that are already completed prior to when the grant awardees are selected.
• 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 2024 Cycle. 

Contact our 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, facilitators of past LP programs, 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:

Workshops and Classes

• Art-making (i.e. painting, sculpture, printmaking, film, collage, dance, music);
• Skill-sharing (i.e. Creating an Artist Portfolio, Grant Writing 101) 
• Cultural activities (i.e. folk arts & traditions, ritual, storytelling) 
• Community Teach-Ins & Public Education Workshops

Storytelling Initiatives

• Community Podcasts;
• Story Circles & Readings;
• Oral History, Material, and Digital Archives

Public Performances or Outdoor Activations

• Dance (i.e. hip hop, jazz, folk) 
• Theater (drama / comedy / musicals); 
• Spoken Word Poetry or Open-mic;

Community and Place-based Projects 

• Public Murals;
• Walking Tours;
• Public Installations;
• Creative Scavenger Hunts;
• Sidewalk Chalk Art Competitions;
• Community Bike Rides or Roller Skating activations;
• Mapping and Wayfinding projects

Gatherings for Intergenerational Community

• Sewing or Knitting Clubs;
• Black Women’s Book Clubs;
• Game Nights;
• Writing Groups;
• Singing Circles

Civic Engagement

• Food or Clothing Drives;
• Community Resource Pantries;
• Wellness initiatives (i.e. herbalism & healing, yoga, double dutch, tennis);
• Campaigns that strengthen “connections to place” in Bed-Stuy;
• Mail or postal projects that encourage social connectedness;
• Innovative activations around mutual aid or cultural organizing;
• Community Gardening, Composting, or Sustainable Farming programs
• Support towards arts and cultural festivals including art making at block parties or fairs

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, artists are community organizers and community organizers are artists. We believe that to be an artist is to be a creative problem-solver that taps into the community and resources around them to figure out how to create and manifest their ideas. 

Thus, we define art as any cultural tradition, practice, object, or action made with creative intent and grounded in community. This includes the visual, media, literary, and performing arts as well as archival curation, scholarship, oral history, education, healing, gardening, community organizing, activism, and other modes of cultural production. 

You do not have to consider yourself an artist or community organizer to apply.