2026 Bed-Stuy Create & Connect Fund

ABOUT  The Bed-Stuy Create & Connect Fund is a hyperlocal micro-grant program offered annually and 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. 

During the 2026 cycle, we will provide up to 20 grants in the amount of  $1500 in support of project proposals. We are looking for creative initiatives or civic projects that are rooted in community, foster meaningful connections (please see examples below). In other words, we aim to support community building amongst neighbors through community-led action.

We encourage both individuals and collectives 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 that show potential for both creative and civic impact in Bed-Stuy will be prioritized.

 KEY DATES  

Applications Open: Wednesday, April 1, 2026            

Applications Close: Friday, May 1, 2026            

Decision Notification: Late-July 2026

 GUIDELINES 

• For the 2026 cycle, award amounts are $1,500 USD each. The awards are payable by check, Zelle, 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 (between July 2026 and September 2027) 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.
• 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 must be offered for free to participants, audience, and community members.

 SELECTION CRITERIA  LP staff members 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 2026 cycle of the Bed-Stuy Create & Connect Fund. 

Contact our Artist & Community Development team at community@laundromatproject.org with any questions.

 ELIGIBILITY   Self-organized groups or collectives (e.g., sewing clubs, writers groups, mutual aid groups); formal organizations (e.g., 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 free for attendees and 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 have been displaced from Bed-Stuy as a result of gentrification and lack of affordable housing
• 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+

Please note, that prioritization does not guarantee selection but informs evaluation. 

 TYPES OF ELIGIBLE PROJECTS

Proposed projects must include a publicly accessible component that activates or takes place in Bed-Stuy between July 2026 and September 2027 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 held in community spaces outside of The Laundromat Project (i.e., libraries, parks, gardens, senior centers, storefront shops, restaurants, laundromats). In our listening sessions, we’ve heard the need to amplify creative programming across the Bed-Stuy community and encourage applicants to develop projects in collaboration with these third spaces. We encourage applicants to seek accessible spaces, including ADA-compliant spaces as well as note the capacity and accessibility limitations of the chosen location(s) in event details and promotional materials. 

Eligible proposals may include, but are not limited to:

Workshops and Classes

• Art-making (e.g., painting, sculpture, printmaking, film, collage, dance, music);
• Skill-sharing (e.g., Creating an Artist Portfolio, Grant Writing 101) 
• Cultural activities (e.g., 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 (e.g., hip hop, jazz, folk);
• Theater (e.g., 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;
• Community Book Clubs;
• Game Nights;
• Writing Groups;
• Singing Circles.

Civic Engagement

• Community Organizing;
• 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 artworks 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
• Proposals that seek to fund the operation of a business
• Proposals that seek to fund the product development or sale of a commercial good
• Proposals that seek to fund operation of a business

 DEFINING ART    At The Laundromat Project, artists are community organizers, and community organizers are artists. To be an artist is to be a creative problem-solver. Creative problem-solvers tap into communities and utilize resources to create and manifest ideas. 

By The LP’s definition, we consider any cultural tradition, practice, object, or action made with creative intent and grounded in community as art. 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. You can read more here.