Grants & Funding Opportunities

ECCF’s Creative County offers multiple grant programs in support of Essex County artists, cultural organizations, and the creative economy.

All are welcome to apply.

Explore the grant opportunities below and apply for funding at eccf.org. ALAANA, Special Projects Grants and the Last Mile Fund will reopen in early January. Future opportunities will be added to this page, so please bookmark and check back often! You can also follow us on social media @creativecounty

Special Project funding in the range of 2K-5K through Essex County Community Foundation's Creative County Initiative is available for a uniquely innovative aspect of an overall program within these general categories:
* advancement of cultural planning
* diversity, equity, inclusion and access
* public art or creative placemaking
* arts leadership
* creative space development
* organizational capacity building.

The ECCF’s Creative County Initiative (CCI) is expanding its grant program to enhance inclusivity by funding new or in-process artistic works by ALAANA (African, Latine, Asian, Arab, Native American) artists, acknowledging their traditionally limited access to creative resources. The ALAANA Artist Grants, offering up to $5,000 to as many as five artists annually, aim to support the development of diverse creative genres, ranging from poetry, spoken word, music, visual arts, to public installations and performances. Encouraging collaboration, these grants favor projects that can be completed within a year and shared with the public either online or in-person, promoting cultural representation and artistic expression within the ALAANA community.

The ECCF’s Creative County Initiative (CCI) is proud to introduce the 2024 Last Mile Fund, a dynamic grant program designed to enhance economic and professional development opportunities for artists with limited access to resources. This needs-based program offers individual artists and creative makers, working in any medium, grants of $100, $300, or $500. These grants are aimed at supporting a range of needs, from kickstarting a creative project to participating in professional development or acquiring specific resources for a creative objective. Eligible artists can apply once per calendar year, ensuring broad and equitable support across the artistic community.

2023 Grantee Information

LAST MILE FUND

  • Mini tour travel expenses
  • Promotion of new poetry publication "VOZ", including event travel
  • Venue costs for artist showcase
  • Music venue costs
  • Workshop fees- Dance for PD®
  • Install of ceramic kiln support
  • Sound equipment for Lynn
  • Supplies for public art
  • Installation of Mural
  • Materials for multi-generational art show
  • Fees & materials for fashion show
  • Materials for the completion of ready-to-wear collection
  • Support for student for vendor space
  • Costs of performance at Essex Art Center
  • Submission/ membership fees & professional development workshop
  • Photographer assistance with display fees for Salem Arts Festival
  • Solo exhibition at GALA assistance with costs
  • Local Glass artists assistance with fees at showcase event
  • Support for hiring musicians for his band piece - recording.
  • Transportation costs for Esperanza Academy in Lawrence.
  • Support for a show at Galleries at Lynn Arts
  • Support for promotional materials for El Mercado at El Taller
  • Signage for Madfish Wharf / Rocky Neck artists branding
  • Participation in MASS Art x Montserrat show
  • Culinary participation in Diversity Festival
  • Potter participation support for the Newburyport Shanties 2023
  • Fees for GALA pop-up event with receptions
  • Pop-up rent to GALA and stipends to poets
  • Prepare to showcase at SSU Hispanic Dominican culture event
  • Fulfill new order for her art merch to sell at markets
  • Submit new poetry manuscript to 15-18 presses
  • Support for Virtual Life drawing event
  • Framing her pastel and watercolor work with a professional framer
  • Master's program Creative Writing classes

ALAANA FUND - ALAANA (African, Latine, Asian, Arab, Native American).

  • Sunil Gulab: Lynn Seniors African Art workshops + creation of a large 48"x60" piece to hang at the Lynn Senior Center
  • Y-Binh Nguyen: Creative exploration of artist’s identity through research, writing, travel
  • Edwin Cabrera: Support the completion of Lynn Hip Hop Documentary
  • uBuyile Narwele: New choreographic work #SIDELINES through African Street Dance Initiative
  • Rixy: Public Art making with Elevated Thought
  • Raquel Jimenez: Community Dream Pop-ups, art making and activities at Lynn Museum/ Lynn Arts
  • James "Jayvie" Mora: Book Publication & Launch
  • Linda Mullen: Artistic exploration of family and indigenous ancestry

SPECIAL PROJECTS GRANTS

  • Writing a Musical History, Rockport Music: Youth voices in writing songs about where they live with showcases at Shalin Liu and other sites.
  • On The Road, North Shore Children's Museum: Mobile Museum Exhibit with artwork on van, eliminating barriers to experiencing their exhibits and costs of field trips for communities ~1hr from Peabody
  • Andover Illuminates, Andover Center for History & Culture: illumination of significant locations in Andover with a culminating event in Spring or Fall 2024 including light, art, performance, and celebration.
  • CompARTimos, An Immigrant Story Trail, ILearnAmerica: public artmaking and creative placemaking with immigrant youth on Spicket River Greenway. Bilingual storytelling in 2023 transformed into large-scale public art by the Spring 2024.
  • Native Waters; Native Lands: A Muhsh8n and Wetu in Gloucester: SmokeSygnals, the City of Gloucester, Cape Ann Museum, Discover Gloucester, and Gloucester 400+ Committee - Native Storytelling in two heavily trafficked venues to raise awareness and hospitality of Gloucester for Native residents and artists.
  • Newburyport Murals: We Share One Sky: to connect and engage residents and visitors with Newburyport and the theme “We Share One Sky”, through large-scale, exterior mural paintings strategically placed across the City. Spring 2023 and be completed by December 2025.
  • Lynn Music Foundation: to develop The Neal Rantoul Vault Theatre to be a multipurpose space that serves the community to Increase in community engagement and participation in the arts and culture scene in Essex County. Improved access to the arts for low-income families and individuals and marginalized communities.

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ARTIST PROFILE

UPCOMING WORKSHOPS

The Ultimate Guide to Artist Publicity
w/ Ariel Hyatt & Maya Azucena

Thursday, March 10, 2022 | 2-4 p.m.

Learn how to generate press and land publicity! In this workshop, participants will identify the basic materials needed for a solid press kit and ways to set themselves apart, including generating a succinct press pitch, graphics, and brand. Participants will have a chance to draft their own effective pitch (the foundation of your PR) to catch the eye of bloggers and journalists alike, as well as learn how to avoid common mistakes when sending out a pitch. Next we’ll discuss how to use an international lens for marketing, research and select media outlets to target and how to design a manageable timeline for generating publicity. Finally, participants will explore what to do with any publicity they receive, and how to leverage those successes to achieve broader career goals. Over 25 years Ariel Hyatt, founder of Cyber PR Music, has executed public relations campaigns for over 5,000 artists and published multiple books on PR, marketing & social media for artists. Award-winning musician, singer, and songwriter Maya Azucena has performed across the world in over forty countries and collaborated with Marcus Miller, Brass Against, Jason Miles, among others.

Suitable for artists of all disciplines.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Presented in partnership with the Mass Cultural Council.

 

Open to artists across Massachusetts.

This workshop will also be recorded! If you’re unable to attend the live session, you can still register via Zoom and, if approved, we’ll send you a link to access the recording after the workshop is complete.

Register via Zoom.


The Business of Writing: How to Successfully Research and Submit to Literary Journals, Publishers, and Agents w/ Kristina Marie Darling

Wednesday, March 16, 2022 | 2-4 p.m.

This workshop will take writers through the basics of writing convincing and persuasive pitches, as well as submission etiquette and best practices for presenting your writing to decision-makers in your field. It will address such topics as crafting cover letters, writing compelling queries, how to research opportunities for your career development, strategies for building an audience for your work, and ways to improve the odds for your submissions. Participants will leave the workshop with a packet of resources for discovering opportunities in their chosen genre, as well as examples of successful pitches and submissions, and next steps relative to their goals and career point. Poet, essayist and critic Kristina Marie Darling is the author of 35 books of poetry and literary criticism and is the Editor-in-Chief at Tupelo Press.

Best suited for writers of all genres.

 

 

 

 

Presented in partnership with the Essex County Community Foundation’s Creative County Initiative

Open to artists in Essex County (MA), with select additional slots for rural artists in Connecticut & Rhode Island.

This workshop will also be recorded! If you’re unable to attend the live session, you can still register via Zoom and, if approved, we’ll send you a link to access the recording after the workshop is complete.

Register via Zoom.


Social Practice Art: Toward Individual Healing, Community Dialogue and Social Change
w/ Nancy Marks

Thursday, March 24, 2022 | 2-3:30 p.m.

Using The Opioid Project: Changing Perceptions through Art and Storytelling as a model, this workshop will explore how to plan and execute a project that uses art to promote dialogue and community response. Participants will explore how to identify an important issue, build relationships, work with a community partner, run a workshop for community participants, and use the art created to promote dialogue and move a community advocacy agenda forward. Nancy will take participants through the successes and learning moments of her ongoing Opioid Project, including how and why it evolved. Following this overview, participants will brainstorm their own ideas/goals to create a project that uses art and storytelling as a vehicle for bringing voices into a community to create change and/or amplify an issue. Nancy Marks is a public health activist, community organizer, and visual artist who has been making art for over 25 years. In 2016, she co-founded The Opioid Project as a way to weave the strands of art, healing and community change.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Presented in partnership with the Essex County Community Foundation’s Creative County Initiative and Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation.

About The Opioid Project: Changing Perceptions through Art and Storytelling: The Opioid Project was created as a response to the escalating epidemic. The Opioid Project’s main goals: support individuals affected by opioid use disorder; increase public awareness about substance use disorder and addiction; decrease stigma by fostering and creating space for community dialogue; and contribute to policy change to increase access to mental health services and substance use treatment.

Best suited for artists interested in social issues and community-based creative work.

Open to artists in Essex County and Berkshire County, Massachusetts.

This workshop will also be recorded! If you’re unable to attend the live session, you can still register via Zoom and, if approved, we’ll send you a link to access the recording after the workshop is complete.

Register via Zoom.

Decolonizing Your Creative Practice Retreat: Urgency w/ Haus of Glitter

Saturdays, March 26 & April 9, 2022 | 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

 

Presented in partnership with the Barr Foundation’s Creative Commonwealth Initiative.

In this two-part virtual retreat, participants are invited to join the Haus of Glitter Performance Lab to unravel and heal from urgency, a symptom of white supremacy culture, both in our creative practice and in the ways we move through the world. Nurturing our mission to shift the energetic center of the universe towards collective liberation, this series is an invitation to slow down, listen and transform with us. Using the creative practices that ground our work, participants will explore urgency as it shows up in ideology, in institutions, in interpersonal relationships, and from within.

Credit: Stephanie Alvarez Ewens

Alternating between whole-group creative experiences and reflection in breakout affinity spaces for white allies and for BIPOC, this series seeks to rehearse what an equitable distribution of energy can look like in anti-racist work for artists, arts leadership, arts educators and arts activists. While there will be opportunities for blended discussion, BIPOC participants can trust that there will always be a BIPOC-only discussion group, led by a BIPOC facilitator, available for all discussions throughout this two-part workshop. The Haus of Glitter is a community of artists, educators, counselors/therapists, performers, and healers dedicated to using art, play, and processes of mindful creation as tools for equity and justice. Please be prepared (and dress accordingly) for a virtual yoga + meditation offering for the first hour of each session.

Suitable for all creatives in any discipline.

Open to artists across Massachusetts.

In order to create a safer space where difficult questions can be tackled, this workshop WILL NOT be recorded. You will need to attend the live workshop in order to participate in this offering.

Register via Zoom.


Portfolio Power / The Artist Portfolio w/ Anabel Vázquez Rodríguez

Wednesday, April 6, 2022 | 2-4 p.m.

Our portfolios represent our vision and most compelling work. The quality and effectiveness of a professional portfolio is crucial, whether you are seeking an art related job, applying for a grant, trying to get a show at a gallery or seeking gallery representation. In this workshop, participants will learn best practices for creating and presenting a portfolio that has a lasting impression while being accessible. Taking away guidelines and industry tips, participants will leave inspired with practical solutions on how to present their work with impact. Anabel Vázquez Rodríguez is an interdisciplinary artist, curator, and educator with over 20 years of work as a curator, cultural manager, grant panelist, judge, guest lecturer, and portfolio reviewer. 

Suitable for artists in all disciplines (although most examples will be based in the visual and performance art field).

 

 

Credit: Iaritza Menjivar

 

 

Presented in partnership with the Mass Cultural Council.

Open to artists across Massachusetts.

This workshop will also be recorded! If you’re unable to attend the live session, you can still register via Zoom and, if approved, we’ll send you a link to access the recording after the workshop is complete.

Register via Zoom.


Level Up Your Virtual Presence w/ Todd Reynolds

Friday, April 8, 2022 | 2-4 p.m.

Whether we like it or not, it’s time to admit that the internet is now the artist’s stage. In this foundational course, digital musician Todd Reynolds will help creatives of all types understand the technological tools and techniques of crafting an engaging online presence without having to pay for an in-house tech expert. Whether a performer, visual artist, speaker, or writer, participants will take away essential video and lighting techniques that lead to a more professional presence on camera, solutions to achieving affordable, pro-sounding audio, and the secrets to projecting confidence when appearing and performing online. Todd Reynolds, violinist, composer, educator and technologist, is one of the founding fathers of the hybrid-musician movement and one of the most active and versatile proponents of what he calls ‘present music’ – music created in the ‘now’. In North Adams, where he makes his home, he’s well known as a member of Bang on a Can and a long-time collaborator with MASS MoCA.

Best suited for artists showing and performing work online.

Open to artists in Essex County (MA), with select additional slots for rural artists in Connecticut & Rhode Island.

 

 

 

 

Presented in partnership with the Essex County Community Foundation’s Creative County Initiative.

This workshop will also be recorded! If you’re unable to attend the live session, you can still register via Zoom and, if approved, we’ll send you a link to access the recording after the workshop is complete.

Register via Zoom.


Taking Collective Action to Build Community and Fight Racism w/ Daniel Park & Deen Rawlins

April 13, 23, 27 & May 4, 2022 | 6-9 p.m.
(with 10am – 2:30pm on Saturday)

White Supremacy is the air that we breathe and present in every aspect of cultural production. This intentional, BIPOC-only affinity group and structured conversation aims to support a community of practice and bolster the work BIPOC artists are already doing to name and interrupt white supremacy in their own artistic practice and sector, while providing a “Brave Space” for discussion. Participants will leave this intensive with a network of activist peers, tools, strategies, and concrete next steps to intentionally build liberatory practices into their own creative practice, including both the creation and performance of artistic work. Daniel Park is a queer, bi-racial, theatre and performance artist whose work combines live performance and game design to create hybrid experiences that explore the boundaries of human agency. Deen Rawlins is an artist-educator who builds workshops that are interactive, accessible, and grounded in a trauma-informed approach.

For BIPOC artists in all disciplines.

Open to artists across Massachusetts.

The cohort for this small-group intensive is selected based on a brief form of interest that is not yet available. If you are interested in participating in this series, email us at assetsforartists@massmoca.org, and we will share the form with you when it’s available.

 

 

 

 

Credit: Lauren Miller

 

 

Presented in partnership with the Mass Cultural Council.


 

 

The Art of Submission for Festivals, Museums and Beyond w/ Catherine T. Morris

Wednesday, May 4, 2022 | 2-3:30 p.m.

Ever dream of having your art or music featured at a festival, museum or large public event? It’s important to be prepared and have the right mix of content that makes your work stand out. From your artist statement and resume, to building rapport with curators and event producers, this workshop will provide some best practices to prepare, package, and submit your work and helpful tips to get you in front of the right audiences. Over the last 20 years, mother, entrepreneur, and visionary Catherine T. Morris has focused her time and energy on creating platforms for BIPOC artists, producing shows, as well as mobilizing and engaging local audiences to experience the arts through a holistic lens.

 

 

 

 

Presented in partnership with the Mass Cultural Council.

Best suited for visual and performing artists.

Open to artists across Massachusetts.

This workshop will also be recorded! If you’re unable to attend the live session, you can still register via Zoom and, if approved, we’ll send you a link to access the recording after the workshop is complete.

Register via Zoom.


Our Massachusetts programming is made possible in partnership with the Barr Foundation, the City of Boston, the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts’ ValleyCreates Initiative, Essex County Community Foundation’s Creative County Initiative, Greater Worcester Community Foundation’s Creative Worcester Initiative, the Deborah Munroe Noonan Memorial Fund (Bank of America, N.A.,Trustee), and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts through the Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation.