4Culture's Individual Artist Projects program provides artists who reside in King County with critical project support. Artists of all disciplines are encouraged to apply. Eligible projects may be at any stage of development including initial planning, in-process and final production.
Our goals for the Individual Artist Projects program:
Support art at its generative source - the individual artist.
Provide greater public access to the arts throughout King County.
In 2009, 4Culture received 341 applications for this program and 94 artists were selected to receive funding. Award amounts ranged between $1,000 and $7,500. A total of $330,015 was awarded to support projects, such as, adapting printmaking to animation, continuing the development of a film about a wetlands area, taking time away from a day job to complete a novel.
A portion of Lodging Tax revenues collected in King County provides all of the funding for this program.
Serve as a current staff, board or committee member of 4Culture
Be a 2010 Individual Artist Projects selection panelist
Individuals may submit only one application annually to Individual Artist Projects.
What We Fund
Project eligibility
Projects MUST:
Offer public benefit (see section below on public benefit) and be accessible to the citizens of King County
Begin no earlier than July 1, 2010 and be completed by December 31, 2011.
Be of direct benefit to the applicant artist
Projects MAY include the following:
The development of new work
The interpretation of existing work
The presentation of new work or collection of works
Support professional development of an artist (e.g. workshop, conference, residency)
Support the rental or purchase of materials or equipment that further the applicant's artistic development
Projects MAY NOT include:
Tuition and cost-of-living expenses for matriculated students in any degree program
Projects in which fundraising is a primary purpose
Permanent public art projects or planning for permanent public art projects. For public art opportunities visit the public art calls list.
Collaborative Projects
The proposed project may include contributions by many artists, but the selection panel will be assessing the applicant's contribution to the proposed project and work samples. Artists applying for a collaborative project (a project developed between two or more people) may apply to Individual Artist ProjectsIF the collaboration is a new collaborative team of people, who have agreed to stay in partnership while completing the proposed project. Artist teams or collaborations of two or more people who have an established history of collaboration, sometimes organized under a group name, must apply to Group Arts Projects. We define "collaborator" as someone who is considered to be a co-owner of the project, not someone who provides technical or creative services.
Applying for both Arts and Heritage Project Support
Heritage 4Culture offers funding for heritage interpretation projects. Some projects may meet eligibility criteria for both Arts and Heritage funding programs. Heritage 4Culture has different deadlines, guidelines and application requirements. Applicants who are considering applying to both programs are strongly encouraged to contact program staff before submitting an application to either program.
When
2010 Program Deadline: March 10, 2010 at 5:00 p.m. PST
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Projects or portions thereof that are funded through 2010 Individual Artist Projects may begin no earlier than July 1, 2010.
2010 Application Review Timeline The following is an approximate schedule. The actual timeline may differ.
March: Deadline is March 10, 2010 at 5:00 p.m. PST. No late applications will be accepted.
April: Applications will be reviewed and organized by staff in preparation for the peer-panel review process.
May: A peer review panel meets to review applications. The panel will recommend funding for the most highly ranked projects from among the applications submitted. The panel's funding recommendations are forwarded to the 4Culture Arts Advisory Committee for approval. The Arts Advisory Committee reviews and takes formal action on the panel recommendations, then makes its recommendations to the 4Culture Board of Directors. The Board of Directors approves the recommendations and the award recipients will receive formal notification from 4Culture.
June: Each award recipient will then work with the Program Coordinator to develop a contract that governs the payment of funds. Award recipients will be required to meet recipient obligations. Funds become available after contracts are signed and submitted with all necessary documents.
July: Projects may begin July 1, 2010. Award recipients are expected to initiate their project within the contract period. Completion of the project, including final documentation and invoice, is expected by December 31, 2011.
Public Benefit Requirement
4Culture receives all funding for its Individual Artist Project program from a portion of Lodging Tax revenues collected in King County. Because of this, artists funded through this program must provide some kind of public benefit to the citizens of King County. The following are examples of services that meet the public benefit:
Presenting a project-related event outside of the Seattle metropolitan area, in suburban or rural King County.
Free distribution of resources including publications, CDs, DVDs etc... to the King County Library system.
Creation of free, publicly accessible materials including audio/video recordings and electronic files.
Your public benefit must be described in the Project Impact section of the application.
How Selection process and criteria
Review Process Applications to Individual Artist Projects are reviewed by staff for eligibility, accuracy, and completeness. 4Culture staff will facilitate a peer panel review of your application. This panel is made up of artists and arts workers from throughout King County and have expertise in one or more artistic discipline. This panel will select and recommend the most highly qualified projects for funding based on the following criteria:
Artistic merit, excellence or innovative quality of project
Access and public benefit for King County residents
Artistic excellence demonstrated in the work samples provided
Feasibility and applicant's demonstrated ability to accomplish the project
Appropriateness of the funding request and project feasibility demonstrated in the budget
Applications from underrepresented geographic areas or ethnicities will be prioritized if above criteria is met.
Requirements and appeals Learn about the legal requirements of award recipients, and about the process for appeal of a 4Culture award here.
FAQ
This is my first time applying, how can I get help? Applicants are strongly advised to take advantage of the following helpful resources!:
Review successful applications submitted by other artists in previous years. You may visit our office to review successful project descriptions, project impact descriptions and sample budgets from past award recipients.
Communicate with program staff about eligibility requirements, project ideas and other resources. All applicants are strongly encouraged to contact staff prior to preparing an application if there is a question about eligibility.
Attend a free application workshop. Workshops are presented by 4Culture staff to help guide you through the application process.
I received an award from 4Culture last year, can I apply again? You may have received support from King County programs last year and still apply this year. You may not apply for the same phase of the project if you received funding for it in previous years.
What if the project I want to do is totally different than what I have done in the past? If your project is different than what you have to present in your work samples, be sure to help the panelists understand why you are taking on this new challenge and how your past work demonstrates your ability to achieve this new kind of work. You should include this in the "project description" section of the application.
Can you give me an example of what "in-kind" support is? I don't get it. Here is an example for you. Say your brother is letting you borrow a generator for your project, find out how much a generator would cost you to rent for the length of your project. That rental amount can be included in your budget under In-Kind, as support your brother is providing toward the project.
Who is the person I contact if I have other questions? Heather Dwyer is the program coordinator for Individual Artist Projects. You can reach her via email at heather.dwyer@4culture.org or by phone at 206 296.8676
Ready to Apply
STEP 1 - Read all of the above sections STEP 2 - Gather and prepare your information.
You are required to submit your application using the new online form. In this section, you will find three tools for preparing your information.
Annotated Application Preview
Narrative Question Guide
Supplemental Materials Guide
Annotated Application Preview: The online application will ask you for information that you should prepare before you login to apply. To prepare your information, we suggest you review the Application Preview. It shows you what the online application will look like and contains helpful notes/tips from staff.
If you do not have the Adobe Acrobat software required to view this document, you can download a free Adobe® Acrobat viewer.
Narrative Question Guide:
Project Description
This section of the application is THE most important to the panelists reviewing your application. Organize your thoughts and be concise. Outline the who, what, when, where and why of your project. Tell them who is involved in the project; what the project experience will be; when the project will take place; where in King County you will present the project and why this project is a priority for you right now in your creative development.
Project Impact
4Culture has to abide by State law and King County Code, which authorize the purchase of cultural services, but not the donation of public money to individuals. Therefore, in order for us to ensure artists can be funded, we must require that their projects provide quantifiable public benefit. What you say in this section, will be included as part of your contract if you receive an award. Be realistic about what you can offer the public.
Here are a few examples:
As public benefit I will provide two free, open rehearsals with a Q & A period with musicians.
This project will offer a pay-what-you-can screening of my film in a suburban King County area.
I will offer a free reading and donate three copies of my book of poetry to the King County Library System.
Our panelists consider diversity when selecting projects, including ethnic representation and diverse geographic project locations (suburban and rural King County). If you would like to address these considerations, please do so in this section.
Relevant Expertise/Experience/Accomplishments
In lieu of a resume, we are asking artists to describe any experience, expertise and past accomplishments that demonstrate their ability to achieve this project. Include specific details about past projects of similar scale and scope that you have achieved. If relevant, include education, training and personal experiences that qualify you for the job of "director" for this project.
Project Plan
Establish a clear picture for the panelists of how you expect this project to be implemented. Outline a general project timeline and budget plan. Include highlights about project research and development to date. Describe any in-kind and cash contributions that you will apply to this project, including other grant opportunities. Indicate if these funds are confirmed or unconfirmed at the time of application. Be realistic about your contingency plans if the total amount of money is not raised. Let panelists know your priorities and how you would scale down your project if you don't receive full funding or other sources fall through.
Supplemental Materials Guide
File Uploads Required
The following two file uploads are required as part of your application. Applications without the following uploaded documents will be considered incomplete.
1. Project Budget
A clear plan for generating funds for the project is essential to a strong application. 4Culture can usually support only a portion of total project costs and you will need to identify where the rest will come from. Demonstrate to the selection panelists that your project is a financially viable one. In-kind support can be listed at regular professional rates. Make sure your expenses and income match.
Identify your work sample(s) on this form only. Include titles (and/or track numbers) of the work(s) submitted in the order in which they are to be reviewed. Include, the date the work(s) were completed or if they are in-progress and indicate the role of the applicant (Examples: choreographer, photographer, guitarist, director). Applicants may elect to write a few brief sentences about the work sample(s). If work samples are in the Manuscript Format, identify if the sample(s) are complete works, abstracts, excerpts or a group of works. If work samples are in the Image Format include the medium, dimensions of the artwork(s) and completion date.
Choose one (1) work sample format and one (1) related submission option for your work samples.
Artists are encouraged to submit work samples of past work that best illustrates their qualifications for the proposed project. Prints, transparencies, musical scores, brochures and press-clippings will not be accepted. You may choose only one format and one way-to-submit.
Recommended formats by discipline:
Music - Audio Format
Dance - Video Format
Theater - Video or Manuscript Format
Visual - Digital Image Format
Literary - Manuscript Format
Media - Video or Manuscript Format
Audio Format A maximum of three (3) audio work samples in the order in which they are to be reviewed. Each audio sample will be reviewed for a cumulative total of five (5) minutes maximum. All CDs must be self-executable and ready to play on a portable sound system.
Way To Submit Mail/Deliver: Mail in or deliver one (1) CD with audio samples, in the required format. Label the CD clearly with your full name.
Image Format A maximum of ten (10) JPGs in the order in which they are to be reviewed. JPG (.jpg) files only. Images must be under 2MB, 1920 pixels on the longest side and 72 dpi at least. TIFF and other file formats will not be accepted. Files names must use only numbers, letters and underscores. Label your images in the following manner: 01_LastName_FirstInitial. Example: 01_Smith_A, 02_Smith_A etc... Images will be presented one at a time during the application review process.
Way To Submit (choose one) Upload: Upload JPGs in the order in which they are to be reviewed, in the required format.
Mail/Deliver: Mail in or deliver one (1) CD including JPGs, in the required format. Label the CD clearly with your full name.
Manuscript Format A writing sample, in English, on white, 8.5x11" paper, of no more than ten (10) pages with a minimum font size of 12 points. Include your first and last name on each page.
Way To Submit (choose one) Upload: Portable Document Format (.pdf) or Word (.doc) only, in the required format.
Mail/Deliver: Mail in or deliver three (3) copies of your manuscript, on white, 8.5x11" paper, in the required format.
Video Format A maximum of three (3) work samples. Each applicant's work will be reviewed for a cumulative total of five (5) minutes maximum.
Way To Submit (choose one) External Site Upload: You may submit up to three videos using Vimeo. Once you have uploaded video selections to Vimeo that you would like the selection panel to review, indicate the Vimeo URL (e.g. http://www.vimeo.com/2992575) on the Work Sample Description sheet in the order in which you would like the videos reviewed. If you choose privacy settings, please "share" the selected videos with heather.dwyer@4culture.org.
Mail/Deliver: Mail in or deliver One (1) DVD with a maximum of three (3) work samples in the order in which they are to be reviewed. DVDs must be self-executable and if possible, with chapters. DVDs must be clearly labeled with the applicant's full name. DVDs will be played on a DVD player, not a computer. Test your DVD on stand-alone players prior to submission. MOV, WMV and other file formats will not be accepted.
Mail In/Delivery Instructions
Artists submitting work samples in the Audio or Video Format options may mail in or hand-deliver work samples. Mailed materials must have a United State Postal Service postmark of March 10, 2010 and be sent to:
Heather Dwyer
4Culture
101 Prefontaine Pl S
Seattle, WA 98104
STEP 3 - Sign in to fill out your application
Note: Once you have started the process of applying online, you can hit "save" after each step in the application, sign out, and your application will remain saved as a draft. Please make sure you have prepared all documents to be uploaded prior to completing the application. You can then return to your application any time before the deadline to continue working or to make changes by signing in with username and password you created. Once you hit "submit," you will still be able to see your application; but you will not be able to make any more changes.
For technical questions about the online application system, contact staff member Heather Dwyer at 206 296.8676.
