Martha Kate Thomas Fund for Artists Grant Guidelines

Before submitting your application, please email info@bouldercountyarts.org with a very brief summary of your request to make sure your proposal meets the grant guidelines. 

Purpose

The Martha Kate Thomas Fund for Artists was established in 2013 through a legacy gift to the Community Foundation Serving Boulder County. Grants from this fund will be considered from artists who live and work in Boulder County and meet any one or more of these priority groups:

• Artists with unforeseen needs due to special circumstances
• Artists of Color
• Artists with disabilities
• Indigenous artists
• New generation artists (18-26 years old)

Grant awards will not exceed $3000. Art forms can include but are not limited to: Music, Theater, Dance, Film/Video, Literature, and Visual Art. Applicants may receive two MKTF grant awards in their lifetimes and must take two years off between funded applications. 

Boulder County Arts Alliance is proud to administer this fund for the Community Foundation Serving Boulder County. Read the inspiring story behind this fund.

Definitions

Unforeseen needs due to special circumstances may include loss of equipment or supplies, and unplanned expenses due to natural disaster, debilitating illness, accidents and more. Priority is given to applicants that are not eligible to file insurance claims or who may be eligible but coverage is inadequate to cover the loss.

Priority groups refers to individual artists or the founders/directors of organizations. The work of the artist or organization will also be taken into consideration as proposals are reviewed. 

Important Dates

• Application deadlines are rolling. Grant awards will be made as they are received and reviewed.
• Funding cycle dates The project, purchase or request must take place within 14 months from the date the grant check is issued.

Persons, Organizations and Activities Funded

• All applicants must be current with final reports from other grants received from BCAA. All applicants, when relevant, are encouraged to post your events to the BCAA calendar..
• Organizations and individual artists must live and work in Boulder County. 501(c)(3) status is not required.
• Individual artists must be at least 18 years old.

Persons, Organizations and Activities Not Funded

• Organizations that practice discrimination of any kind
• Organizations that influence legislation or support candidates for political office
• Organizations that will use the grant money for prizes, scholarships or grants
• Artists or organizations that have received a Martha Kate Thomas grant in the previous year. 
• Projects primarily for academic or scholarly purposes
• Deficit or debt elimination or endowments

Examples of Unforeseen Needs Potentially Funded

Martha Kate Thomas loved art and she knew that the life of an artist is not always an easy one. The intention of the fund, which was established by a legacy gift from Martha Kate, is to help make the lives of artists a little easier as they may face financial challenges that others in traditional jobs may not. Martha Kate wanted to provide a resource for Boulder County artists so that they would not have to choose between paying for a prescription or purchasing art supplies, for example.

Please note that this is merely a list of some examples of needs that are eligible for grant assistance and does not include all potential eligible needs. If you are unsure whether or not you are eligible for a grant, please check with BCAA staff: info@bouldercountyarts.org.        

• Not able to work due to illness or a loved one’s illness
• Sudden increase in insurance costs (Grant proposal should address how the increased cost will be covered in the future.)
• Sudden increase in rent (the Fund could potentially grant to help cover one month’s rent, for example)
• Unable to pay entrance fees for a competition that would advance the applicant's career
• Loss of supplies due to theft, damage to studio, etc.
• Modifying studio and/or repairs to supplies or tools, such as an instrument (modifications and/or repairs should improve safety, functionality, access, etc.)

Application Evaluation Criteria

All applications are reviewed and commented on by a multi-disciplinary panel using the application evaluation criteria listed below. Each panelist reviews and scores every application on his/her own; a panel meeting is called and all applications are reviewed by the panel as a whole. A final score is reached at the panel meeting and the top scoring applicants will be awarded grants for that cycle. Panelist comments are recorded and are available for applicants to review after the awards are announced.

BCAA grant panelists are instructed to read proposals for content over grantsmanship. However, we expect that every reasonable effort will be made to provide a well-crafted, clear proposal. This would include:

• accuracy of facts, figures, arithmetic
• following directions, answering questions in a concise, thoughtful manner
• demonstration of ability to complete projects through such efforts as effective planning, management and budgeting of the project and citing previous successes
• a strong proposal will delineate a plan to achieve sustainability and a committment to making art
• artistic excellence of artists involved and merit of proposed activities
• potential for community involvement and community benefit from proposed activities such as broadening audience reach, community or professional collaborations and partnerships.
• showing evidence of filling a need within the organization or discipline
• evidence of individual's need and detailed description of adverse circumstances

Application Process

Submit only one application per requesting individual or organization. Completed application consists of:

1) Completed online application. 

2) Supplemental Material (required) - up to 5 attachments can be uploaded with your electronic application. If you have work samples on the web, you may include urls in your grant narrative or in an attached document.

Suggested attachments (hardcopy support materials will not be accepted):

• Visual artists: include up to 5 images of your work
• Writers and poets: include up to 5 examples/excerpts of your work
• Film/media or performing artists – urls for about 3 minutes of your work
• Professional profiles of key project participants – not to exceed two pages total
• Letter(s) of intent if applicable from key collaborator(s)
• Letters of recommendation, reviews or promotional pieces that support the project, and/or the ability to complete the project
• Equipment purchase: may include photo and specs from online retailer

All proposals must be submitted electronically using the Martha Kate Thomas Fund for Artists Grant Proposal Form on the BCAA website. Completed applications will be reviewed as they are submitted and the form will go offline when the funds have been expended.

Acknowledgement

When appropriate (e.g. the grant is not to address personal circumstances) we expect grantees will include the BCAA logo on their websites and social media acknowledging that the program, purchase or organization is supported in part by Boulder County Arts Alliance. You can find the logo here. 

Questions

For additional information about the Martha Kate Thomas Fund for Artists grants and tips for submitting a successful proposal, email info@bouldercountyarts.org