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Creative Equations fund

 

The Creative Equations Fund is an investment strategy dedicated to arts for social justice. Inspired by artists’ work, peer-funded models, as well as a grassroots legacy of intersectional community empowerment, this initiative is driven by our values around justice, equity, and sustainability.

 

About this Grant

The Creative Equations Fund leverages Brooklyn Arts Council’s 57+ years of grant-making expertise to invest in arts for social justice.   This hyper-local fund supports community-engaged artists, arts-organizations, cultural entrepreneurs, and researchers  who dedicate their creativity to solving social problems.

Grant awards are $10,000 each. The Creative Equations Fund is made possible through the support of the Howard Gilman Foundation and the Mertz Gilmore Foundation.

SOCIAL INNOVATION FELLOWSHIP

The Social Innovation Fellowship is BAC’s new professional development program for creatives and cultural entrepreneurs, where we assert that Brooklyn neighborhoods are the incubators of distinct cultures and practices.

A cohort of artists will receive coaching, training, technical assistance, and additional funding while critiquing and supporting each other to build their individual and collective capacity for transformative change and abundance.

The 6-month pilot is set to begin in April 2024.

GRANTEE HIGHLIGHTS

Photo by Redhawk Staff.

Redhawk Native American Arts Council

Justice, Equity, & Sustainability + Performing Arts | 2022

With CEF funding, Redhawk's staff and board created programs to inspire Native artists, while also building a connection to the Brooklyn community they serve. Funds allowed Redhawk to expand virtual programming to connect and learn from Native peoples from across the country so that they can dialog and discuss the issues of justice, equity, sustainability, and cultural appropriation. CEF funding also assisted in the expansion of Redhawk’s Earth Day Celebration in Sunset Park.

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Vong Pak. Photo by Kana Motojima.

Vong Pak

Cultural Heritage & Diversity + Dance | 2022

Salpuri originates from ancient Korean ritual rite and has been passed down through Korean's vein for thousands of years. This performance reflects the authentic groove of Korean music and core esthetic of Korean dance including the harmony of ga-mu-ack and the dynamic balance of jeong-joong-dong movement. Vong Pak’s Salpuri Dance for Blessing and Peace brought the unique beauty of Korean performing arts to New York with performances by the elder generation of Korean immigrant artists.

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Quetziquetl Angulo Aleman (left) and Sara Gutierrez (right) in QUINCE. Photo by Maria Baranova.

Ellpetha Tsivicos & Camilo Quiroz-Vázquez 

Justice, Equity, & Sustainability + Performing Arts | 2022

QUINCE is a site-specific ritual and celebration of Chicano and LGBTQ+ identities co-created by Camilo Quiroz-Vazquez (writer) and Ellpetha Tsivicos (director). Blending traditional and contemporary art forms of the Mexican-American diaspora, QUINCE immerses its audience in a young, queer Mexican-American girl's navigation of womanhood. The central narrative of QUINCE recreates a Quinceañera - a tradition of the Latinx diaspora that celebrates a girl’s coming-of-age on her 15th birthday.

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2024 Guidelines

The guidelines below apply to all Creative Equations Fund programs. Refer to each specific grant opportunity for funding priorities and additional restrictions.

2024 Application Guidelines

2024 Pautas de aplicación

ELIGIBILITY SELF-CHECK FORM

This 5-minute self-check questionnaire helps you understand eligibility requirements. BAC hopes that this short checklist will allow you to see if you can apply and what you will need to submit.

TAKE SURVEY

2024 APPLICATIONS

BAC’s 2024 applications are now closed.

2024 INFO SESSIONS

Missed something during BAC’s live Info Sessions? Don’t worry! Info sessions are available on-demand.

WATCH NOW: Creative equations fund

WATCH NOW: GRANTS Q&A

TIPS FOR WINNING A BAC GRANT

In this mini-series, we spoke with four Grantees who shared tips on how they scored really high with panelists on certain parts of the BAC grant application.

1) Work Samples, Non-duplication & Narrative with Benjamin Akio
2) Narrative & Community Support with JP Howard
3) Budget & Narrative with Marj Kleinman
4) Work Samples with Yasmin Mistry

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WELLNESS CARE PACKAGE

Wellness practitioners across Brooklyn present mini-motivational demos, workshops, and exercises that calm anxiety, promote courage, and interrupt procrastination and stagnation during the grant application process. Episodes feature Cheryl Walpole-Tiku, Maraliz Campos, Oluadare Bernard, Salomé Egas, and Olaronke Akinmowo.

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BECOME A GRANT PANELIST

BAC’s 2024 applications are now closed.

Want to become involved with Brooklyn Arts Council's grantmaking efforts? We welcome you to become a panelist for our upcoming cycle of grant applications.

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QUESTIONS?

Is your question missing from our F.A.Q. page? Contact our grants department at GRANTS@BROOKLYNARTSCOUNCIL.ORG.