Creative Capital

OUR PROGRAM

 “Creative Capital’s support, services and connections have been invaluable for myself as an artist and for the project.”
- Matthew Moore, 2008 Visual Arts grantee

Since its founding in 1999, Creative Capital has committed nearly $25 million in financial and advisory support to 372 projects representing 463 artists, and has reached an additional 4,000 artists through its Professional Development Program.

who we support

Creative Capital provides integrated financial and advisory support to artists pursuing adventurous projects in five disciplines: Emerging Fields, Film/Video, Literature, Performing Arts and Visual Arts. Acting as a catalyst for the development of exceptional and imaginative ideas, we support artists whose work is provocative, timely and relevant; who are deeply engaged with their art forms and demonstrate a rigorous commitment to their craft, yet are also boldly original and push the boundaries of their genre; who create artistically omnivorous work that carries the potential to reshape the cultural landscape.

With a commitment to freedom of expression and to furthering the most innovative ideas in the field, we often support projects that other foundations and organizations might initially overlook. To learn more about the type of work we support, please visit our grantee project pages.

what makes us different

Creative Capital is the only national grantmaking organization with an open application process that supports individual artists across all disciplines. Unlike most grantmaking organizations, Creative Capital makes a multi-year commitment to its grantees, providing them with tailored financial and advisory support to enable their project’s success while building their capacity to sustain their careers. In its pioneering model of support, Creative Capital confronts the realities that working artists face in increasingly challenging times by offering career-, community- and confidence-building tools to enhance capacity for creative and professional success.

Our grants are valued at up to $90,000. For each project, we offer up to $50,000 in award monies (direct funding) and an additional suite of career development services valued at $40,000, making the Creative Capital grant one of the most generous awards in the arts.

Working in long-term partnership with artists, Creative Capital’s unique approach to support adapts to the fluid trajectory of the creative process. We provide funding and services over the course of each project, often working with artists from three to five years.

how we do it: the grant cycle 

Creative Capital follows a three-year grant cycle: In the first year, we issue grants in Visual Arts and Film/Video. The following year, we award grants in Performing Arts, Emerging Fields and Literature. In the third year, we do not issue additional grants; rather, we invest in the continued support of funded projects, focusing on tracking progress, seeing projects to successful completion and assisting with future opportunities.

how we do it: the selection process 

Creative Capital is proud to be one of the only national organizations funding all artistic disciplines through an open call rather than a closed nomination system. Our selection process includes three steps: inquiry, application and panel review. Click here to learn more about this process.

Decisions are based on the artistic strength and vision of the proposed project, the professional capabilities of the applicant, the feasibility of the initiative and the likelihood that the artist would benefit from participating in the Creative Capital process. After selections are finalized and announced, grantees begin to participate in our four-part system of support.

The selection committees consist of more than 100 recommenders, readers, evaluators and panelists. Recommenders suggest artists and artist organizations in their geographic region to notify about the upcoming grant round. Readers review and score letters of inquiry to help determine which artists will be invited to submit a full application that includes work samples. Evaluators review, score and rank applications to help determine which artists will advance to the panel round. Panelists review applications, view work samples and vote to determine a final docket of projects to recommend to the Creative Capital Board. For a list of selection committees please visit past grant rounds.

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