This grant could support your program's socially conscious art project

The Puffin Foundation West seeks to open the doors of artistic expression by providing grants to artists and voices often excluded from mainstream opportunities due to race, gender, or social philosophy. To achieve that goal, the organization offers grants for arts projects that discuss a wide range of social and civil justice issues. 

A grant from Puffin Foundation West could provide valuable support to an afterschool program seeking to inform the local community about an important issue through the arts. Issues that could be addressed include food insecurity, peace, prisons, discrimination, race, culture, sexual orientation, trafficking, global warming, environmental protection, nuclear proliferation, poverty, gender issues, racial profiling, immigration, bullying, violence in schools, homelessness, gun control, animal rights, and more.

2016 Puffin grantees included the following:

• ArtSparks is a nonprofit that sends professional teams of dance instructors and musicians to work with 900 third grade students in the Cuyahoga Falls and Barberton City, Ohio school districts.
• The Massachusetts Clubhouse Coalition’s (MCC) Changing Minds Campaign raises positive visibility of the accomplishments of people who have mental illness. Each year, the MCC holds a celebration at the Massachusetts State House in Boston to recognize companies for taking action to diversify their workforce by hiring people who have mental illness.
• Columbus Dance Theatre offers full or partial scholarship classes to young men and boys in central Ohio, in an effort to encourage the development of men in dance. Classes consist of ballet, fitness training, modern dance, jazz, partnering, and repertoire.
• Play Us Forward seeks to overcome the socioeconomic barriers in learning how to play the violin by providing instruction and instruments at no cost to the student or student’s family.

You can find the full list of grantees on the Puffin Foundation West website. You must be a permanent resident or citizen of the United States to be eligible for the award, and must be applying for a project in the United States.

Frequently asked questions about the grants

1. When are proposals due?

Apply by December 16, 2016 to be considered for this year’s award. 

2. What are the sizes of the grants?

Average grants range from $550 – $2,500.

3. How long will it take to review a proposal?

Puffin Foundation West will start notifying applicants in mid-January. All applicants should hear about the status of their proposal by the end of May.

4. What’s the most important thing the Foundation is looking for in a proposal?

The Foundation uses many criteria to judge proposals, including the dollar amount of the request, whether the applicant is well established in their field, and who will be exposed to the end product.

Find additional FAQs directly from Puffin Foundation West.