Creative Confluence Fund - Artists

ArtsKC, Charlotte Street, and the Hall Family Foundation are requesting proposals for individual artist-led projects that engage communities in designated areas of the Kansas City region. The opportunity is intended to support a broad range of art forms while connecting artistic work with a particular civic issue in the neighborhood being served. Artists are expected to develop their ideas directly with communities and neighbors and to provide accessible programming in the Historic Northeast Kansas City, Eastside Kansas City, or the specified area of Wyandotte County. Ten individual artists will each receive a $50,000 grant for work conducted over a two-year project period. The program emphasizes artist-led work that combines artistic innovation with community involvement and civic engagement. Selected artists will work with ArtsKC and Charlotte Street in carrying out their projects and will share learning with other awardees through a cohort model, which may also involve arts-engaged organizations. The source does not identify separate allowable or prohibited expense categories, but the full application requires a project budget specifically addressing use of the $50,000 grant. Documentation, evaluation, and/or presentations concerning funded projects will be required. As this is described as a pilot program, selected artists will also participate in data collection and reporting during the grant period. No matching or cost-share requirement is stated. Eligible applicants must be individual artists who are principally located in or serving one of the designated geographic areas: Historic Northeast Kansas City, Eastside Kansas City, or Eastern Wyandotte County. Elsewhere in the source, the Wyandotte County service area is described as Northeast Wyandotte County, creating a geographic wording discrepancy that is not resolved in the supplied information. Applicants must be over 21 years of age and cannot be full-time students enrolled in degree-seeking programs. No additional organizational status, fiscal sponsorship, citizenship, residency, or tax-status requirements are provided in the source. Applications use a two-step process through Submittable. The first stage is an LOI, or Letter of Interest. Applicants must provide a project title and a one-page Letter of Interest describing the proposed project. Instead of a written letter, applicants may provide a three-minute audio response or three-minute video response. Applicants may also submit up to five digital images related to the proposed project or relevant past work. Following review of the LOIs, a finalist pool will be invited to submit the full application and participate in a brief in-person interview with the selection committee. The full application requires a project title, a project budget for the $50,000 grant, a project timeline, responses to six long-answer prompts, and up to ten digital images related to the project or relevant past work. The selection committee will include artists, cultural producers, and local civic leaders familiar with the Kansas City cultural landscape. Applications will be reviewed online and then discussed by the committee in person. Evaluation will consider Artistic Innovation and Scope of Project, Community Involvement and collaborative strategies with neighbors, Feasibility of intended project, and Long-term potential and impact of work. Following finalist interviews, ten artists will be selected. These criteria indicate that applicants should demonstrate both the artistic strength of the proposed work and a credible strategy for involving neighborhood residents and delivering a feasible project with potential for lasting impact. The source states that application materials will be available on Submittable beginning August 12, 2026, while the formal timeline identifies August 14, 2026 as the Applications Open date. The LOI deadline is September 30, 2026. Finalists are scheduled to be notified October 29, 2026, and invited applicants must submit their full applications by November 24, 2026. Jury interviews with finalists are scheduled for January 7-8, 2027, with grant decisions expected in late January 2027. Selected artists must participate in a cohort gathering in February 2027 and complete their projects over a two-year project period. No annual or other recurring application cycle is stated. Selected artists must sign and submit a grant letter and agreement by the required deadline, provide project information for public communications, participate in the February 2027 cohort gathering, and provide timely updates to Charlotte Street, ArtsKC, and the Hall Family Foundation. Recipients are asked to publicly recognize the three funders in promotional materials and programs during their active grant status. Major project changes and changes to the lead artist's contact information must be communicated to Charlotte Street staff in writing. Questions may be directed to Kimberly Kitada at kimberly@charlottestreet.org.

Demonstrate artistic innovation and a well-defined project scope; develop the idea directly with community members and neighbors; show meaningful community involvement and collaborative strategies; demonstrate that the intended project is feasible; explain the work's long-term potential and impact; plan accessible programming in an eligible geographic area.