Eligibility Requirements for Organizations PDF Print E-mail
  • You must be an organization in Alameda or Contra Costa County;
  • Commission must be for new works;
  • Commissioned artist(s) must be a Bay Area resident;
  • Organizations must be a 501c3 or have a fiscal sponsor;
  • Exhibition spaces, performance presenters, media and arts organizations may apply.

 

APPLICATION CHECKLIST

  • Application Cover Sheet
  • Narrative (2 pages)
  • Project Budget Page
  • Project Timeline
  • Artist(s) Resume
  • Statement from Artist(s) (1 page)
  • Organizational Budget for Current and Previous Year
  • Artist Work Sample with Written Description
  • Letter of Commitment from your Presenting Venue
  • California Cultural Data Project Funder Report for the East Bay Community Foundation, generated by the applicant from the California CDP Web site

 

APPLICATION INFORMATION

Please email proposal and attachments to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Applications MUST contain all elements before they will be reviewed by the panel.

I. Application Cover Sheet

II. Narrative responding to the questions below (2 pages)
Please respond to the following questions in your narrative pages:

  • a. What are you proposing to commission?
  • b. Who is the artist(s)? What is the concept?
  • c. How will this work fit or depart from the regular work of your organization?
  • d. How did you choose this artist(s)?
  • e. What supports do you have for the artist(s) through the commissioning process beyond their commissioning fee?
  • f. How do you plan to make your match?
  • g. If this is a piece of visual art, who will own it?
  • h. We require that there is a public presentation of the work in the East Bay.

 

III. Project Budget

  • a. What do you estimate is the full cost for the commissioning? (give us a basic budget)
  • b. Include expenses and projected/committed income
  • c. EBFA funds may be allocated to artists’ fees only

 

IV. Please attach a resume of the artists(s)

V. Statement from Artist(s) (1 page each)

  • a. Provide a one-page statement from the artist explaining the work being commissioned.

 

VI. Organizational Budget

  • a. Please provide this year’s and last year’s organizational budget.

 

VII. Artists' Work Sample

  • a. Please submit appropriate samples accompanied with a description of the artist(s)’ work, along with relevant work samples from any supporting artist(s).
  • b. Music and video must be queued to no more than 3 minutes.
  • c. Please send photos via PowerPoint with one photo per slide.

 

GRANT SIZE

Grants from EBFA range from $1,000-$10,000 (all grants must be matched with new individual donor contributions on a 1-to-1 basis). One of the goals of this program is to help you deepen and expand your donor base. We encourage you to reach out to new donors and encouraging existing donors to give beyond their historical gifts. We would prefer to see greater numbers of donors at small levels, rather than a single donor supporting the project. If you have questions about your matching process, please contact us. We are happy to discuss your plan in greater detail than is required for your application.

OTHER INFORMATION

You may have multiple donors for the piece, but we will not match government, corporate* or foundation funding. We are looking to support commissioning at every level of the art eco-system, so feel free to share this with small ethnic arts groups that may not have a formal structure.

* Local/neighborhood small business support is acceptable.

HOW TO APPLY

Please email proposal and attachments to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Only work samples, which must be postmarked by the deadline, will be accepted via mail:

East Bay Community Foundation
Attn: East Bay Fund for Artists
200 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza
Oakland, CA 94612

EBFA REVIEW PROCESS

The deadline for the next round of grants is July 25, 2012 (midnight).

A panel will review proposals and staff will contact applicants as needed. Applicants can expect notification of decisions by September 2012.

Organizations will have 90 days from the notification date to secure match funding.

 

* Funds for the EBFA come from the Ford Foundation’s LINC Initiative, The James Irvine Foundation, The Surdna Foundation, The Wattis Foundation, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the East Bay Community Foundation and our generous individual donors.