Funding Opportunity for Lowell Artists: Application Deadline April 21, 2011
Information Session: Thursday April 14th 6:30pm at ALL Gallery
Assets for Artists, a program aimed at helping artists throughout Massachusetts who wish to become home owners and/or strengthen their creative businesses, is inviting new applications for 2011 with a special focus on Lowell artists.
Grants of up to $4,000 for artists seeking to become first-time home buyers and $1,500 for artists who wish to make business-related investments will be available for low- to moderate-income artists (all disciplines encouraged to apply). The program provides financial support through “individual development accounts,” a financial tool that provides an incentive “match” for the participant’s own savings over a period of 6 – 30 months. Bonus matching funds of $1,000 are available to select artists who opt to pursue a $500 online crowdfunding campaign to help fund their match.
Click here to download the pre-application form, due Thursday, April 21, 2011. For more information on eligibility for the Assets for Artists program and the services to be offered, review the pre-application form and attend the upcoming information session on Thursday April 14th at 6:30pm at ALL Gallery, 22 Shattuck Street, Lowell. Profiles of past participants are available at www.assetsforartists.org, and a detailed overview of the Assets for Artists program was printed in Berkshire Trade & Commerce newspaper and may be downloaded here. If you have any questions about the pre-application process or the program in general, contact Blair Benjamin at MASS MoCA 413-664-4481 x8104 or assets4artists@gmail.com).
Assets for Artists is a partnership between the Cultural Organization of Lowell (www.cultureiscool.org), MASS MoCA (www.massmoca.org), the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center Network (www.msbdc.org), the Midas Collaborative (www.massassets.org), and local partners in other communities, with funding for slots for Lowell artists from the federal Assets for Independence program, the Cultural Organization of Lowell, and the Massachusetts Cultural Council (www.massculturalcouncil.org).
If you need a disability-related accommodation for the information session, please contact COOL at 978 446 7162 before April 7.