Initiated in 2003, the Foundation offers a special grant program designed to:

• Foster creativity in Greater Hartford by supporting local artists in the creation of new work
• Foster collaborations between artists and arts organizations that benefit the artist, the organization and the community
• Further the Foundation’s mission to support and encourage excellence in the arts in Hartford and the immediately surrounding community

We hope this special program will provide greater support for artists in the Greater Hartford community and that the community as a whole will benefit from the resulting new work.

Grant Guidelines

Projects under the Creation of New Work Initiative must involve collaboration between an artist or artists and an arts organization. A specific artist or artists must be named in the request. Residencies (in which the artist works on-site over a period of time) and commissions (in which the artist may work on his or her own) will be considered.

Projects in which the organization’s own artistic director or staff creates the new work are not eligible under the Creation of New Work Initiative but are eligible under the Foundation’s regular grant making program.

CNW is designed to support local artists. To be eligible, artists must primarily live or work on their art in:

Avon	Manchester
Berlin	New Britain
Bloomfield	Newington
East Granby	Rocky Hill
East Hartford	Simsbury
East Windsor	South Windsor
Ellington	Vernon
Farmington	West Hartford
Glastonbury	Wethersfield
Hartford	Windsor
	Windsor Locks

For 2012, only artists working in the following genres will be considered:

• Visual art
• Video/film

Sponsoring organizations are not restricted by their primary genre. For example, a theater company may apply for a CNW grant in 2012 if the resulting work is visual art or video/film.

Artist must complete their project within 24 months of the grant award. Projects must begin after January 1, 2013. The performance or exhibition must take place by December 31, 2014

The organization will be required to submit brief status reports every three months until the project is completed.

The result of the collaboration must be new work that is either performed or exhibited for the community. Whether the performance or exhibition is free or ticketed is at the discretion of the organization.

Should additional funds be necessary for the presentation of the resulting work, please contact the Executive Director to discuss options before submitting your application.

Sponsoring organizations may apply for a CNW grant in consecutive years. However, if the organization received a CNW award previously, the project funded by that award must be completed prior to a new grant submission. Artists may not apply for a CNW grant in consecutive years.

Criteria for selection: Projects are judged on the following criteria:

• artistic excellence and potential of the project to advance the artist(s)'s work
• quality of the collaboration between the artist(s) and the organization
• potential impact on the benefit to the community

The organization must demonstrate a clear plan for working with the artist(s) and be able to articulate the project’s benefit to the organization and the community.

The sponsoring organization and artist must submit a post-grant report within six months of the close of the project.

Who May Apply:

• 501(c)(3) arts organizations in the Foundation’s geographic giving area. The Foundation gives priority to requests from organization is the following cities and towns in Connecticut: Hartford, Bloomfield, East Hartford, Newington, West Hartford, Wethersfield and Windsor.
• Artists may not apply directly to the Foundation but must seek out a partnering organization in the Foundation’s geographic giving area.
• Organizations may apply for the Creation of New Work Initiative and to the Foundation’s regular grant making program within a twelve-month period.

Application (Please read carefully and completely)

Applications must be submitted by email by 5:00pm on September 4, 2012. Work samples may be submitted on a CD or DVD and mailed to our P.O. Box or hand delivered to the office. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.

Your email must include the following attachments in PDF form and named as specified below:

• Your Organization Name Cover Letter - The cover letter must clearly state that the request is for the Creation of New Work Initiative, summarize the core artistic idea of the project, state the amount requested and when it is needed. It must be signed by the Executive Director or Board President of the sponsoring organization.
• Your Organization Name Narrative - The description of the project must be as complete, specific and concise as possible and not exceed three (3) pages. It should include the following information:
  • A brief description of the organization, its history, mission, current activities, population the organization services and governance (including the frequency of board meeting and record of attendance.)
  • Your organization’s definition of artistic excellence. How do both your organization and the proposed project meet that definition?
  • A description of the proposed project – detail the core artistic concept of the project, provide detailed information on the artist(s) and the design of the collaboration including a timeline for the project, key personnel directly involved and where it will take place. Also include:
    • A description of the goals for the organization in undertaking this project
    • An artist’s statement in which the artist describes his or her goals and vision for the project and describes how the project will advance his or her work
    • A description of the anticipated result of the collaboration and how it will be presented to the public
    • An explanation of how this project fits into the larger context of the organization. What is the anticipated impact on the organization? On the artist? On the community?
    • How much funding is desired and when will it be needed?
    • How will the project be marketed and evaluated?
  • The project budget should include and artist(s)’s materials and production costs as well as the artist(s)’s honorarium and the organization’s costs. Generally, the organization may allocate up to $5,000 of a $15,000 grant (or a proportionate amount for a smaller request) towards oversight, installation and marketing of the project. If this formula does not fit the project, please contact the Executive Director to discuss. If the total project budget exceeds $15,000 please provide a list of sources and amounts of grants being sought. Identify their status.
• Attachments
  • Your Organization Name Organizational Last Year Operational Budget: showing budget and final figures for the last completed fiscal year
  • Your Organization Name Current Organizational Budget: year-to-date figures for the current fiscal year
  • Your Organization Name Operational Budget: for the year in which the project will take place.
  • Your Organization Name Financial Statement: most recent annual financial statement (audited, if available)
  • Your Organization Name Board List: a list of officers and board members with titles and addresses
  • Your Organization Name 501(c)(3) designation letter
  • Your Organization Name Annual Report (you may also mail 5 copies of your annual report to our P.O. Box or deliver them to our street address.)

Please note: organizations that have already applied for a grant in 2012 do not need to supply all the attachments listed above. However, please include a current balance sheet and your most recent financial audit or annual report, if updated since your 2012 grant submission.

Your proposal should also include the following attachments:

• Artist(s)’s curriculum vitae (should include artist(s)'s website URL)
• Artist(s)’s statement (may be integrated into the narrative)
• Work samples can be submitted on a CD or DVD by mail or delivered to the office address either postmarked or delivered by 5:00pm on September 4, 2012.

A curriculum vitae, artist’s statement, work samples and any other concise information are vital to the review process, but please keep samples to a minimum. Work samples should relate as closely as possible to the proposed project and show that the artist has the ability to execute the project. The project should in some way advance the artist’s work.

Review Process

Requests are reviewed in a three-step process. In the first round, applications will be reviewed to determine if they reflect the goals of the Creation of New Work Initiative. Eligible applications are then forwarded to a jury for review. Jury members typically include previous CNW awardees and arts leaders in the community. Finally, the jury’s recommendation is submitted to the full Foundation board for a final decision on December 11, 2012.

Timeline

September 4, 2012	Grant applications due for Visual Art or Video/Film
November 1, 2012	Applicants notified if submission will be reviewed by jury
December 14, 2012	Applicants notified of board's decision
January 1, 2013	Grant period starts; grant award is forwarded to arts organization
December 31, 2014	Grant period ends; project must be completed, exhibited/performed
July 1, 2015	Post-grant report due

Contact Information:

Lisa M. Curran
Executive Director
Tel: (860) 233-0228
Fax: (860) 236-0228
E-mail: edwannroberts@att.net

Mailing address:

U.S. Postal Service will not deliver to the street address.

Edward C. and Ann T. Roberts Foundation
P.O. Box 271588
West Hartford, CT 06127-1588

Deliveries and FedEx, UPS: