Many independent artists wish to design and accomplish “socially-engaged” projects wherein experience and products are co-created and/or interactive with invited or open participation. DCA’s NEAR/CO-UP residency-based grant programs support artists in providing community-based, participatory projects. NEAR/CO-UP residencies take place in self-selected non-arts venues throughout the City of Los Angeles in order to gather, connect, and inspire audiences with underserved or little exposure to artistic and cultural opportunities. These residency projects engage participants in a series of artist-led workshops that are highly participatory and/or educational, and which match thoughtful and meaningful exchanges with appropriate audiences at host organizations in each City Council District.
NEAR and CO-UP Program Goals
- Supply creative arts resources to neighborhood host/partner organizations in each Council District by providing direct and intimate access to contemporary teaching-artists;
- Sponsor the implementation of participatory multi- session residencies by a spectrum of the City’s most qualified teaching-artists;
- Provide host organizations offering little or no arts programming with opportunities to test or develop new services, and envision the integration of either an artist-employee, a new branch of programs into its core service, or a new collaboration with a local arts-organization; and
- To position arts and creative activities in organizations with little or no arts programming that wish to build opportunities to test or develop new services, and envision the integration of either an artist-employee or a new branch of programs into its core services
Neighborhood Engagement Artist Residency (NEAR) grants
NEAR applicants (freelance, independent artists) should demonstrate their ability to manage community-based programs by providing a business plan for an LA City residency project that includes a minimum of 200 hours of planning and direct service in one council district to include a minimum of eleven (11) workshops consistently attended by approximately 20 participants, and culminating in no less than one public event with at least forty (40) attendees. The proposed business plan should demonstrate the applicant’s ability to provide these services with approximately $12,000 and any optional/match funding the applicants wishes to secure, so that the proposed workshops and culminating event will be free or low-cost to the public. Budgets that suggest matching support are not required, but are welcome when either the applicant or host organization can demonstrate a history of successful fundraising. Highest ranking is given to residency proposals that will bring thematically appropriate projects into non-arts venues, such as social service centers, senior centers, social benefit agencies, community centers, recreation facilities, libraries, youth centers, rehabilitation centers, family resource centers, health care facilities, hotels, malls/business centers, science/research facilities, transit centers and faith-based organizations. In regard to faith-based organizations, note projects DCA does not fund proposals that are primarily religious in nature or intent, unless a special case is made that the proposed artistic services are multi-denominational in nature or intent. Secondary priority is given to residencies taking place in DCA facilities and schools if they supplement the usual activities.
Creative Optimism – Uplifting Promises (CO-UP) grants
CO-UP applicants (social justice nonprofit organizations) will provide a business plan for a LA City residency project that includes a minimum of 200 hours of planning and direct service in one council district to include a minimum of eleven (11) workshops consistently attended by approximately 20 participants, and culminating in no less than one public event with at least forty (40) attendees. The proposed business plan should demonstrate the applicant’s ability to provide these services with a $15,000 budget ( $12,000 allocated to the artist and $3,000 allocated to the social justice nonprofit for administrative costs, and any optional/match funding the applicants wishes to secure), so that the proposed workshops and culminating event will be free or low-cost to the public. Budgets that suggest matching support are not required, but are welcome when either the applicant or host organization can demonstrate a history of successful fundraising. CO-UP Residency grants support collaborations between social justice organizations and teaching-artists in any district of the City of LA. Applications should be submitted by the social justice organization naming the teaching artist proposed for the residency. The teaching-artist should not already be affiliated with the same social justice organization (already employed performing the proposed or other services), as the priority of the CO-UP grant program is to connect freelance artists and social justice organizations for new projects (entirely new or in a pilot phase of less than 4 years). Small artist ensembles can be eligible as named artist-collaborators if the social justice organization is willing to employ 1-3 assistant artists under the direction of a lead artist whose community-based practice has been largely self-developed and remains primarily self-directed.
For all NEAR/CO-UP proposals, a project budget and a prioritized list of the proposed residency(ies) site(s) — one primary choice and up to two secondary choices in the same or different districts – listed by name of venue, address, City Council District, name of venue contact person, and the contact person’s title. In addition, a required attachment of a letter of support from the proposed venue in each of the one to three proposed districts; include no fewer than two letters of support (i.e. one plus one backup) host organization letter are required, as these demonstrate an applicant’s self-initiative to research, plan and coordinate a residency in partnership with an actively involved host organization to benefit a target population within the City of LA. Proposals should be developed with a timeline/work plan that evolves toward project goals. In addition, residency applicants are recommended to plan for approximately 40 hours for grant administration, project marketing, and networking opportunities.
Contracting Information
Selected NEAR and CO-UP applicants will be legally contracted to provide one residency five to eleven sessions of educational and/or participatory workshops culminating in one public presentation. Residency grant funding is disbursed over two installments of 50% of the grant amount, based on the completion of project-specific contract-specified benchmarks, so planning for good personal cash flow and host venue collaboration is essential. DCA will provide NEAR grants for up to 25 separate teaching artists (ideally one in each of the City’s fifteen Council Districts). DCA will provide CO-UP grants for up to 15 social justice organizations that pair with a teaching-artist for a mutually beneficial residency (Note: the overall number of NEAR and CO-UP grants and their contract-amounts will be contingent on DCA’s budget for its upcoming fiscal year)
Demographics and geographic dispersion of Residency grantees:
DCA’s public residency program strives for an equitable distribution of artistic services to the City’s 15 Council Districts. When judging geographic access, panelists are instructed to greatly incentivize services in Council Districts 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11 and/or 12, which historically have been arts-underserved, and mildly incentivize services sited in Council Districts 1, 2, 4, 10, and/or 15 which historically have been moderately arts-underserved. Applicants’ ranking for funding is based on panel score and council districts to be served. In multiple cases each cycle, selected grantees may be asked to move their project to another Council District before commencing services. (Click here for an interactive map of LA City council districts. Confirm whether an address is within LA City boundaries by searching for it in the City’s Neighborhood Info tool)