CERF: Artist Get Ready Grant

The CERF: Artist Get Ready Grant offers up to $1,000 to craft artists for safeguarding their studios and preparing for emergencies. Priority is given to underrepresented artists, including BIPOC and folk/traditional artists. Eligible activities encompass studio safety upgrades and disaster readiness. Applicants must be 18 years or older, residing in the U.S. for two years, and not have received this grant in the previous year. Funds must be used within six months, with outcomes documented for CERF+.

CERF+ offers Get Ready Grants, providing craft artists with grants up to $1,000 for activities to safeguard their studios, protect their practices, and prepare for emergencies. Priority is given to applicants that have been underrepresented in the craft community including BIPOC and folk/traditional artists.
Eligible activities include studio safeguards, emergency/disaster readiness, business protection and support, and practice protection. To qualify for a Get Ready Grant, applicants need to be craft artists who are 18 years of age or older. They must have been living and working in the U.S. or U.S. Territories for the past two years. Additionally, they should not have received a Get Ready Grant in the previous year.
Grant funds must be utilized within six months and recipients must document and share project outcomes with CERF+.
Eligible Activities
Examples of eligible activities include:

• Studio Safeguards:Safety equipment
• Upgrading studio and/or equipment to improve studio health and safety
• Contractor consulting
• Purchasing safer materials and supplies
• Purchasing a stronger tent, display wall, or weights for participating in outdoor fairsEmergency/Disaster Readiness:Emergency tools, supplies and equipment
• Upgrading studio to reduce disaster risk
• Contractor consulting
• Theft protection measuresBusiness Protection & Support:Documentation and archiving
• Inventory software
• Business planning for continuity and contingencies
• Creating secure business record-keeping systems
• Tutorials or training in e-commerce
• Professional photography of their craft portfolio
• Employing the services of website designers
• Short-term support for childcare to allow studio work timeCareer Protection:Legacy or estate planning
• Financial planning services
• Documentation or digitization of artwork and/or related records
• Legal counsel
• Enrolling in a professional development course or workshop to enhance career protection

CERF+ is equally committed to the preservation of folk and traditional arts, as rooted in, and reflective of, the cultural life of a community.

Eligibility

Who is eligible?Be an artist working in a craft discipline -Craft Discipline means -CERF+ broadly defines eligible artists to include those who create work using historically recognized craft materials such as clay, glass, textiles, wood, metal; as well as those whose work expands on these historical definitions through the incorporation of non-traditional materials, new technologies and experimental approaches.Be 18 years of age or older
Have been residing and working in the U.S. or U.S. Territories for the last two years
Not have received a Get Ready Grant in the previous yearCERF+ serves artists at all stages of their practices and seeks to support people from diverse educational and cultural backgrounds. Eligibility is not determined solely by the amount of money an artist generates from their work and we recognize that many individuals have practices that rely on multiple streams of income and financial support.
Craft objects may be functional or nonfunctional, but both types derive part of their meaning from their association with traditional functional forms such as chairs, vessels, garments or implements, and/or their association with cultural tradition. Qualities that contribute to the success of a craft object include the skill of the maker, the use of the material, the refinement of the design, the originality of expression, its cultural significance – or all of these.

Ineligibility

Ineligible Activities:Art making projects are not eligible for Get Ready Grants. Only projects for safeguarding studios, protecting studios, implementing other safety measures, or business or career protection will be considered eligible.We do not support art practices that include hate speech or hate symbols.