Creative County Initiative Last Mile Fund Grant

Funding for the arts is more critical now than ever before

Public art brings people together. Sharing diverse cultures paves the way for understanding, civic discourse and collective problem solving. The Creative County suite of grantmaking programs helps ensure that local artists, nonprofits and creative collaborations have equitable access to funding so together we can:

• Deepen engagement and investment in the creative sector.
• Enhance the visibility, reputation and new funding avenues for the arts.
• Inspire collaborative placemaking and public art projects by providing tools, templates and best practices.
• Increase capacity for cross-sector work and leadership development.

Overview

The Essex County Community Foundation's (ECCF) Creative County Initiative (CCI) is pleased to host the 2025 Last Mile Fund, a rolling grant program intended to provide artists with greater access to economic and professional development opportunities whose access to resources is otherwise limited.

This grant is ideal for those:

• with an upcoming project within the 2025 calendar year,
• seeking professional development, or
• needing resources to achieve a specific creative objective

The Last Mile Fund supports artists by:

• broadening access to professional resources,
• strengthening creative capacity,
• enabling artistic goals, and
• fostering a role in the creative economy

Examples of funded needs include:

• Supplies or equipment needed to complete a project
• Entry fees to a film festival, poetry contest, or vendor opportunity
• 1:1 sessions with a professional business and marketing coach
• Registration fees for professional development workshops/classes
• Studio fees to record music
• Travel costs to participate in a performance

Eligibility

_You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website._

• Individual artists and orgs/groups who live and/or work in Essex County and create with any medium are eligible to apply.
• Applicants may only submit one \[1\] proposal to one \[1\] CCI grant program per calendar year.
• The Last Mile Fund is a needs-based program that will provide grants of up to $500.

Ineligibility

• General cost of living expenses such as rent or utilities