Hope Corps Grant

Hope Corps Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: City of Seattle: Office of Arts & Culture
Amount: US $5,000 - US $50,000
Last Updated: November 01, 2024

Summary

The Hope Corps Grant, initiated by the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, aims to revitalize Seattle’s creative workforce post-COVID-19 by funding projects that engage local artists and cultural producers. With grants ranging from $5,000 to $50,000, the program supports unique, community-driven projects that activate downtown neighborhoods, promote public engagement, and uplift diverse narratives. This initiative seeks to create job opportunities and enhance the cultural vibrancy of Seattle’s downtown, fostering inclusivity and resilience.

Overview

About The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS) invites individual artists, cultural producers, arts administrators, and creative workers, small community groups, and arts and cultural organizations of all sizes to apply to participate in Hope Corps by proposing project concepts that: generate career opportunities for the local creative workforce, and contribute to the wellbeing and resiliency of Seattle’s downtown community by activating its neighborhoods with community-driven projects, events, performances, and more. Envisioned as an economic recovery program for Seattle’s creative workforce, Hope Corps seeks to connect under- and unemployed artists and creative workers with career opportunities that benefit the public. The Hope Corps program is part of Mayor Bruce Harrell’s Downtown Activation Plan. Funding will go towards projects that employ creative workers through activations that uplift stories and audiences from historically unserved and/or underserved communities representing Seattle’s diversity in downtown neighborhoods: BelltownChinatown-International DistrictCentral DowntownDenny TrianglePioneer SquareStadium District Proposed projects should be unique events or activations, taking place in street-level, accessible, outdoor or otherwise publicly visible spaces that provide engaging experiences for the public and bring audiences downtown. Grant Purpose The creative sector is still recovering from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and many artists and creative workers continue to experience inconsistent employment. ARTS introduced Hope Corps in 2021, and thanks to renewed funding each year, the program has put well over 200 artists to work through more than 60 projects. A few examples of funded projects include free arts and cultural workshops, community stories told through many artistic mediums, and murals painted by local artists throughout the city. The program’s funding aligns Hope Corps objectives with Mayor Bruce Harrell’s Downtown Activation Plan. The plan’s purpose is to stabilize and transform Downtown into a place where residents, workers, and visitors want to spend time. Downtown Activation Plan Goals: Make Downtown safe and welcoming.Transform Downtown into a lively neighborhood where more people can afford to live.Create a unique Downtown retail experience.Make Downtown a place where people want to work and that reflects the future of our economy.Celebrate Downtown Seattle’s arts, culture, sports, and entertainment.Make Downtown a top destination for Seattleites and visitors year-round.Create a healthy, resilient, and green Downtown. Through Hope Corps, ARTS will support local artists and creative professionals to bring their ideas to life, while celebrating Downtown Seattle as a welcoming destination full of arts and cultural offerings for all to enjoy. In addition to gaining work opportunities, Hope Corps awardees will benefit from being part of a Community of Practice, with regular convenings offering workshops, networking, and ways to share their work. Focus Areas Projects should address one or more of the following focus areas: Seattle is THRIVING - Creating a New Narrative for Downtown Seattle: Why do you love Seattle? What helps you feel safe in your community? What is the history of this place? What has Seattle survived? How is Seattle changing? What makes you proud to be a Seattleite? What do you want to see in Seattle’s future?Placemaking, Place-keeping and Belonging: Who belongs in Seattle’s Downtown? Who belongs on Indigenous land? How do we live in community with our unhoused neighbors? Who has been excluded from opportunity in Seattle’s Downtown neighborhoods? How do the arts make our Downtown unique?Climate and Water Justice: How do water and the natural environment shape our city? How do Seattleites relate to nature? How do Seattle’s residents steward the ecology around us? How can we create a healthy, resilient, and green Downtown? How can our city create a just, sustainable future? Project Concept Examples We want to see your innovative ideas! Feel free to be experimental and propose something that Hope Corps could help you launch or reimagine an existing project to address Downtown activation goals and Hope Corps focus areas. This is designed as a one-time funding opportunity. Free performances and arts activations that engage the publicFree art workshops, lessons, or presentations at community gathering placesLiterary showcase eventsCraft markets with artist vendorsBlock partiesCultural festivalsParadesWalking and biking art toursImmersive experiencesA temporary installation that is on display for at least 3 month Note: funding is not limited to these examples as long as the proposed project meets the eligibility criteria. Funding Grants range from $5,000 - $50,000 to support creative worker wages and project expenses. You may use the award funds for artist fees, marketing and promotional fees, project management and personnel costs, supplies, equipment rentals or other production-related costs, required insurance, and no more than 10% for food-related costs. Please use the following framework as a guide for requesting funding amounts. These numbers are not requirements but should be used to help determine the scale of your project and your funding request. $5,000-10,000 / Small activations – approximately 4-8 hours of public programming, supporting 1-2 creative workers$15,000-30,000 / Medium activations – approximately 12-24 hours of public programming, supporting 3-6 creative workers$35,000-50,000 / Large activations – approximately 28-40 hours of public programming, supporting 7-10 creative workers

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. You are eligible to apply for Hope Corps funding if you and your proposed activation project meet the following criteria:You are an individual artist, organization, or community-based group located in, or presenting work regularly in, Seattle.Organizations and individual artists representing communities most impacted by systemic oppression including low-income, people with disabilities, immigrant and refugee communities, and communities of color are encouraged to apply.Your activation project must occur between dates listed in guidelines.Your activation project and its associated public benefit must take place in Downtown Seattle within the identified Downtown Activation Plan boundary:BelltownChinatown-International DistrictCentral DowntownDenny TrianglePioneer SquareStadium DistrictYour activation project must address one or more of the three focus areas of this program. Your activation project must be promoted and made accessible to the general public – Seattle residents, workers, and visitors – to attend. This includes a free attendance option and accessibility for people who primarily speak languages other than English and people with disabilities. Your activation project must pay each creative worker a living wage, whether through wages, stipends, or contract payments. We define a living wage as $32 per hour or more (this may vary for youth and students).Your activation project may have a virtual component, but it must be primarily an in- person experience.If your activation project is a temporary art installation, it must be displayed for at least 3 months.

Ineligibility

The following are not eligible for funding:Permanent installations and mural projectsCapital improvement projectsReligious servicesFundraisers or private events