UMEZ Cultural Industry Investment Fund (CIIF) - Capacity Building Grants

Geographic Scope: Upper Manhattan (Central Harlem, West Harlem, East Harlem, Washington Heights, and Inwood)

Focus Areas:

• Cultural institutions
• Arts organizations
• Museums
• Performance venues
• Cultural heritage organizations

Eligibility:

• Qualified nonprofit corporations
• Cultural institutions in Upper Manhattan
• Established organizations with demonstrated capacity

What They Fund:

• Capacity building initiatives
• Staff expansion
• Revenue generation programs
• Marketing and fundraising capacity
• Building renovation and expansion
• Programming expansion

Recent Awards:

• Apollo Theater: $1.75 million (December 9, 2016) - Soundstage renovation and programmatic expansion
• The Studio Museum in Harlem: $1 million Capstone grant (January 27, 2017) - Staff and consultant positions for growth phase
• Hispanic Federation (Julia de Burgos Performance and Arts Center): $100,000 (February 13, 2017) - Rental management, fundraising plan, financial planning
• Morris-Jumel Mansion: $156,000 (February 15, 2017) - Additional staff for expanded attendance and revenue growth
• Museum of the City of New York: $268,341 (February 2020) - Capacity building and revenue generation initiatives

Investment Strategy:

• Encourages long-term stability for cultural organizations
• Leverages strengths of Upper Manhattan's nonprofit organizations
• Generates job creation, tourism, and economic activity
• Strengthens capacity to nurture new cultural legacies

Contact Information:

• Email: info@umez.org
• Phone: (212) 410-0030
• Address: 55 West 125th Street, New York, NY 10027