EL Cultural Arts Grant

EL Cultural Arts Grant

The East Lansing Arts Commission is currently accepting a second round of applications for its fiscal year 2021 (FY21) Cultural Arts Grant program.

The Cultural Art Grant program supports public art projects that promote personal expression as well as public involvement. Emphasis is also placed on the promotion of cultural appreciation of the Black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) and Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersexual and Asexual (LGBTQIA+) communities.

“Commissioners are looking for applications that address each of their criteria points,” East Lansing Arts Festival and Arts Initiative Coordinator Heather Majano said in an email statement. “It must take place in East Lansing, primarily benefit East Lansing residents, have artistic merit and encourage artistic awareness, public participation and/or cultural arts appreciation.”

The commission has up to $17,500 to allocate for the 2021 grant, with roughly half already being allocated in round one. There is currently $8,697 available for round two of the grants.

“Applications with a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion will be looked upon favorably as well as those applications that only request 15% of their budget,” Majano said.

FY21 grant-funded projects and events must take place between Nov. 1, 2020, and June 30, 2021.

Past winners include Community Darkroom 517, which is a public space for collaborative photo development, and “Vivek Vellanki — Passport Photo Project,” a photo project that allowed local immigrants to artistically change their passport photo in any way they liked using art supplies.

The application for the grant can be found at www.cityofeastlansing.com/CulturalArtsGrant. Applications must be submitted by Feb. 21, 2021, to be considered.