National Performance Network’s Southern Artists for Social Change program ($25,000 grants)

Deadline: July 29, 2022

NPN’s Southern Artists for Social Change envisions a world in which people of color living, working, and organizing for community change in the South have the power, resources, and opportunities to thrive. NPN’s mission is to contribute to a more just and equitable world by building artists’ power; advancing racial and cultural justice in the arts; fostering relationships between individuals, institutions, and communities; and working toward systems change in arts and philanthropy.

Eligibility

Artists and culture bearers who identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or people of color (BIPOC) living, working, and engaging in social change in Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
Artists and culture bearers with demonstrated practice in any discipline.
Individual artists as well as artist collectives may apply. Artist collectives must have a demonstrated history of creating new work collectively for at least two years.
Applicants must be 18 years of age or older by application deadline.
Applicants must be AL, LA, or MS residents for at least five consecutive years at the time of both application and payment and must provide a valid state ID.
Projects should demonstrate a civic practice process to (1) identify specific community challenges or needs, (2) imagine a different future for the community, and (3) practice, test, or design approaches toward that future that center racial justice.
While projects may be artist-driven, projects should include at least two community members (individuals, agencies, organizations) as collaborators who share in decision-making, shaping the project and project outcomes.
Grants may support any phase of a project (research, development, production, etc.), including new initiatives or ongoing work, and a portion of funding should directly support the artist(s).

Not eligible at this time:

Nonprofit organizations
2020, 2021, or 2022 NPN Creation Fund Recipients
Artists who are high school students, or who are college or graduate students enrolled in a degree-granting program, at the time of application or during the period of the grant
Current NPN staff, board of directors, or panelists
Curators and researchers

Benefits

$25,000 grants per project for one year
Grantees must be available for an orientation session and participate throughout the 2021–2022 grant period in cohort meetings and other gatherings.
A select set of grantees may have the opportunity for a Participatory Action Research (PAR) component that focuses on a grantee project, in collaboration with the Highlander Research and Education Center.