COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Greater Columbus Arts Council (GCAC) is recruiting central Ohio residents to participate in reviewing the second round of 2024 Artist Projects grants as part of its Community Grantmaking initiative.
Anyone interested in participating should fill out a short form, which can be found on the Community Grantmaking page on GCAC’s Website www.gcac.org/communityreviewprocess.
More than 150 community reviewers participated in the first round review on May 4. Reviewers were artists, educators, art fans and community leaders. They worked in small groups;each group reviewed, discussed and scored four to five applications. Later that month GCAC awarded $562,005 in grants to 49 artists based on the community reviewers’ recommendations. Round two of Artist Projects grants is budgeted to distribute another $560,000.
Reviewers who participated in the first round of Community Grantmaking are welcome to return to round two and should fill out the form at www.gcac.org/communityreviewprocess.About Community Grantmaking
Starting in 2024, the new Artist Projects program and GCAC’s existing Project Support grant program will be awarded through a pilot community-based review process.
For Artist Projects, any member of the public can sign up to be a reviewer by submitting a short form indicating interest by Sept. 5. Community reviewers must agree to participate in mandatory training and come together for an in-person review day. GCAC staff will train reviewers and guide logistics; however, scores and recommendations for funding will come from the community reviewers, not GCAC staff or board. Artists applying for the grants are invited to participate as a community reviewer for applications from other applicants.
Applications will be assessed on the compelling nature of the project; the evidence of a solid plan for completion; creativity and artistic vision; and the benefit to the public who will engage with the completed art.
Community grantmaking is an important step in GCAC’s equity work and its commitment to collective decision-making. Though new to GCAC, community grantmaking has been in use for decades across the globe and is a tool to shift power dynamics inherent within funding environments. Power is transferred to the community to reflect the many perspectives, identities and interests of our diverse community. Community grantmaking also demystifies the grantmaking process, with the intention of making more artists and groups more comfortable with applying for funding.
Currently only the two project-based grants programs will utilize the community-based review process. Other models used for grants and fellowships include noncompetitive/eligibility-based reviews, board and staff committee reviews, and national expert-led jury reviews.
To learn more about the community-based grantmaking process and to apply to be a community reviewer, visit www.gcac.org/communityreviewprocess.
The public can learn more about the general process of community or participatory grantmaking here: learningforfunders.candid.org/content-series/participatory-grantmaking.
Mission of the Greater Columbus Arts Council: To support and advance the arts and cultural fabric of Columbus. www.gcac.org
The Greater Columbus Arts Council receives major financial support from the City of Columbus, Franklin County Commissioners, the Ohio Arts Council and The Ohio State University.
For translations of this release and other pages, please see the dropdown menu at the top right corner of gcac.org.
CONTACT: Jami Goldstein
(614) 221-8492
jgoldstein@gcac.org
