The Idea Fund, which in Houston operates as a re-granting program administered by DiverseWorks with partners Aurora Picture Show and Project Row Houses, has announced Round 14 funding for 2021 projects from individual artists and artist collectives. Funded by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Round 14 of the grant initiative has been reimagined as an opportunity to support artist-driven projects that emphasize cultural and social equity.
The application submission deadline is Monday, November 16. Twelve visual arts projects will be granted $5,000 each. Projects must be “community-driven, collaborative, or social practice-based initiatives that contribute to local activism and movement-building through the arts in the Greater Houston Area.”
“This year’s Idea Fund seeks to support new projects developed by Black, Indigenous, and POC artists and encourages creative projects that raise awareness of local social and cultural issues, including, but not limited to anti-racism and systemic change in the arts, reparations, decolonization, Black Lives Matter, civil rights, and more,” according to a release from the Idea Fund.
The dual function of the Round 14 funds is to serve as COVID-19 pandemic relief, and support for equity and representation in the arts in Houston. The project-based funds encourage artists to consider production cost as well as their own needs and the needs of their community and potential collaborators.
The Idea Fund will hold three online information sessions: Monday, September 28, at 6 PM; Wednesday, October 14, at 2 PM; and Tuesday, November 10, at 4 PM — all via Zoom, with registration required.
For more information about the Idea Fund’s Round 14 grants and eligibility guidelines, please visit the website here.