Criteria and Review Process

Our RFPs are open to both 501(c)(3) organizations and individual artists.

• Artists and collectives that are not 501(c)(3)s must apply under a fiscal sponsor that is a 501(c)(3) organization

• All artistic disciplines will be considered, including cross-disciplinary work

• Projects must incorporate the arts in an integral way

• Projects must highlight women’s and gender-expansive people’s leadership and/or central role

• Projects must demonstrate a commitment to NYC-based communities (Please note that we have made grants outside of this geographic scope to projects of exceptional merit)

• Grants must be applied to specific projects and cannot support the organization’s ongoing programs, operations, capital or endowments

• Applicants can be at any stage in their careers but must have a track record of developed work that demonstrates their capacity to complete the proposed project and manage the funds requested

• Proposals must make a clear case for the theory of social justice change envisioned by the project, based on the applicants’ own criteria for defining and measuring impact

You’ll be asked to provide:

• A short description of your project (max 100 words)

• A long description of your project (max 300 words)

• A short description of your vision for how your project will have a social impact (max 300 words)

• A description for how community members will access and/or participate (max 300 words)

• Project activities and timeline

• Project budget for the project you are applying for (including existing and pending sources of funding)

• Short bios or CVs of core partners

• If you are a 501(c)3 nonprofit, a copy of your organizational budget for the latest fiscal year

• If you have a fiscal sponsor, a copy of an agreement letter between you and your fiscal sponsor and the fiscal sponsor’s organizational budget for the latest fiscal year

Applications are reviewed by the AWGC steering committee which selects a shortlist of finalists. We then encourage our broader donor community to vote via online ballot on this shortlist and make our final decision once the ballots are in.

Note: In the interest of fairness and transparency, if you have made a donation in the year that you are also an applicant, you will not be able to vote via online ballot.