PROJECT FUNDING GUIDELINES  The Verdant fund will award grants of up to $7,000, to disperse a total of $60,000 per year. This grant is for non-traditional public-facing projects that take place in the state of Alabama, and support visual artists in the State. Verdant Fund supports individual artists, artist-curators, collectives, or collaboratives, so long as the lead artist resides in the State of Alabama. 

Projects this fund seeks to support should be artist-driven and take place outside of traditional venues (museums, galleries, art centers) but have a component that is open to the public or directly engages the local community (i.e. is public-facing). Visual art is our focus. Projects can be interdisciplinary, but we do not support projects in the fields of film, performing arts event making/promotion, music, dance, product design, decorative arts, or architecture without a significant contribution to the visual art field. We recognize that distinctions among genres of art are not always clear and welcome proposals that include contemporary work in various disciplines as long as they are conceptually and formally defined in dialogue with visual art. 

WHAT WE SUPPORT:    

• Visual art interventions in public spaces i.e. murals (temporary or permanent) billboards, digital mapping or wrapping; 
• Site-specific installation in non-art venues or public spaces (temporary or permanent);
• Temporary sculpture; 
• Artist book-making, zines, or short-run publications (so long as some form of free public access is considered); 
• Fiber arts or craft centered projects that engage community or seek to push the field forward; 
• Socially engaged or ‘Civic Practice’ projects that engage communities in direct collaboration to create culturally relevant projects, or visual art concepts;
• Moving Image, or new media work with a foundation in visual arts; 
• Dialog driven practices that contribute to the contemporary art field (podcasts, research projects, critical theory or new forms of art journalism;  
• Experimentation in new mediums; 
• “Non-traditional” creation of space including, but not limited to, unconventional exhibition or program concepts.

WHAT WE DO NOT FUND:   

• Projects tied to an art institution (either for or non-profit) as part of their regular programming; 
• Projects that exist only behind a paywall or with limited invitation or access;
• Documentary or Narrative Film (that doesn’t contribute significantly to the visual art field);
• Projects submitted without a lead artist residing in Alabama;

SELECTION PROCESS: Projects will be selected via a panel of field professionals from both inside and outside the State of Alabama. Projects that meet the above qualification are graded on a rubric for Artistic Merit, Social Relevance, Critical Value, Clarity, Feasibility. Highly graded projects are then selected to prioritize: 

• Under-represented or under-supported artists;
• Need, or likelihood a project will happen without the Verdant Fund; 
• Career impact for artists working in the State;
• Overall Contribution to the field, or artistic lexicon of the State; 
• Impact in underserved communities, or projects that bring arts access to siloed parts of the State;
• Creation of new work, or exploration of new territory in visual arts

Grant Amount: up to $7,000 Geographic Eligibility: The lead artist must reside and hold a permanent address in Alabama.  APPLICATION CLOSES AUGUST 31, 2023  Selection of awardees will be announced DECEMBER 2023.  Projects may commence January 2024.   HOW TO APPLY?  Applications must be completed online via Submittable. The link opens for submissions 3/7/2022 The online application will prompt you to provide the following: 

• Project Summary & Description [LINK TO SAMPLE APP]
• Resume/CV
• Budget & Budget Description [LINK TO BUDGET TEMPLATE]
• Five Work Samples

Work samples may be related to the proposed project or representative of previous works. The Verdant Fund accepts the following work sample formats: jpegs, video links (via Vimeo), audio files, and Word documents (or PDFs). JPGs should be no larger than 1 MB. Applicants must state how their project is related to contemporary visual arts and is “public facing.” If you are having trouble with the application and or need assistance on how to submit please feel free to contact: info@verdantfund.org.

WHO CAN APPLY?  Any artist with a professional documented practice living in the State of Alabama. Verdant Fund supports individual artists, artist-curators, collectives, or collaboratives. Project grants prioritize perspectives from women artists, artists of color, artists with disabilities, Alabama artists living and/or working rural communities, and LGBTQ artists.  The lead/applying artists, artist-curators, collectives, or collaboratives must reside in Alabama.  HOW WILL PROJECTS BE REVIEWED?  All proposals are evaluated based on the following criteria: ARTISTIC MERIT 

• Does this project/proposal show a high level of skill and consideration to form? 
• Is this project/proposal non-traditional, public-facing, and/or does it seek to innovate within the field of contemporary visual arts?

EQUITY + RELEVANCE

• Is this my story to tell? Is this project appropriate for the current cultural moment? 
• Does this project/proposal represent and/or seek to engage BIPOC communities, women, people with disabilities, rural communities, and LGBTQ communities? If yes, do members of those communities share power in the planning, implementation and outcome?
• Does this project/proposal thoroughly consider access? This includes but is not limited to physical and financial barriers. 

CRITICAL VALUE – Is the content of this project thoughtful, well researched, or does it show a critical engagement with culture?   CLARITY of ideas in proposal/project concept – Does the application give the reader a concrete sense of what will be in the proposed project? Does the project/proposal feel cohesive and have the appropriate scope or breadth? FEASIBILITY Is the budget reasonable? Is the scale of this project serviceable? Do you see any insurmountable hurdles? The Verdant Fund invites three jurors (composed of regionally and nationally recognized artists, curators, and arts professionals), who will review the submissions and select the grantees. The Verdant Fund partners – Alabama Contemporary Art Center, the Coleman Center for the Arts, and Space One Eleven – do not determine awardees.  Selection of projects will be announced DECEMBER 2023. Projects may commence January 2024. 

*** There will be documentation and reporting requirements for funded projects.   Need more info? Visit the FAQ

APPLICATION TIPS:  Boxes marked with an (*) are required.   CV: aka Curriculum vitae or resume that will give panelists a sense of your previous artistic opportunities and accomplishments.  Images & Other Media: Submit up to 7 images sized to a maximum of 1600 pixels in any direction at 100 dpi. Selection panel will review a maximum of 2 minutes of video documentation per file supplied. Submit video samples as external links provided on the submission.   You will always have the opportunity to update and edit your profile, but BE SURE TO SAVE YOUR DRAFT AS YOU WORK (Save button at the bottom of the application)