Until Sept. 22, applications for Arts Alive mini-grants from $50 to $250 are open to artists and creative businesses of the Monadnock region.

Grants will be selected by peers and awarded directly to artists, emerging artists or creative businesses that seek to expand their professional abilities or increase how many people they can reach with arts experiences. Applications are open online at monadnockartsalive.org/mini-grants.

“We’re going to be really flexible with how this money can be used,” stated Executive Director Jessica Gelter. “Supplies for a project, marketing your work, a short-term studio rental, getting work framed, booking time in a recording studio or performance space, hiring a babysitter and ordering takeout for several nights so you can focus on a project, gas for your car to get to a series of gigs, attending a workshop— whatever it is that will help you move towards the next level.”

The application is available online at monadnockartsalive.org/mini-grants. Most questions require a short answer, with some requiring multiple choice or check box answers. Applicants will be asked to describe themselves and their project, including how the funding will be used, who will be impacted by the project and in what way, and how much progress has already been made. Recipients will be chosen by a panel of local leaders in the creative community based on how meaningful the project funding will be to the applicant and the positive impact on the greater arts community.

Artists, emerging artists, writers, performers, and creative business entrepreneurs are all encouraged to apply. Grant awards will be distributed via check and recipients will need to fill out a W9 form to receive their payment. By accepting the mini-grant, recipients agree to use the funds for intended purposes by September 2025 and agree to document the impact of the funding on their project. A jury of local arts leaders will review the applications in early October, and Arts Alive will distribute grants to selected projects by the last week of October. 

In 2023, Arts Alive awarded grants of $100 to $250 to 10 out of 33 total applicants. Through anonymously collected demographic information, Arts Alive determined that 39% of those applicants lived at or below the poverty line and over 57% made less than the region’s median income.

“This is our creative way to do some research,” stated Alison Wilder, Arts Alive board member. “We’re launching this in order to collect information about artists, performers and other creatives whose businesses are emerging and who need a boost. That is one of the key groups we serve with our field trips, workshops and fiscal sponsorship programs. We want to better understand where they’re at. This just made sense, instead of paying a consultant to do research or investing in advertising an online survey, we’re going to put money into the hands of creatives in our community.”

Arts Alive’s mission is to ignite creativity and spark connection across the Monadnock region. Through the mini-grants program, Arts Alive seeks to boost local artists, especially those that identify as experiencing financial hardship, in their professional and creative endeavors.