January 15, 2018 - March 26, 2018
These are grants for experimental, public-facing, artist-driven and artist-centered projects, in any discipline or medium with a strong visual component.
Interested artists can download a complete application guide and budget forms by going to rocketgrants.org and clicking on the Apply! button. The actual application happens online, and the deadline is March 26. Applications are only accepted through the Call for Entry website here.
Read the 2018 Rocket Grant Application Guide Now!
The program has so far awarded $392,000 to more than two hundred artists working on 80+ projects. Many other artists and community members have been involved in these projects in one way or another. In its ninth year of serving the Kansas City arts community, the program for 2018-19 will provide grants in the amount of $60,000 total. Artists can learn more about how to apply by going to rocketgrants.org/apply.
The $60,000 total includes Full Project Awards, which are cash grants that amount up to $6,000 each to area artists, performers, curators, and writers – as individuals or groups – to support the creation and presentation of NEW work/projects. The program also distributes Research & Development Awards. These awards are cash grants of $2,000 each, to support research and development for ambitious new projects that require a longer period of planning. The selection panel may also award this grant to a proposal that they find to be compelling, but which seems to require more development and/or funding.
Rocket Grants are part of a national network of programs funded by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. There are, so far, 10 other grants similar to Rocket Grants in smaller cities around America. Kansas City was the third program to kick into action, thanks to the vitality of our regional arts community and the strong leadership of Charlotte Street and the Spencer Museum of Art. Rocket Grants provide opportunities for Kansas City area artists to make and share experimental work and ideas in public spaces around the region – by providing direct support for exceptional, under-the-radar, artist-driven, and artist-centered projects.
If you have any questions, please free to email rocketgrants@charlottestre
There are outreach sessions throughout the application window to help artists get information and answer questions about their applications.
The first one for the year will be on Monday, January 15, 7 PM at La Esquina, 1000 W 25th Street, KCMO. Rocket Grant coordinator, Julia Cole, will share information about the grant and previously funded projects, and there will be a Q&A period to focus on artists’ questions. Current grant recipients Kendell Harbin (The Roaming Center for Magnetic Alternatives) and SE Nash (Garden Variety Soda Fountain) will talk about their experiences applying for a grant and embarking on project development with collaborators and in public venues.The event is free and open to the public, and free drinks will be provided.
There will be another on Sunday, January 20th, 10.30 AM, at the Spencer Museum of Art in Lawrence. Other presentations and workshops will be posted on the Rocket Grants website. Visit the Spencer Museum of Art in Lawrence, Kansas for an informational session with Julia Cole, past juror Tim Hossler, and current grant recipient Connie Fitzpatrick.
A third outreach session is on Saturday, February 10th at 1 PM. The session takes place at the Charlotte Street Neighborhood Artist Residency, at 4001, Troost Avenue, KCMO. After the informational session, current grant recipient Solomon Bass will share about his community-focused documentary in progress.
Eligibility
Nonprofit, 501(c)3 organizations are NOT eligible to apply.
• All artists must be over 21 at the time of the application, and may not be full-time students at any time during the application or award period (March 26, 2018 to June 7, 2019). If college graduates, applicants for 2018 must have graduated from their undergraduate program prior to June 1, 2017 (note, applicants need not have attended college).
• All exclusions apply for the entire period of the application and award (March 26, 2018 to June 7, 2019).
• Artists may not be awarded a Rocket Grant for two sequential rounds of funding: 2017 awardees may not reapply in 2018. (Please note: This opportunity for previous award recipients to reapply after a one-year break may change in future rounds of this program).
