Take Notice Fund


The National Performance Network’s Take Notice Fund provides $5,000 project grants to artists of color living and working in Louisiana.

Logo for Take Notice Fund

NPN envisions a world in which artists of color living and working in the South have the power, resources, and opportunities to thrive. The Take Notice Fund honors BIPOC artists living and working in Louisiana, providing funding to advance their artistic practices.

“This grant will celebrate artists and culture bearers whose work demonstrates artistic excellence and dedication to their practices,” says Stephanie Atkins, Director of Local Programs. “NPN is committed to building visibility and resources for artists living and working outside large arts centers whose bodies of work contribute to this country’s discourse about racial equity and cultural preservation. Take Notice is launching in our home state of Louisiana, and it is our aim to grow this program in recognition of the many artists and culture bearers in the South who we hope to honor through these grants.”

This pilot grant program will award 30+ artists and culture bearers per year through a competitive application process. Grant funds are unrestricted and intended to support an artist’s creative practice and/or wellbeing.

The Take Notice Fund accepts applications during its annual spring cycle. Important dates and deadlines are announced via our website and social media platforms. Please visit the website at a later date for the grant guidelines.

Click here to watch a prerecorded information session. This webinar provides details to applicants about the Take Notice Fund grant and goes over the Letter of Intent.

Take Notice is a program of the National Performance Network and is supported with funding from the Ford Foundation’s Creativity and Free Expression program.

Logo for Ford Foundation

Resources & Dates

  • Online application

  • 2023 Take Notice Fund guidelines and application questions

  • Spring 2023 Take Notice Fund Deadline – June 1, 2023 at 5:00 pm (Central Time)

Details

Eligibility

The Take Notice Fund is open to all BIPOC artists/collectives and culture bearers, at any career stage, who are primary residents of the state of Louisiana. Please see below for a list of eligible disciplines.

  • Applicants must meet NPN’s definition of generative artist or culture-bearer, defined as those currently active in conceiving and creating new original work. We cannot support artists whose work focuses on the interpretation, performance, development, or production of the creative work of others.  
  • Artists must identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or people of color (BIPOC).
  • Applicants must be Louisiana residents for at least five consecutive years at the time of the application and throughout the grant period.
  • Artists at any career stage may apply, but must be at least 18 years of age at the time of application
  • Individual artists, as well as ensembles/collectives/collaboratives, may apply. For ensembles/collectives/collaboratives to apply, a majority of artists within the collective must meet all eligibility criteria independently. The group must have a demonstrated history of creating new work collectively and submit a single application, with funds shared equally. Artists may apply either as individuals or as collective members. Members of a collective may not apply for the same project individually.

Not eligible at this time:

  • Nonprofit organizations
  • Recipients of NPN’s Creation Fund in the previous three years (2020, 2021, or 2022)
  • Recipients of NPN’s Southern Artists for Social Change award in the previous three years (2020, 2021, or 2022)
  • Recipients of NPN’s Take Notice Fund in the previous year (2021 or 2022)
  • Anyone under 18 years of age at the time of the application.
  • Anyone who is a high school student or a college or graduate student currently enrolled in a degree-granting program, at the time of application or during the grant period. 
  • Artists whose work focuses on the interpretation, performance, or development/production of the creative work of others.
  • Current NPN staff, Board members, NPN Partners, or panelists
  • Curators and researchers
  • Foodways, culinary, or botanical practitioners

Eligible disciplines include:

  • Dance: Choreographers and dance-makers creating new original work in any dance genre (ballet, modern, hip hop, experimental, etc.)
  • Music: Composers and sound artists creating new original work in any musical genre (chamber, experimental, jazz, etc.)
  • Theater/performance art/spoken word: Primary creators of devised work, performance or spoken word artists creating original work, and playwrights
  • Film/media: Filmmakers and video, digital production, and new media artists (web-based, computational, virtual, interactive, data and/or technology-driven, etc.)
  • Literature: Fiction writers, creative nonfiction writers, poets, and playwrights
  • Visual arts: Visual artists in any discipline (including public art, social practice art, and graffiti/street art)
  • Black Masking Indians: Culture bearers who create beaded, sequined, and feathered suits to honor the Masking tradition, currently hold a position in a New Orleans–based Masking tribe, and celebrate on Mardi Gras, St. Joseph’s Day, and Super Sunday.
  • Other folk/traditional artists and culture bearers: A member of a community who practices their community’s artistic or creative expressions by creating new original work. Knowledge of these arts or skills are most often passed from person to person within the cultural group, and the art expresses the community’s values or aesthetics.

Individual artists as well as ensembles/collectives/collaboratives may apply. In order for ensembles/collectives/collaboratives to apply, a majority of artists within the collective must meet all eligibility criteria independently. The group must have a demonstrated history of creating new work collectively and submit a single application, with funds shared equally. Artists may apply either as an individual or as a member of a collective. Members of a collective may not individually apply for the same project.

Apply now!

Grant Terms
  • The grant amount is $5,000 to support the artist’s creative practice and wellbeing (e.g., artistic projects, materials, residencies, professional development, artists’ fees, cost of living, etc.)
  • Competitive selection process based on the artist’s current creative practice and future plans.
  • Grant period: Funds will be distributed in July 2023 for projects/activities taking place between July 2023 and June 2024.

 

FAQ

Q: I am a nonprofit organization based in Louisiana. Can I apply for this grant?
A: This funding opportunity is only available for individual artists and collectives.

Q: Do I need a fiscal sponsor to apply for this grant?
A: No, you do not need to have a fiscal sponsorship in order to receive this grant.

Q: I prefer to answer the application through video response. Is that possible?
A: Yes, just record your responses and paste a link with your audio and/or video responses (YouTube, Soundcloud, etc.) into the corresponding fields. Make sure to state the question you are responding to at the beginning of your video.

Q: Do you provide technical assistance in submitting an application?
A: Yes, we provide assistance with completing an application. You must schedule a phone interview with a staff member to respond to the application questions. To schedule a call, please contact Director of Southern Programs Stephanie Atkins at or 504 595 8008 ext. 702.

Q: We would like to apply as a collective. What are the terms?
A: A team of two or more artists may apply if they have a documented history of creating and presenting work as a team for at least two consecutive years. Collectives or groups should apply with one application, and list each member in the “Collaborating Artists” section. Funds must be distributed equally amongst members. Members of a collective may not individually apply for the same project, and members should meet the eligibility requirements individually.

Q: I am a recent recipient of NPN’s Creation Fund or Southern Artists for Social Change. Can I apply for Take Notice?
A: No, you are not eligible for this opportunity at this time if you received an NPN Southern Artists for Social Change or Creation Fund grant in 2020, 2021, or 2022.

Q: I am a student currently enrolled in a degree program. Can I apply for this grant?
A: No, artists who are high school students or who are enrolled in college or graduate school degree programs at the time of application or during the period of the grant are not eligible.

”This grant will celebrate artists and culture bearers whose work demonstrates artistic excellence and dedication to their practices. NPN is committed to building visibility and resources for artists living and working outside large arts centers whose bodies of work contribute to this country’s discourse about racial equity and cultural preservation.”

—Stephanie Atkins
Director of Southern Programs