2024 Craft Research Fund Project Grant - Eligibility

Proposals are welcome from academic researchers and independent scholars.  

• This grant is intended to support scholarly research and is not for the creation of artwork. ‍
• This grant is not for the dissemination of already completed research

Applicants must be: 

• Applicants must be able to receive taxable income in the U.S. for the duration of the grant and report this grant as income
• Applicants must be 18 years of age or older

Applicants cannot be: 

• Substantial contributors to the Center for Craft as well as current employees, consultants, or board members of the Center for Craft, or immediate family members of such person.

If an applicant has been previously awarded a Center for Craft grant but did not complete the project or is still in the progress of completing the project they are not eligible to apply. 

Applicants may only receive one Center for Craft grant and/or fellowship per year. Awards cannot be deferred to the next year due to outstanding applications or multiple awards.

The Center encourages applications from historically underrepresented populations. The Center for Craft prohibits discrimination, harassment, and retaliation based on sex, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability or perceived disability, age, marital status, gender identity, veteran status, or any other protected category. Applying does not constitute a promise or guarantee of being awarded a grant.

Examples of scholarly craft research might include:

• Research providing new insight into work by historical or contemporary craft artists in the U.S. or U.S. territories
• Presenting a new understanding of the relationship between hand-made production and digital technologies
• Providing a new contribution to the history of craft in the United States
• Projects placing American craft in a global context
• Or other topics that offer fresh perspectives within the field

USE OF FUNDS 

• Grant funds may be used for research-related expenses including travel and living expenses, subcontracted research assistance, support documentation such as images or rights to use images or text, photocopies or other reproductions, purchase of primary source materials, and other incidental research expenses. 
• For museums, galleries, universities, and organizations who are applying to the grant, please limit staffing and overhead costs to 15% of your total budget ask, i.e. if applying for $15,000 in support, total personnel and overhead costs should be a maximum of $2,250.
• For individuals who are applying to the grant, please provide your rationale for your stipend or honorarium in the budget narrative.
• For travel purposes, the Center for Craft recommends applicants use the following resources U.S. General Services Administration and Budget Your Trip.
• No capital equipment purchases are eligible for support. Examples of capital equipment may include:  laptops, recorders, printers, or other items not listed. 
• For the purpose of this grant, the Center for Craft requires that all grant recipients provide financial remuneration to working artists for their time, labor, and services rendered towards the awarded project scope and goals. For remuneration estimates, we recommend consulting the floor wages listed on the Working Artists and the Greater Economy (W.A.G.E.) fee calculator website at https://wageforwork.com/feecalculator#top‍
• When working with community members, the Center for Craft requires that all grant recipients provide financial remuneration for their time, labor, and services rendered towards the awarded project scope and goals

2024 Craft Research Fund Project Grant - Requirements

Research and projects must be completed within the designated timeline as proposed recipient application. Incomplete projects will result in the awardee having to rescind funds. Awardees will not be eligible to apply for a Center for Craft grant or fellowship opportunity in the future if the project remains incomplete.

Fifty percent (50%) of the grant funds will be distributed upon return of signed grant agreement form between the Center for Craft and the recipient and receipt of the recipient's W9. 

Twenty percent (20%) of the grant funds will be distributed upon receipt of the project status report halfway through the grant period due September 30, 2024. The status report should include:

• A synopsis of research conducted thus far, i.e, archives, sites, institutions visited, interviews
• Where you are in your proposed research timeline (as presented in the application)
• How the funding has been used thus far
• If there are changes to your research timeline or planned outcome please submit a revised project description outlining the current status of your proposal and any timeline or budget adjustments as they develop to the Grant Program Manager - Research & Ideas for approval.

Thirty percent (30%) of the grant will be distributed upon receipt of the recipient's final report and two copies of any publication produced as a result of the research grant award. Research and final reports must be completed in 18 months, with a deadline of August 30, 2025. If there is no publication, then applicants must provide a copy of the completed research in full. The final report should include:

• 3-5 images relating to the research
• Attendance and audience engagement numbers from conferences, workshops, symposiums, and exhibitions associated with funded research
• Project narrative and research outcome
• Budget report

Recipients must provide content for at least one blog post.

Recipients will acknowledge support from the Center for Craft by including the tag "This research was supported by a Center for Craft Research Fund" in any publications or presentations resulting from the grant.

2024 Craft Research Fund Project Grant - Review Process

Proposals will be reviewed by staff of the Center for Craft for completeness and evaluated by an outside review panel, who are recognized craft scholars, researchers, and/or curators, free of any conflict of interest, based on the following criteria:

• If completed properly, the proposal will advance scholarship and knowledge on craft in the United States
• The plan for dissemination identifies the audience, is reasonable, and has supporting documentation as appropriate
• The project is feasible based on the timeline, expertise, and budget reflected in the application
• The project addresses the goals of the Craft Research Fund Project Grant
• Representation and/or visibility - priority will be given to applicants whose research and proposed project address underrepresentation in craft.
• The project is consistent with and furthers the mission of the Center for Craft

Considerations in final selection:

The Center for Craft respects, values, and celebrates the unique attributes, characteristics and perspectives that make each person who they are. We foster open communication of diverse perspectives and bring a broad range of individuals together to enrich and support programming. Ultimately we will ask the Selection Panel to compose a set of recipients deserving of further recognition while prioritizing diversity, both in and outside of academia, and representing a range of geographies, materials, and communities served.

The Center for Craft reserves the right to limit support of a project to a particular portion(s) or cost(s).

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2024 Craft Research Fund Project Grant - How to Apply

GRANT ORIENTATION: A virtual application information session will be held on Tuesday, August 8, from 4 - 5 pm ET. The information session recording will be made available on the Center for Craft website.

DEADLINE: Applications for the 2024 Craft Research Fund Project Grant must be submitted via SlideRoom no later than 11:59 pm ET on October 5, 2023.

NOTIFICATION: Notification of the results will be sent via email in December 2023 for a start date of January 1, 2024. The email address listed on the application form will be used to send out notifications. Please be sure that it is a valid account that you check regularly.

HOW TO APPLY: Applicants must apply using the online application program SlideRoom at http://www.centerforcraft.slideroom.com. Please review the sample application below before beginning your application. Please note there is a separate application for each Craft Research Fund category.

All applicants should create a login to be able to partially complete the form and return to finish it at a later date. Before submitting your application, you will be directed to a confirmation page where you will be able to review your form and return to edit or delete your uploaded files as needed. Once you submit your application, you will not be able to access your form again. Applicants will receive a confirmation email once the application form has been successfully submitted.

SAMPLE APPLICATION

2024 Craft Research Fund – Project Grant

This is only a sample application, all applications must be completed in SlideRoom.

Demographic Survey

The Center for Craft is committed to diversifying our audiences and to providing equitable and accessible programming - in order to do so, we need to know who our audiences are. Additionally, many of our funders ask that we report on the demographics of our audiences. Please note that the data from the demographics section will only be used anonymously for grant wiring and reporting. Completion of this survey will in no way affect your application. If you are applying as a collaborative or organization please select the option "Not applicable." You must complete the form, however, you may answer each question with the "prefer not to answer" option. Thank you.

1. What is your age?
2. Which of the following best describes your gender identity? (Select all that apply)
3. Which of the following best describes your sexual orientation? (Select all that apply)
4. Which of the following best describes your race/ethnicity? (Select all that apply)
5. What is your total annual household income?
6. Do you identify as having a disability? (such as a physical disability, a cognitive or learning disability, sensory sensitivity or Autism Spectrum Disorder, or mental illness)
7. What is the highest level of schooling you have completed or the highest degree you have completed? If currently enrolled, mark the highest level/degree already received.
8. How did you learn about this opportunity?
9. Have you previously applied for a Center for Craft grant/fellowship?

Cover Sheet 

1. Name (applicant(s), collective, organization) and your title (if applicable - associated w/ an organization or institution)
2. Project title (up to 15 words, 85 character limit)
3. Your personal or project-specific website
4. Grant amount requested (up to $15,000)
5. Are you over the age of 18? (yes or no)
6. Are you able to receive income in the United States or U.S. territories that is taxable by the United States or U.S. territories for the duration of the project period?

Application

1. Please provide a one-page summary of your proposal (no more than 50 words, 300 character limit).

2. Please provide a project description in no more than 1,000 words (2 pages, 6,000 character limit) please address the following:

• Research question and relevance to the advancement of craft in the United States
• Project goals and objectives 
• Your approach to your research - what is your framework for conducting research? - in what context are you placing your research?
• Outcome - Proposals must clearly identify the intended outcome of the research that will be completed within the 18 month grant period, including audiences and/or publishing opportunities. These may include stand-alone publications, peer-reviewed journals, papers presented at a scholarly conference, university colloquium or a public forum, or online publications.
• Dissemination plan - If the project includes an online or ongoing component please describe your sustainability maintenance plan.

3. Please include a list of who you will work with to conduct your research and a short description of their role and why they were selected. This may include scholars, historians, archivists, writers, artists, museums, institutions, and other collaborators not listed.

4. Please provide a list of at least 10 sources that you will utilize in your research. This may include a list of books, articles, journals, websites, catalogs, and or other publications. (500 words).

5. Timeline (form provided in SlideRoom). Please provide a timeline for completing the project. The grant period begins on January 1, 2024. Projects must be completed by August 30, 2025 (18 months from start date).

6. Budget Income Form (provided in SlideRoom). The budget income form is to note if you have additional sources of secured or anticipated (prospected) income. In addition, please list the total amount requested from the Craft Research Fund here. Please list not more than 10 items.

Examples of income:

• other grants secured/prospected;
• support from institutions (school or university support);
• in-kind support (for example percentages of salaries or hourly rates for time commitments)

7. Budget Expense Form (provided in SlideRoom). Please list no more than 15 items. The minimum budget requests should be $5,000; the maximum budget request should be $15,000. Projects may exceed $15,000 if other support is listed in the budget.

Expense Examples:

• Support Stipends/Honoraria (List research assistants with names)
• Travel/Expenses (include lodging and meals, itemized per destination) for travel purposes, the Center for Craft recommends applicants use the following resources U.S. General Services Administration and Budget Your Trip.

8. Budget Narrative. Please provide a narrative for any budget items that require

2024 Craft Research Fund Project Grant - FAQ

Where can I find information about previous recipients of the Craft Research Fund Project Grant?‍

Check out our online Grant Recipient Archive here. You can sort by grant opportunity by clicking on “Grant” or search “Project” in the search Filter. ‍

What is the final deadline for submitting my online application form?‍

The application for 2024 Craft Research Fund Project Grant must be submitted via SlideRoom no later than 11:59 pm ET on October 5, 2023.

‍May I mail a hard copy of my application materials to the Center for Craft’s office?‍

No, hard copy submissions will not be accepted. The application must be completed and submitted through SlideRoom.

‍Can I work on my application and return to complete it at a later date?‍

Yes, creating a login account will enable you to complete the form in several online sessions.

‍I just submitted my application but I want to return to it and make an edit. Is this possible?‍

No, once your application is submitted, you will not be able to return to the form or change any submitted information. The application fee must also be paid at the time of submitting your application as you will not be able to log-in again to access the payment page again.

I have previously received a Center for Craft grant. Am I eligible to apply? 

Yes 

I have previously received a Center for Craft grant but did not complete the project or am still in the progress of completing the project I was funded for. Am I eligible to apply? 

No

Are applicants responsible for obtaining copyrights to documents, images, and manuscripts included in their research? 

Yes

Are collaboratives allowed to apply?

Collaboratives are welcome to apply. There must be one fiduciary agent for the group or one person who will receive the award funds as this person will be responsible for paying taxes on the award amount funded.

Who can I contact with questions?

For any questions, please contact Mellanee Goodman, Grant Program Manager - Research & Ideas, at mgoodman@centerforcraft.org or call (828) 785 - 1357 ext. 103.