4 Friends Fund for Artists Application

In honor of the Leadership Legacy of Jim Copeland, Mack Dunwoody, E.L. Foster and an Anonymous Friend

Make a donation in honor someone who was always there for you,
just like the four friends were there for us and our community.

4 Friends Grant Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Requirements

Individual artists, including arts educators, living and working in Ocala, Marion County, Florida

Current member of MCA

Applicant has not received a Four Friends Grant, an MCA Cultural Arts Grant, or any other grant sponsored by MCA within the calendar year of the application.  If there is a registration or attendance deadline, the application will be submitted no later than 30 days prior to the required date.

The spirit of this fund is designed to emulate encouragement given to the community by the Four Friends.  For those awarded a grant, and in that spirit, the recipient will “pay it forward” in the community by means of a workshop, performance, demonstration or other activity.  This activity will be described in the grant application and be included in the final report. The activity will occur within 60 days of the grant award.

A final report on any Four Friends Grant will be sent to MCA within 60 days of the activity.  The format of the report may vary according to the activity.

Eligible Projects

Applications may include requests for:

Registration costs for professional workshops or conferences

Artist residencies

Specialized equipment necessary for work

Fees for a professional consultant to learn to build business skills or for marketing a project

Grants DO NOT cover:

Offsetting costs for regular salary or substitute worker to enable other work to continue

General operating expenses

Matching funds for other grants

Funding for pursuit of an academic degree, certification, or continuing education

Application Process

Application may be made, online, at any time. The Chairman of the Four Friends Committee will convene the committee as per availability. Grant review and scoring may be conducted online or by other electronic means, if necessary.  At its discretion, the Committee may offer partial funding.

Application

The Four Friends Grant application is online-mcaocala.org

Elements of the Application:

Describe the activity, succinctly but clearly

Describe the impact of the activity for the artist or the project

Conferences, etc. should be documented as to structured/documented activities, and how the activity was selected by the applicant.

Provide a budget including the total cost (travel, equipment, and other sources of funding)

Description of the activity to be performed by the recipient contributing to the community as a result of the grant.

Resume or CV of applicant

If others are involved, attach a letter of commitment and support for the request

The applicant is responsible for completing any contracts or registrations associated with the grant request

Selection

In addition to evaluating the application for complete information, the Committee will consider:

Nature of the idea/contribution to the artist’s work

Quality of the idea/work

Artist’s commitment to the work

Impact the grant will have on the artist’s work/project

Final Report

Grantees must complete a final report of the project within 60 days of project completion.  The report should include, record or receipts documenting the initial request, resulting publicity, or any other information regarding the results of the activity or project.