Queens Arts Funding Deadline Nears

By Rebecca Sesny

Queens Council on the Arts (QCA) will continue its long history of supporting local artists by distributing annual grants to Queens artists and artistic groups through it's Queens Community Arts Fund.

The QCAF gives grants to those that offer distinctive arts and cultural programming that directly serve the citizens of Queens.

In times of economic hardship, arts and arts education programs are usually the first to feel the effects of funding cuts. Queens artists are no exception to the rule. They, much like other non-profit groups, have struggled to obtain what little funds are set aside by government agencies. The application process can be daunting, and the large competitive pool in which they compete for these grants can be intimidating.

QCA, an organization founded in 1966, supplies grants, and makes it easier for non-profit artistic groups and individuals to apply and receive money they need to survive by providing them with easier access to city and statewide grants set aside for the borough.

The grants are available for a wide variety of programs including visual and performance art, individual and group artists, as well as for school arts education programs, and young students who would like to pursue a field in the arts but need grants to continue their education.

In 2010, the QCAF awarded $224,000 to 17 individual artists and 43 organizations for the creation of arts and cultural programming.

QCA has established free concerts in the parks and helped develop the Queens Museum of Art. It has been allocating city and state funding to local Queens artists since 1977.

The grants are made available by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs' Greater New York Arts Development Fund and the New York State Council on the Arts Decentralization Program with the QCA aiding applicants in the grant proposal process and selecting the recipients. JPMorgan Chase also sponsors a grant providing money for the benefit of artistic groups, including Web site development and equipment purchasing.

To apply for a grant for the first time, artists or a group's representative must either attend an application workshop, meet with a member of the QCA one on one, or watch the application tutorials on line.

The QCAF application must be submitted using our online application which is available at qca.cuerate.org. Applicants are encouraged to attend any of the informational meetings and visit queenscouncilarts.org, which includes application video tutorials, downloadable resources, and a FAQs section. The deadline for applicants is Sept. 30.

Application workshops will be held the following dates: Thursday, Aug. 19, 6 p.m., Forest Hills Library, 108-19 71 St., Forest Hills; Wednesday, Aug. 25, 6 p.m., Flushing Library, 41-17 Main St., Flushing; Tuesday, Sept. 7, 6 p.m., Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning, 161-04 Jamaica Ave., Jamaica; and Wednesday, Sept. 15, 6 p.m., LaGuardia Community College, 31-10 Thomson Ave., Room E-501, Long Island City.

Reach Intern Rebecca Sesny at rsesny@queenstribune.com or (718) 357-7400, Ext. 128.