State Arts Council seeking panelists for grant review

The Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC) is seeking panelists to review grant applications for the recently announced Creativity Grant program. MSAC relies on a diverse array of arts experts from the field to do the important work of evaluating grant applications. Creativity Grant panelists will remotely review grant applications between the 10th and 15th day of each month.

“Serving as a panelist is a great opportunity to learn about the granting processes of the Maryland State Arts Council,” an MSAC spokesperson said.

Creativity Grant applications may be submitted by independent artists or arts organizations, and are for grant amounts between $2,000 and $3,500. Those applying will include a brief financial statement if being submitted by an organization, but no financial statement if being submitted by an independent artist. The applications will also include a narrative statement responding to four questions.

The Maryland State Arts Council has committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion in grantmaking as all funding mechanisms continue to be examined and updated. The design of the Creativity Grant application is meant to strengthen the vitality and sustainability of artists and small organizations to maintain a strong and stable arts infrastructure in the state of Maryland.

The Creativity Grant also provides opportunities to serve the growing needs of relevant arts projects and collaborations within Maryland communities with the knowledge that MSAC is to be seen and utilized as a collaborative partner in the process.

The driving goals of this new vision for the granting processes are as follows:

To acknowledge positions of privilege while questioning practices, shifting paradigms of status quo arts activities, and taking more risks.

To yield a greater variety of funded projects.

To eliminate biases that may be found in any part of the granting process (including applications, panelist procedures, and adjudication systems).

To expand the deliberations about rigor beyond current conventions or Western traditions.

To aspire to make investments that contribute to social change and demonstrate aesthetic excellence in terms relevant to context and intent.

The first cohort of Creativity Grant panelists will serve from March 10 through June 15 of this year for four monthly reviews. The honorarium is $400 ($100 per monthly review — approximately four hours per month). The Creativity Grants Panel will meet for training via webinar on Feb. 6 from 6 to 7 p.m. Webinar training is required for all panelists.

The Maryland State Arts Council uses Google products for all panelist activities. Applicants must have a Gmail account to apply.

The application form is online and can be found by going to www.msac.org/programs/panelist-resources and clicking on “Grant Review Panel Nomination Form.”