UMEZ Arts Engagement

UMEZ Arts Engagement is a grant program designed to enhance the diversity and frequency of arts and cultural presentations in Upper Manhattan. The program provides direct support for these activities to Upper Manhattan’s artists and nonprofit arts organizations under the guiding principle that support for artists of diverse disciplines, practices, cultural backgrounds, and career stages contributes to the vibrancy and sustainability of the communities in which they live and work. UMEZ Arts Engagement invites proposals from artists and arts organizations that are 1) based in Upper Manhattan and 2) presenting arts projects or programming serving Upper Manhattan between January 1–December 31, 2025.

Program funding is provided by the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Development Corporation (UMEZ). The UMEZ Arts Engagement program is administered by Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC).

Requirements

●Organizations must be based in Upper Manhattan, defined as north of 98th Street on the east
side of Fifth Avenue; and north of 110th Street on the west side.
●Organizations must be a 501©(3) non-profit with proof of non-profit status.
●Organizations must have a principal mission of production and/or presentation of arts and culture for public audiences.
●Organizations must have carried out or participated in publicly accessible arts programming in 2 of the last 5 calendar years (2020-2024).
●Organizations must have operating budgets under $750,000 for two of the last three completed fiscal years.
●Organizations may not have received funds from or have a pending application with UMEZ directly for a grant for the same fiscal year.
●First-time applicants are required to attend an information session webinar for UMEZ Arts Engagement before applying. Returning applicants are required to attend an information session webinar OR watch a recorded information session webinar for UMEZ Arts Engagement before applying. To RSVP, visit:
https://lmcc.net/rsvp/

Application Instructions

-Create an Account:Create an account for Submittable if you have not used the online submission platform before or log in to your existing Submittable account. Your application will always be connected to your account. The main point of contact for your application should manage and maintain access to your Submittable account. LMCC staff will use the email address connected to your Submittable account to contact you with questions, follow-up information, and the official grant notification. This is the same email address you use to log in to your Submittable account.
Saving Your Work: Once you have set up your account, you can begin filling out the Application Form. The form is periodically saved to your account. However, they highly encourage you to use the “Save Draft” button at the bottom of the form before exiting. Each time you save, the latest draft will be kept in your Submittable account. Please note: if you have this form open in multiple windows, Submittable will auto-save the version that is last open. They recommend saving your responses in a document offline and copying and pasting them into the Application Form from there.
Submit: Complete and submit all components of your application online. Application forms are not considered final until submitted. Once you have submitted the form, you will not be able to make changes or resubmit. You will receive an automated confirmation email when your application has been successfully submitted. If this is your first time using the Submittable platform, be sure to visit Submittable’s support page to view an instructional video with tips for creating your Submittable account and submitting and keeping track of your forms.