Indigenous Arts & Culture Grant

Indigenous Arts & Culture Grant is sponsored by Na'ah Illahee Fund (City of Seattle funded program). This opportunity supports mission-aligned projects and measurable outcomes.

Indigenous Arts & Culture Grant | Na'ah Illahee Fund Status: Closed Overview Details How to Apply Participants Indigenous Arts & Culture Grant The Indigenous Arts and Culture Grant is a City of Seattle funded program to provide grants for arts and cultural events and activities in neighborhoods through community-based lead organizations.

Cultural events, experiences, and spaces provide the reason for people to gather, develop identity, and build community. This program seeks to support recovery efforts through collaboration, equity, resiliency, and safety in alignment with the City of Seattle’s vision of One Seattle.

The Indigenous Arts and Culture (ARTS) Grant is a City of Seattle funded program to provide grants for arts and cultural events and activities in neighborhoods through community-based lead organizations. Cultural events, experiences, and spaces provide the reason for people to gather, confer, identify, and build community, which are ever more critically important during the current COVID pandemic and recovery process.

This program seeks to support recovery efforts through collaboration, equity, resiliency, and safety in alignment with the City of Seattle’s vision of One Seattle. Na’ah Illahee Fund, as the lead organization for the City of Seattle, shall subcontract to Indigenous community organizations and small businesses to carry out inclusive and creative arts and culture endeavors that further the city’s pandemic recovery process.

Applicants must either conduct events or activities within the City of Seattle. These activities and events funded through Na’ah Illahee Fund seek to benefit Indigenous communities as one of the hardest hit by COVID and the importance of that community to arts and culture on the Waterfront. Activities and events should seek to rebuild and assist in arts and culture recovery; events do not need to be entirely new.

The total amount of funding available through this lead organization for this designated area is $85,000. Requested amounts from applicants for this specific program can range between $8,500 and $17,000.

Criteria 1: Strength of Project and Relationship to Neighborhood or Community (10 Points ) Criteria 2: Community Building, Outreach, and Accessibility (10 Points) Criteria 3: Background and Capacity (5 Points) We Seek to Support (Who is Eligible) Non-profit organizations (arts and culture, and others) focused on events or activities within the designated neighborhood or community; Small business with a City of Seattle business license, however, a small business who is a sole proprietor can apply but must collaborate with other individual artists or others for the proposed project; Applicants can apply to more than one Lead Organization for this city-wide program, however, can receive funding from only one Lead Organization (see list of other Lead Organizations at end of this document); Applicants should be place-based in the designated neighborhood/community and should have a history and track record of direct connection to the arts and cultural life of the neighborhood/community.

This can mean either an Indigenous organization/small business with an address located within the Seattle city limits. Activations/events must be broadly advertised and accessible to the public.

Free event admission is preferred, or using a low-cost or sliding fee scale, and events should be physically accessible; Applicants must have capacity to successfully manage the proposed project, prepare regular reporting, and complete final reports due no later than September 1, 2023; All events shall provide event liability insurance and name Na’ah Illahee Fund and City of Seattle as additionally insured; Awarded programs will be required to follow all current Federal, State, County, and City COVID-19 mandates and protocols.

More information and in other languages are available on the City of Seattle COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement website. ( https://www. seattle.

gov/covid-19 ) Who Should Apply?

(Funds May be Used For) Costs directly related to event/activation (staffing, equipment rental, paying performers, materials, etc.) Examples (sample) of public activations or events: A series of performances at an indoor or outdoor venue Temporary public art or lighting (permit/approval must be secured prior to award) Festivals, fairs, or public events (can be for specific part of a larger event) Art or cultural workshops or classes.

What Types of Groups Are We Unable to Support? (Funds May Not be Used For) Events held outside Seattle city limits Capital improvements or purchase of equipment Travel costs (local transportation costs for performers, for example, are ok) Programming in which fundraising is the primary purpose. How do you apply?

(Timeline) February 28, 2023 Application open/available (includes Guidelines, Application, & Budget Template) March 17th, 2023 Application deadline. (Lead Organization may begin reviewing applications that are submitted prior to the deadline.) March 20th, 2023 Review panel meets to discuss each application in relation to the program criteria and make funding recommendations.

Applicants are notified whether they have been recommended for funding, are contracted with, and events can begin. Ongoing – Awardees carry-out arts and cultural events. Ongoing – Awardees submit their reporting documents to Lead Organization and final report due no later than September 1, 2023.

How do we make decisions? (Application Tips) All funding programs can be highly competitive. We encourage you to: Read these guidelines, check your eligibility, and follow the instructions carefully.

Explore the application early so you can plan ahead. Update Seattle Business License, if needed. HERE Be clear and concise in your application.

Panelists read and evaluate many applications. Obligation of Award Recipients Apply Indigenous only applicants will fill out & complete the application via Submittable before the deadline. Review Grant period ends, then the Grant Committee will convene to review all applications.

The committee will approve or decline recipients for grant funds. Notify Recipients will then be notified via U.S. mail, so please ensure your current address is on file. If approved, an award letter will be sent along with a check for the amount awarded by the Grant Committee.

Reflect We expect follow up from you about the impact your project provided to your community. Obligation of Award Recipients Payment/Reporting Regular reports and final reports and invoicing will be due as per the contract schedule and negotiated with the Lead Organization. Reports shall include data (demographic, # of people attending, etc.) and narrative as outlined in the contract.

For additional information, contact:Denise Rubeck, Program Officer, Indigenous Communities via email: denise@naahillahee. org or phone: (360) 564 – 9316. Thank you for your interest in arts and culture recovery in our Urban Native neighborhoods!

2023 Indigenous Arts and Culture (ARTS) grant Participants & Projects Illustration by: Jill Neumeister (Pawnee) Orca Design Group (she/her), Swinomish/Visayan, Community Engagement and Culture Director Currently she works as a Community Engagement & Culture Director for the Na’ah Illahee Fund, and serves on the board of the Indigenous Environmental Network and the Skagit YMCA.

She continues to work in partnership with the Swinomish Department of Environmental Protection, co-chairs the Protect Mother Earth Subcommittee, and is a member of the Swinomish Health, Education and Social Services Committee.

Shelly developed a place-based curriculum about the history and culture of the Swinomish peoples and taught a series of cultural sovereignty courses for over 10 years at the Northwest Indian College – Coast Salish Institute within their Native Studies Leadership Program. Previously her team provided leadership and consultation for the Lummi Cedar Project – Organized Generations Healthy Lifestyles Program.

Ms. Vendiola served as President for the national Indigenous Women’s Network and a Campaign Director for the Indigenous Environmental Network. Shelly received several years of formal dispute resolution training from the Indian Dispute Resolution Services, Inc., and the San Francisco Community Boards Program.

She is the recipient of the Native Action Network – Enduring Spirit Award, and a recognized educator and peacemaker in the Northwest region. Shelly has an M. Ed.

in Higher Education and practices indigenous pedagogy and indigenous research methodology within all aspects of her work. Following in her father’s footsteps, Shelly is passionate about gardening. She practices the ancient form of meditation known as Qi Gong for balance, energy, and resiliency, and is a certified Yoga instructor.

Her motto is, “There is nothing permanent in the world but change, the key is how we flow with it! ”