Grantmaking FAQ
3 minute read
Grantmaking FAQ
Am I eligible to apply for a Pop Culture Collaborative grant?
Please read our Major Grant Guidelines and Opportunity and Rapid Response Grant Guidelines for eligibility requirements, and then take our brief Grant Self-Assessment Quiz to help you decide if you should proceed to our Idea Submission portal.
When are the grant application deadlines?
MAJOR GRANTS: Our team requests grant proposals for major grants (above $50,000) in late winter/early spring and late summer/early fall. Major grants are awarded in the summer (May/June) and winter (November/December) of each year.
RAPID RESPONSE & OPPORTUNITY GRANTS: The Collaborative accepts idea submissions for both Opportunity and Rapid Response grants (up to $50,000) year-round. Requested proposals are approved on a rolling basis throughout the year and funded projects should be completed within four to 12 months.
What is an appropriate request amount? Is there a maximum grant size?
Our funding ranges from $5,000 for small, experimental projects to $200,000 for multi-year, long-term culture change programs. The Pop Culture Collaborative has four grantmaking areas:
Opportunity Grants support emerging and timely initiatives and/or experiments at the intersection of pop culture and social justice that can be made year-round. (Please see the guidelines for more information.) Opportunity grants are made for up to $50,000.
Rapid Response Grants support projects that respond to an acute and timely political or cultural moment. Rapid response grants can be requested and are approved year-round. (Please see the guidelines for more information.) Rapid Response grants are made for up to $50,000.
Major Grants can support new and/or established initiatives, organizations, or companies that are working to advance long-term narrative change goals and/or to build the pop culture for social change field. Major Grants are approved twice a year, in the late Spring/Early Summer and in the late Fall. Major Grants range from $50,000-$100,000 over 12 months and $100,000-$200,000 for multi-year grants. (Please see the guidelines for more information.)
The Becoming America Fund brings together entertainment, philanthropic, and social justice leaders to immerse millions of people in a galvanizing story of the pluralist nation we are becoming. The Fund supports artists, creative companies, social justice organizations, cultural organizations, consumer researchers, and cultural strategists who are calling on Americans to reject the exclusionary systems that define our country’s past and present, and embrace the transformative ideas that can shape our future. (Read more here.)
If I’m asked to submit a grant proposal and it is approved, how soon are funds distributed?
Grant funds are typically released three to four weeks after proposals are approved. In the case of rapid response grants, the Collaborative works to accelerate distribution of grant funds.
Do Collaborative’s grants cover operating expenses?
Yes. During our grant application process, we will request a project and/or organizational budget.
Does the Collaborative fund international work?
At this time, the Collaborative only funds U.S.-based organizations and companies.
Does the Collaborative provide grants to independent artists?
The Collaborative can award grants to individuals who have fiscal sponsorship or who are housing a project at an eligible nonprofit or for-profit company. Please see Artists Advancing Culture Change for examples of how the Collaborative supports artists.
Does the Collaborative fund content production?
We are able to fund projects focused on content development and distribution.
We typically do not fund:
- Production costs for movies, television, or digital video (with the exception of rapid response grants).
- Long-form or short-form documentary films. (We occasionally support innovative mass audience campaigns associated with non-fiction content in order to support new audience engagement models.)
- Communications work (talking points, pitching and media coverage, social media) unless it is directly integrated into a cultural strategy campaign.
How do I submit a letter of interest to the Collaborative?
We don’t accept unsolicited letters of interest, but have created an idea submission portal as a way to share information about your organization and/or project.
How soon will I hear from you after I submit an idea via the submissions portal?
Please note that an idea submission is not a proposal. However, if the Pop Culture Collaborative is interested in learning more, we will email you within 72 hours for Rapid Response idea submissions, and within two weeks for Opportunity or Major Grant idea submissions.