Unfortunately, no. Artists who have received a grant in the last two (2) years (2023-2024) from any of the above programs aren’t eligible to apply in 2025 so we can extend the opportunity to other artists.

No, Boost Funds will be granted to individual artists only. But if you are an artist with an active creative practice, working at a nonprofit or for a creative business, you are eligible to apply and receive funds as an individual.

Assembly defines artists as independent professionals who derive income from creating, performing, teaching or supporting the development of work in these creative disciplines:

• Craft (ceramics, fiber, glass, jewelry, metals, textiles)
• Dance & Choreography (create or perform movement-based works)
• Design (fashion, graphic, industrial, object, all forms of architecture)
• Film (filmmakers, cinematography, directing, screenwriting, animation)
• Interdisciplinary (work creating intentional connections between multiple creative disciplines)
• Literary Arts / Writing (fiction, nonfiction, poetry, spoken word, criticism, graphic novels, journalism, arts writing)
• Media (work at the intersection of technology, content creation, aesthetics, storytelling, and digital culture)
• Music (composing, songwriting, performing, DJing, producing)
• Theatre & Performance (directing, playwriting, puppetry, comedy, set design, lighting/installation, and performance art)
• Traditional Arts (work related to the continuity and evolution of a tradition and/or cultural heritage such as cultural dance, cultural music, oral expression and traditional crafts)
• Visual Art (painting, sculpture, photography, installation, performance art, sound art, video, printmaking, illustration, drawing)

No, the Boost Fund is geared towards artists who work in the disciplines outlined in the guidelines.

Yes! Artists can apply for and receive both a Boost Fund and Creative Impact Fund in the same year.

Artists can submit one (1) application to each cycle of the Boost Fund, until funded. If you receive a Boost Fund in 2025, you cannot submit another application to the program in 2025. 

Recipients of the Boost Fund will be determined through a random selection process facilitated by Assembly. Artists will not be selected by a jury or Assembly staff and applications will not be evaluated for content, other than eligibility. 

Random selection in artist funding models has gained popularity across the country and is intended to eliminate subjectivity and reduce competition among artists. To meet intended program goals and align with Assembly’s mission, some artists will be randomly selected from prioritized categories. 

The goal of Boost is to help you cover gaps in your project and creative costs so you can be a more active artist.  You can spend your funds on project or event expenses, such as venue costs, supplies, permits, artist contract fees, technology and/or artist need expenses such as materials, equipment, studio costs and repairs, work-related travel and more. Please see the Guidelines for a full list of eligible uses of these funds. 

Unfortunately, no. Boost Funds must be used to cover costs directly related to your creative practice as noted above in the previous question. 

No, you don’t need to submit a project proposal, but the application asks for the expenses you’ll cover with Boost Funds. Keep in mind that these funds are intended to support artist-led projects, events or programs and artist specific needs. At the end of your grant year, Assembly will ask all grant recipients to submit a 2-3 minute video testimonial about how the Boost Funds benefitted them and their creative practice. 

There are many other ways to showcase your creative work online in your application if you don’t have a website!  

• Your artist social media page – Instagram, YouTube, Facebook 
• Art-specific sites where you share your work like BandCamp, Patreon, Vimeo 
• Artist profile pages through other sites – consider creating a free artist profile on Cleveland Arts & Events if you don’t already have one 

Any link you include must be clearly related to your artistry. Do not include personal social media pages or accounts if they don’t showcase your artwork. Do not include links to sites that require paid subscriptions (Spotify, Netflix, Amazon).

Yes. Please consult with an accounting or tax professional, such as the Hispanic Business Center or LISC, to determine how much of your grant to reserve for taxes. Grantees will be required to submit a W-9 to receive their award and will be issued a 1099 at the end of the year.

Artists must be current residents of Cuyahoga County at the time of application with plans to remain in the county for the duration of the grant year.