Introduction to the Community Fund and Application Process:

The Northampton Center for the Arts Community Fund was created for people in the local community who need financial support to access the spaces and programs offered by the Center. Community members may apply for subsidized space rental rates for non-revenue generating rentals, and tuition for programs being offered by the Center. The Community Fund cannot be used for programs or events that are being offered by individual teachers or renters.

To apply for financial support, please read the following guidelines, and then fill out a Google Form application (link below). If you have any trouble accessing or following this application process, please email ncfa@nohoarts or call 413-584-7327.

Process:

Please read through the following information in full to help you determine how much you can pay towards your request. Then, fill out the Google Form (linked below). We accept applications for programs and rentals happening within a year of the date of application. Support cannot be granted retroactively after a renter’s contract is negotiated and signed.

Our staff reviews applications on a rolling basis. Applicants can expect to hear back from us within two weeks of submitting a application. Currently, we are able to offer about $500 of support per month, or $6,000 per year. (We expect that to grow as our fund grows!) We will approve as many applicants as possible, and we prioritize individual artists and community members along with our funding priorities:

Funding Priorities

  • Individual artists who are renting space to produce a performance/event

  • Community members who want to take arts-related classes/workshops

  • Individual artists renting space for rehearsals

  • Artists and other community members who represent groups that have been underserved and/or pushed to the margins

  • Arts-related applications

While this fund is intended to prioritize individual artists and community members, we will also review applications from the following:

  • Community members renting space for non-profit and social justice-related events

  • Small, local, non-profit organizations

Context for figuring out how much to pay:

The Northampton Center for the Arts is a small non-profit organization that produces arts programming and helps steward the beautiful spaces at 33 Hawley for our community. We are able to do this through rentals, tuition fees, grants, and donations from individuals. We rely on each of those to maintain our financial health.

The process for accessing the Community Fund is based on various sliding scale models, and we ask you to consider how much you can afford to pay when you apply. The more that each person pays, the more there is to go around. We ask that people pay something if they can. We would like every person in our community to be able to use the spaces and participate in the programs we offer, and understand that some people may be able to afford very little or nothing. We offer the scale below (adapted from Little Red Bird Botanicals) as an invitation to consider how class background, finances, and privilege impact what you can pay. 

Consider paying less on the scale if you..

  • are supporting children or have other dependents

  • have significant debt

  • have medical expenses not covered by insurance

  • are eligible for public assistance

  • have immigration-related expenses

  • are an elder with limited financial support

  • are an unpaid community organizer

  • are a returning citizen who has been denied work due to incarceration history

  • experience discrimination in hiring or pay level

  • are descended from enslaved people or First Nations/Indigenous people (The Center recognizes the movement for institutional reparations for the current and historical theft of Black and Indigenous lives, wealth, land, freedom, and resources.)

Consider paying more on the scale if you:

  • own the home you live in

  • have investments, retirement accounts, or inherited money

  • travel for recreation

  • have access to family money and resources in times of need

  • work part time or are unemployed by choice, including unemployment due to full-time school in a degree-earning program

  • have a relatively high degree of earning power due to level of education (or gender and racial privilege, class background, etc.). Even if you are not currently exercising your earning power, we ask you to recognize this as a choice.

Please click here to fill out the application form!

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