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MakeWork Grants: Over $300,000 Awarded to Local Creatives Tuesday, May 12, 2009
CreateHere is pleased to announce that we’ve awarded MakeWork grants to 34 Chattanooga creatives. Grant monies come in at $301,226—nearly double the initially planned total—thanks to the strength and promise of this year’s applicants, in addition to generous support from the Lyndhurst and Benwood foundations.
In economic hard times, conventional wisdom tells us that creative individuals and enterprises take the deepest cuts; that creative work is, in fact, a dispensable luxury. But CreateHere couldn’t disagree more. We believe the arts are essential to developing and maintaining healthy local economies.
We went into MakeWork 2009 promising $150,000 to local creatives, confident that this year’s applications would carry the same weight and promise as last year’s. When we received $1.3 million in requests—each application uniquely Chattanoogan, with potentially enormous economic implications—we recognized that local creatives were more productive than even we thought possible.
Where there is a need, there is certainly a way. Support from local foundations, plus the addition of $4,575 in application fees to the grant purse, made CreateHere’s vision to build Chattanooga’s cultural economy a reality through MakeWork. Our economic stimulus package gives local creatives the ability to pursue projects and advance their careers, and make real waves in Chattanooga’s economy.
We’ll keep you posted on details regarding recipients, final totals, and the creative capital coming out of MakeWork 2009. Look for more information later this week.
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