Creative Heights

Individuals, collectives or organizations may submit a Letter of Inquiry for Creative Heights funding. If selected to submit a full application, applicants must identify a potential Oregon-based 501(c)3 nonprofit partner to receive funds. This partner does not need to be identified in the LOI process, but must be submitted with the full application if invited. 

If your organization is serving as a fiscal sponsor for an individual and/or another organization, you are still eligible to apply for a separate project where your organization is the artistic lead. You may also sponsor multiple applications as long as your organization is not publicly claiming more than one project as your own programming.

Organizations may apply for and receive grants from multiple OCF grant programs, but only one proposal per grant program will be accepted per year. Organizations are welcome to apply to both Creative Heights and another OCF grant program with the same project, however we will not fund a nonprofit for the same project more than once. If your project is competitive for multiple grant programs, we will award only one grant from whichever program offers the highest award amount. Individuals can apply for the Creative Heights program and our Fields Artists Fellowship simultaneously or in different cycles and will be considered separately.

Yes, current or past funding from other OCF programs does not affect eligibility or competitiveness for Creative Heights.

Past Creative Heights grantees (both independent artists and/or nonprofit organizations) are eligible provided the previously funded project and final evaluation activities are completed. If you are unsure if this applies to you, please contact OCF staff before applying. Organizations who are publicly claiming a Creative Heights project as their programming must complete the previous project and evaluation activities before applying again.

If an organization is only sponsoring an individual's application and not claiming the project publicly, they do not need to complete past projects in order to sponsor another application or apply for their own programming. Organizations may sponsor multiple applications in one year and each application will be considered separately. 

Yes, you may apply again with the same project. Please submit a new application through our online portal to be considered and include any updates or changes since your last submission.

Letters of Inquiry are due by 5:00pm on February 16, 2024. Full applications will be invited in early April for a May deadline. A letter of commitment and fiscal sponsorship agreement from any sponsor nonprofit is required with the full application. Applicants will be notified of their awards shortly after the OCF board decision in mid-July. Funding will be disbursed by August and may be used for two years from the award date. Preference will be given to projects that are not within three months of completion upon receiving the award.

One of the main goals of Creative Heights is to provide substantial resources to take creative risks and test new ideas. Through past grant cycles, we’ve found that projects too close to completion upon receiving the award are often not able to invest the newly secured resources as thoughtfully or impactfully as projects with a longer timeline to completion. Since the funding is distributed in August, this means projects scheduled to be completed before November must strongly demonstrate why these funds would be impactful in the proposed timeline.

There is no set percentage, but we understand that taking a strategic risk requires dedicated risk capital outside operating expenses. Due to this special need, OCF is willing to fund the majority of the project budget.

There is no restriction on where you can spend grant funds as long as you are engaging Oregon artists and if there is a product, that it is accessible to Oregon audiences.

Awarded funds can be used for up to two years from the distribution date.

No, we see these as one-time projects. If you are applying to fund the pilot of a program you intend to continue we do not require any information about sustainability beyond the grant period.

Evaluation requirements for grantees will consist of conversations/interviews with an evaluator at the start of the grant, mid-point, and completion of project. There is no lengthy written report to submit. Grantees may be asked to review and approve short summaries written by OCF staff based on their conversations. A final budget is also required accounting for how all grant funds were used.

OCF has convened grantees in some years, but we don't currently have plans to convene 2024 grantees. We ask grantees to keep us up to date on opportunities to engage and share projects with our networks. We also appreciate access to any available documentation to share with our stakeholders.

No. Individuals, collectives or organizations may submit a Letter of Inquiry for Creative Heights funding. If selected to submit a full application, applicants must identify a potential Oregon-based 501(c)3 nonprofit partner to receive funds. This partner does not need to be identified in the LOI process, but must be submitted with the full application if invited. 

Yes. Organizations may apply for and receive grants from multiple OCF grant programs, but only one proposal per grant program will be accepted per year. Organizations are welcome to apply to both Creative Heights and another OCF grant program with the same project, however we will generally not fund a nonprofit for the same project more than once. If your project is competitive for multiple grant programs (i.e. Creative Heights and Community Grants), we will award only one grant from whichever program offers the highest award amount. Individuals can apply for the Creative Heights program and our Fields Artists Fellowship simultaneously or in different cycles and will be considered separately. Current or past funding from other OCF programs does not affect eligibility or competitiveness for Creative Heights.

Grants from other OCF programs won't affect your eligibility for Creative Heights. If you have an open Creative Heights grant you are not eligible to apply until you've finished the current Creative Heights project.

Yes. Past Creative Heights grantees (independent artists, nonprofit organizations, and/or collectives) are eligible to apply again provided the previously funded project and final evaluation activities are completed. If you are unsure if this applies to you, please contact OCF staff before applying.

Yes, you may apply again with the same project. Please submit a new application through our online portal to be considered and include any updates or changes since your last submission.

Not if it is for the same project. We ask for one application per project, with no preference for who submits it.

A nonprofit, individual artist, or a collective of artists/nonprofits can apply. Generally, we're asking who generated the creative impulse for the project and will be directing the use of funds. Whoever is listed as the applicant is who we expect will have control over how the funds are directed, especially if there is any question from reviewers or the project team after an award is announced. Panelists for this program often want to understand who is directing the project’s vision and budget when multiple partners are involved.

You can apply as a collective and name several organizations and/or artists as equal partners if there is shared ownership of the project vision and shared decision-making processes for how funds are used. We wish to clearly understand who is applying, so that if there is any sort of question or dispute, we know whom to reach out to. This helps us avoid confusion over ownership of the project. We do not recommend applying as a collective if one partner is primarily directing the vision and use of funds while asking other partners to collaborate in more limited roles. If a collective applies and there is disagreement over how to use funds, we will attempt to mediate the dispute under the premise that all parties named in the collective have equal ownership of the project and awarded funds.

Please submit only one application per year. Pick whichever idea you are most passionate about and submit that one. Generally, we only allow lead artists or organizations to have one active application or grant at a time.

You are welcome to collaborate with nonprofits or individuals who already have an active Creative Heights grant, as long as they are not claiming the new project as their own. An organization, lead artist, or collective from another active Creative Heights project cannot be the creative lead or owner of the project, but they can assist you and you can include payment or a fee as a line-item to your budget. If you are unsure if this applies to you, please contact OCF staff before applying. Partnering with a past grantee would generally not impact your chances of securing an award.

An organization, lead artist, or collective from another active Creative Heights project cannot be the creative lead or owner of the project, but they can assist you and you can include payment or a fee as a line-item to your budget. If you are unsure if this applies to you, please contact OCF staff before applying. Partnering with a past grantee would generally not impact your chances of securing an award.

An organization, lead artist, or collective from another active Creative Heights project cannot be the creative lead or owner of the project, but they can assist you and you can include payment or a fee as a line-item to your budget. If you are unsure if this applies to you, please contact OCF staff before applying. Partnering with a past grantee would generally not impact your chances of securing an award. 

Literary arts and film projects have been funded in recent years. Generally, a studio work like a film, publication or visual art piece may not be competitive or even eligible unless there is robust dissemination and articulated efforts to engage Oregon audiences with the final product. If your proposal is primarily about creating a work in your studio, then it is not likely eligible.erally not impact your chances of securing an award. 

Capital projects are generally not eligible, although it is hard to put boundaries on bold creativity. We have not funded a pure capital project yet. If there is a portion of a budget going toward a capital project that is also supporting folks to create something, you could make a case. If a proposal is primarily about purchasing, renting or renovating a building, it would not be eligible. Our goal for Creative Heights is centering creativity and helping artists create bold new work. If a capital project can provide specific and tangible ways to do that it could be eligible. If funds are not being used to support specific creative projects, then it is not likely eligible.

There is no restriction on where you can spend grant funds as long as you are significantly engaging Oregon artists and Oregon audiences.

Probably not, although we're happy to discuss proposals if you are not sure about eligibility. One example we have encountered is a grant to cover costs for Oregon-based artists solely to participate in a California-based residency. In this scenario, the project would be ineligible, as we are looking for opportunities for both Oregon artists to be supported in creating new work and for Oregon audiences to have access to innovative arts and culture. Participating in a residency could be eligible if it was being used to advance a specific project but would typically need some type of public presentation for this program that is accessible to Oregonians.

This type of project is usually eligible, but not often competitive unless it has a clear curatorial focus and can articulate how the project is a creative stretch for the applicant.

Using funding towards administrative support is allowed, but an application that is primarily for administrative capacity to gather, present or exhibit artists or their work is generally less competitive than an artist-driven project centered on a creative vision. Generally, if you are presenting existing work (not funding artists in a significant way to create), it will not be competitive and possibly not eligible. Please see the eligibility requirements and the FAQ’s about competitiveness.

Yes, projects in the idea phase have received funding in the past. In the full application we ask for work samples, so you will need evidence of past work or a proof of concept to be competitive. See the FAQ’s about competitiveness for more information, as competitive applications will typically engage community members in a robust way beyond research and development.

The role of technology in the creation or sharing process is always evolving, so if you have robust plans to engage community electronically, your project would be eligible to apply. Projects that are very broad in terms of who might access it (like making a website and hoping community members find and engage with it, or creating and posting a multimedia project online) would not likely be competitive and possibly not eligible without more specific engagement plans.

That would likely be eligible. Collaborating with artists in any way, as long as they are being compensated as professionals, can meet the goals of this program. Generally artist-driven projects with a creative vision are the most competitive. 

An application from an individual or collective requires a fiscal sponsor to receive and distribute funds, as OCF will only grant funds to a registered 501c3 organization. You do not need to identify a fiscal sponsor for the LOI stage, but we recommend exploring options before applying as the turnaround time to submit the full application is typically about one month and a fiscal sponsor agreement may require more time to execute.

A fiscal sponsor receives funds from OCF and provides financial oversight that the funds are used toward the project. How funds are tracked and disbursed is the responsibility of the applicant and sponsor organization, which typically is outlined in an agreement between all parties. We do not have one fixed role in mind for how a fiscal sponsor engages with a project. Fiscal sponsors can fill other roles or provide other services beyond receiving funds and providing oversight for how funds are used.

If they are serving strictly as a fiscal sponsor, then their responsibility is to receive and distribute funds while providing financial oversight to ensure that the funds are being used appropriately for the funded project. The fiscal sponsor and project lead will need to agree on the process for funds to be distributed and for any required budget tracking or reporting. OCF generally does not require reporting from fiscal sponsors, as we conduct interviews with project leads and collect final budgets that fulfill our reporting requirements. We do reserve the right to request records from the fiscal sponsor as needed.

Yes. If your organization is serving as a fiscal sponsor for an individual and/or another organization, you are still eligible to apply for a separate project where your organization is the artistic lead. You may also sponsor multiple applications in one year and each application will be considered separately, as long as your organization is not publicly claiming more than one project as your own programming. 

If an organization is a fiscal sponsor for an active Creative Heights grant, they do not need to wait until the sponsored project is complete to sponsor a new application.

Yes, but both can only apply for one project where they are the lead.

ou do not have to have someone confirmed before submitting the LOI, but if asked to move to the full application round, you will need to have the partnership in place and a fiscal sponsorship agreement you can provide before the full application deadline. 

The best option is typically a nonprofit in your community that you have a relationship with who will receive and oversee funds, often for a fee (5-10% is typical). We recommend contacting the Charitable Partnership Fund if you do not have a relationship with a local nonprofit. Another resource is the Fiscal Sponsorship Directory, which lists known fiscal sponsors by state.

There is no set percentage. We understand that creative stretch or taking a strategic risk requires dedicated risk capital. OCF is willing to fund an entire project budget, or a portion, depending on what you need.

You do not need to provide a budget for the LOI, but if you move to the full application round, we do ask for a detailed budget. It is helpful to do some groundwork on budget before applying, as we do ask you to identify a grant request amount (within a range) on the LOI. You are welcome to use the sample budget template that we provide for the full application, but we do not want you to upload a budget as part of the LOI.

Yes, we ask for a requested award range between $10,000 and $100,000.

No need to explain the amount requested in detail in the LOI phase, simply request what you think you will need. We will ask for more detail and a full budget if you are invited to submit a full application in the next round.

Yes, any expenses connected to the project are eligible.

Yes, you may use funds from other sources. We're happy to fund all or only some of the project. There is no preference for an applicant to have additional funds.

There's no limit to what the public components of a project look like.

Paying artists as professionals is one of the values of the program. We have some resources in the full application to help identify living wages for artists (see below):

Links:

• https://wageforwork.com/fee-calculator?#top
• https://nmbx.newmusicusa.org/commissioning-fees-calculator/
• https://creative-capital.org/2016/01/25/determining-your-artist-fee/
• https://teachingartists.com/pay-rate-calculator/
• https://www.creatorresource.com/page-rates-2017/

The intent of the Creative Heights initiative is to offer risk capital to pursue bold artistic ideas, therefore OCF is open to a range of projects outside the stated guidelines. Highly competitive proposals will likely demonstrate the capacity for high artistic achievement, innovation in execution, and feasibility to realize the project goals.

Strong proposals generally exhibit some of the following elements, not all are required:

• Support the development and/or presentation of new and innovative work by Oregon artists, curators, producers, historians, creatives and culture bearers.
• Represent an artistic or creative stretch or risk for the artists and organizations involved.
• Offer the applicant an opportunity to learn and grow their discipline or craft in scope, scale and/or practice.
• Demonstrate high levels of community engagement and social impact.
• Have the potential to advance artistic and cultural fields in Oregon.
• Engage artists, curators and collaborators of high caliber and achievement in their field.

Example project types include:

• Presentation of a fully realized new work or project in one or more Oregon communities.
• Research and development for a new project or collaboration.
• Support for creation of new works by individual artists or culture bearers (e.g., hosted fellowships, residencies and commissions).
• New delivery systems or approaches to the creation or presentation of art and culture.
• Engaging outside experts to work with artists on new skills or approaches to work.
• Museum-based projects that reveal previously unexamined Oregon history, culture or art.
• Production or presentation of an innovative work developed by Oregon artists in collaboration with artists or experts from outside Oregon.
• Examples of projects by past grantees can be found on our Community Impact page. We highly recommend browsing past awards to get a sense of what has been competitive. 

Please review our eligibility requirements, as they were narrowed in 2024 to help ensure more applications are competitive. We encourage applicants to review lists of past grantees on our Community Impact page to assess whether their proposal can match the levels of artistic merit, innovation and impact demonstrated by past grantees.

Because we incorporate multiple review panelists who bring varied knowledge and perspectives to our review and selection processes, OCF does not use a fixed definition of risk or innovation. Generally, funded projects include elements of experimentation and evolution that keep an artist's or culture bearer's work vibrant and relevant; or provide an artist/organization/collective with the potential for meaningful learning and/or change. In general, we've seen that solely exploring a topic that may feel risky or taboo is not as competitive as a proposal focused on new methods of creating, collaborating or sharing new work.

In the case of these artists/organizations /collectives creating a new work would not in-and-of itself be a risk, so we would be looking for elements of development or creation that are a stretch or new to the artist/organization/collective and project collaborators. The project should be distinctive from the collaborating artists’ prior work in scope, scale and/or practice. That can look like working with new collaborators, creating or sharing at a larger scale, using different research or creation methods, or any other methods to push into new territory.

Presenting non-Oregon artists could be competitive if there was significant participation by Oregon artists or other creative collaborators on the project as well. Proposals that do not engage Oregon artists as primary collaborators will not be competitive.

New work in traditional or other cultural arts/forms of expression could include research and creation of new/innovative exhibits, presentations, teaching methods, or other activities that meet the intentions of Creative Heights.

Not necessarily. You can apply for funding for any phase of creation of a new work including research and development prior to public presentation. Proposals often include one or more public components, but it is not required. However, Creative Heights is a very competitive program and past review panels have typically funded projects that include high levels of community participation or engagement in the creation or exhibition of new work. Projects without any public components or community participation would likely need to demonstrate future plans for engagement in order to be competitive.

Projects can be innovative adaptations of traditional works, however there must be a solid case that this is a stretch or risk for the lead artists.

Yes, if a project is currently in development, a proposal could include further development and presentation, however it would be necessary to articulate how this phase of work would be a stretch or risk for the artists/organizations and not simply a continuation of current practice.

One of the main goals of Creative Heights is to provide substantial resources to take creative risks and test new ideas. Through past grant cycles, we’ve found that projects too close to completion upon receiving the award are often not able to invest the newly secured resources as thoughtfully or impactfully as projects with a longer timeline to completion. Since the funding is distributed in August, this means projects scheduled to be completed before November must strongly demonstrate why these funds would be impactful in the proposed timeline.

We have found that proposals to make a film, album, or publication without specific and robust plans for distribution or engagement are not typically competitive, so we have made community engagement a requirement for eligibility to avoid wasting an applicant’s time. For this type of project to advance to the next round, the idea needs to be unique, there generally needs to be a plan to share it with community, and it helps to articulate an impact on the artist's field. A proposal to create a studio work without a plan to share it would not typically be considered eligible. Stand-alone film projects or music albums can often describe how the project will stretch an artist’s or culture bearer’s creative capacity, but often struggle to articulate how the project will specifically engage Oregonians as audiences, viewers, or participants. 

Yes, if the youth are being centered as artistic professionals. This program is focused on supporting professional artists to pursue their creative dreams and we do not limit that focus to specific ages. Our review panelists often examine the agency and creative input youth have in a proposed project, along with how they are compensated when evaluating whether they are being centered as artists, or whether the project primarily has an educational focus. Projects that are primarily educational in nature or whose outcomes are related to the acquisition of experience or skills vs. creating professional artistic or cultural work are not eligible.

Yes, community engagement is a core part of the program requirements. Proposals must have robust and specific plans for exhibition, dissemination, community interaction, or engagement with Oregonians as audiences, viewers, or participants.

No, we see these as one-time projects. If you are applying to fund the pilot of a program that you intend to continue, we do not require any information about sustainability beyond the grant period. Many Creative Heights projects have gone on to have longer lives than the initial project proposal, but it is not required.

There is no length requirement, but we do have character limits, so please be sure your answer fits within the character limit. We realize it is difficult to succinctly describe a project, but the LOI is intended to provide an overview of the project and help reviewers narrow the pool down while not overburdening applicants to write more than is needed for the first round of review. We typically receive hundreds of LOI’s and strive to find a balance where there is enough space to articulate the project, while keeping the time burden manageable for our review panelists. 

Yes. Please see our community impact page for examples of previous projects: https://oregoncf.org/community-impact/impact-areas/arts-and-culture/creative-heights/

You can access a preview of the application at the following link once the application goes live. You do not need to log in to preview the application.

Evaluation requirements for grantees will consist of conversations/interviews with an evaluator at the start of the grant, mid-point, and completion of project. There is no lengthy written report to submit. Grantees may be asked to review and approve short summaries written by OCF staff based on their conversations. A final budget is also required accounting for how all grant funds were used.

OCF has convened grantees in some years, but we do not currently have plans to convene future grantees. We ask grantees to keep us up to date on opportunities to engage and share projects with our networks. We also appreciate access to any available documentation to share with our stakeholders.

Technical assistance on using the online application portal can be directed to Chey Kuzma at (503) 227-6846 or ckuzma@oregoncf.org. If you already have an account and are having trouble logging in to our online grant application portal, please reset your password by visiting the following link: https://oregoncf.slideroom.com/#/login/form. Once there, click on “Forgot Password” and follow the prompts. You will need to provide the email address you used to set up the account previously and watch for an email from SlideRoom containing a link to reset your password. OCF does not have access to your password, nor can they reset your password internally.

Questions on your proposed project plans, eligibility or general inquiries may be directed to OCF’s Arts and Culture staff, at CreativeHeights@oregoncf.org or by phone at 503-227-6846 where your call will be directed as appropriate.

A live informational webinar outlining these program details is held annually and the recording and transcript are made available for review. Details can be found at the top of the program page for grant seekers.

No, organizations of all sizes and locations in Oregon can be competitive. The project funding range ($10,000 - $100,000) for Creative Heights is intentionally broad in order to allow for projects of all sizes. There is no specific formula correlating the size of awards vs. annual organization budget, as long as you demonstrate the capacity to realize the project proposal.  In terms of geography, OCF hopes to fund throughout the state, however there are no pre-determined regional allocations for this initiative.

Proposals are reviewed by community volunteers, often past grantees or other peer-reviewers. If you would like to volunteer to review applications or nominate a reviewer, please contact us at CreativeHeights@oregoncf.org. We are especially seeking reviewers in rural and traditionally underrepresented communities of Oregon.

Letters of Inquiry are due by 5:00pm on February 13, 2025. Full applications will be invited in early April for a May deadline. A letter of commitment and fiscal sponsorship agreement from any sponsor nonprofit is required with the full application. Applicants will be notified of their awards shortly after the OCF board decision in mid-July. Funding will be disbursed by August and may be used for two years from the award date. Preference will be given to projects that are not within three months of completion upon receiving the award.

Awarded funds can be used for up to two years from the distribution date with some flexibility at our staff’s discretion.