The Grassroots Arts Program (GAP) is funded by the Georgia Council for the Arts through appropriations from the Georgia General Assembly to make sure that all Georgians have access to arts activities which enrich our lives. Every Georgia county receives an equal per-capita allocation. Arts Clayton has again been named by the Georgia Council for the Arts as the FY 2006 re-granting agency for GAP in Clayton, Fayette, Henry and Spalding counties.

This statewide arts program is designed to encourage local collaborations between artists, arts organizations, and non-arts organizations, in order to serve a broad range of Georgia’s residents. Funding is open to any non-profit organization (which has been granted 50l(c)(3) tax-exempt status) or unit of local government.

Ideally, Grassroots Arts Projects will create new opportunities for citizens to experience the arts, while fostering greater awareness and developing local partnerships in the arts. Schools and non-profit organizations with a community arts project are encouraged to apply. Projects combining arts and education are encouraged.

The idea behind Grassroots Arts Program funding for smaller, “emerging” groups is to help them get off the ground – to “fill in the gap” between start-up and when an organization is ready to apply directly to larger funding agencies such as the Georgia Council for the Arts, or become self-sustaining through admissions.

Funded projects must be accessible to the general public, must provide 50% of the total project cost as a cash match for the grant and projects must be completed by June 30, 2007.

Forms and granting guidelines are available at Arts Clayton office at 136 South Main Street in Jonesboro or by email request to singlacpa@yahoo.com or by calling Vibha Singla at 404-366-0004. The deadline for submitting completed applications is October 30, 2006 at 4 p.m.

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