Over the years, the Firefly Arts Collective (FAC) has been proud to provide grant support to Firefly artists to enable them to express and fulfill their varied creative visions. These grants are intended to support and promote radically-expressive, community-based, interactive and/or collaborative projects that help define and shape the creative core of the event.
Smol Grants are between $40 and $149, and are meant for projects of small (“smol”) size or scope. They are particularly designed to encourage creation by new participants, or participants who haven’t brought art to Firefly before, but everyone is welcome to apply!
Smol Grants will be evaluated and awarded on a rolling basis after other Art Grants have been awarded. This means that if you miss your first shot at another grant type, you can still scale back your idea and have a chance at some funding! They’ll be awarded until the allocated funding for Smol Grants has been consumed. And because of the smoller nature of the projects and grant awards, the Art Grant Core anticipates being able to award Smol Grants quickly to many participants.
Some examples of smol projects which may be awarded a Smol Grant:
- A fiber art project (knitting, sewing, weaving, knotting); grant covers the cost of materials.
- A performance project (costumed character acting, for example); grant covers some cost of crafting a costume.
- An electronics project (lighting, sound, etc.); grant covers the cost of some of the hardware.
- A small construction or assembly project; grant covers the cost of materials or tools.
- Another project where the artist has some materials already but needs a few more to prepare it to be installed at Firefly (say, a waterproof case for electronics, new paint, etc.); grant covers installation costs.
Applications
The Smol Grant uses a streamlined application process compared to other art grants. If you want to apply for multiple Smol Grants, you’ll need to fill out the form multiple times.
Additional Criteria for Smol Grants
- Placement: If your art is truly Smol you may not need official placement assistance, but if the specific location of your piece is important to you it’s a good idea to check. Artists are responsible for coordinating with Placement Core to find a place at the event to put their art.
- Fire: Projects that incorporate fire carry extra risk and need special attention from Fire Safety (FAST). Because of this extra requirement they are not eligible for Smol Grants. Instead, please apply for a Creativity Grant.
Review Process
For more information on how grants are awarded, see the Art Grants page.
Questions?
Feel free to reach out to us at grants@fireflyartscollective.org!