The Arts Council of Greater New Haven (Arts Council)'s mission is to advance Greater New Haven by providing leadership and support to our diverse arts community. We envision a thriving arts community at the heart of Greater New Haven.
Founded in 1964, the Arts Council champions a diverse, regional arts community where creativity thrives, believing that art, culture, and creative expression are fundamental human rights. A leading regional nonprofit arts agency, we provide leadership and advocacy for artists and arts organizations throughout the greater New Haven community. Publisher of The Arts Paper, the Arts Council provides free, critical support service, community coordination, as well as free learning opportunities and internships to thousands of artists, cultural organizations, and residents every year.
The Arts Council primarily serves the City of New Haven and its surrounding neighborhoods, cities, and towns, including Bethany, Branford, Cheshire, East Haven, Guilford, Hamden, Madison, Meriden, Milford, New Haven, North Branford, North Haven, Orange, Wallingford, West Haven, and Woodbridge. However, our work has ripple effects throughout the entire State of Connecticut and beyond.
Keeping in alignment with our mission, today the Arts Council is committed to becoming an antiracist organization + to continuing to help our artists, arts industry workers, + creative organizations sustain during + thrive after COVID-19.
Our grantmaking processes are rooted in equity and accessibility, especially for individual artists of color and organizations that have been historically excluded from funding.
From Fiscal Sponsorship to the Youth Arts Journalism Initiative, Free Membership to The Sandbox - we're working around the clock to build a strong, diverse, and united creative community in Greater New Haven.
When the Arts Council fiscally sponsors a project/organization, we lend them our 501(c)(3) status. This allows them to receive the following benefits: apply for grants that require 501(c)(3) status, have donations be tax exempt, and, receive financial administrative support among other benefits.
Fiscal sponsorship is a contractual relationship between you and the Arts Council. On any funds raised, the Arts Council will receive a 7% administrative cost.
To qualify for this sponsorship, an organization or project must be within the Council’s mission, not be overly burdensome, be feasible in the sole judgment of the Arts Council, and pose no inappropriate risks. The decision to grant fiscal sponsorship may be made based on the project’s fit with our exempt purpose and allocation of our resources. Some projects will not qualify at all.
We have outlined below our exempt purpose. Satisfying the criteria does not guarantee sponsorship of a project. Granting fiscal sponsorship is within the sole discretion of the Arts Council of Greater New Haven – its Executive Director, Executive Committee, and the Board of Directors. In addition, the Board may choose from time to time to limit the number of sponsored projects to conserve the resources of the Arts Council.
Exempt Purpose: The purpose of the Arts Council of Greater New Haven is to work within the Greater New Haven area to create cultural opportunities for public participation in and awareness of the arts, to provide artistic nourishment for the population, artists, and the arts in the Greater New Haven area and to develop community support for the arts.
List of towns within the Arts Council’s service region:
Bethany | Branford | Cheshire | East Haven | Guilford | Hamden | Madison | Meriden | Milford | New Haven | North Branford | North Haven | Orange | Wallingford | West Haven | Woodbridge
Application Scope
1. Narrative questions
2. Three (3) Letters of Recommendation: Three letters of recommendation are required for a complete application and should highlight the credibility of the applicant/their organization or collective, the relevancy of the project/organization, how you would benefit from fiscal sponsorship and speak to the impact of your work to the community. Strong letters of recommendation are from organizations/leaders/community members within our service region. These letters should be addressed to Hope Chávez, Executive Director of the Arts Council of Greater New Haven.
3. A Project/Organization Budget Sheet: You will need to submit a budget that, to the best of your ability, explains the financial breakdown of your project/organization.
- For temporary projects, please provide estimates based on the timeframe of the project.
- For ongoing, or multi-year projects, please provide annual estimates.
- Helpful hint: A budget is simply a plan for acquiring and spending funds to achieve specific goals by a certain time. Think of your budget as a tool you can use to identify the financial transactions needed to accomplish your project or organization's goals. Do your best to have the information accurate.
Fiscal sponsorship lasts for one year and can be renewed on a case-by-case basis. Decisions are typically made within one month.
If you have any questions, you can reach out to Mina Khokhar (she/her) at mina@newhavenarts.org.