March 2009 Art and Change Grants Announced
19 Grants Given to Women and Transgender Artists in the Philadelphia Region
The Leeway Foundation announces $46,400 in grants to twenty women and transgender artists living in the six-county Philadelphia area (including Camden) to further their work integrating a variety of arts disciplines and social change.
The Art and Change Grant provides project-based grants of up to $2,500 to women and transgender (which includes those who identify as transsexual and genderqueer) artists who: have art and social change projects or opportunities that impact a larger group, audience or community; have financial need; and live in the Delaware Valley area. One of the more unique aspects of the Art and Change grant is its requirement for projects to be supported by or in collaboration with a Change Partner—a person, organization, or business, that is part of the project in some way.
March’s deadline was the first cycle for 2009 and marks the beginning of the foundation’s annual grants and awards calendar. Of the twenty recipients, only eight artists previously received funding from the organization. The grants awarded went to artists working in a variety of fields including altered books, capoeira and stained-glass installation.
This cycle’s grantees, selected out of 94 applications, are:
Ahdanah, Overbrook Farms, $2,500
Amatus, Mt. Airy, $2,500
Beverly Collins-Roberts, Camden, $2,500
Celestine Wilson Hughes, Darby Township, $2,500
Charlotte Ford, South Philadelphia, $2,500
Dina Khouri, South Philadelphia, $2,500
Eva Agbada, Logan, $2,500
Jaye Allison, West Philadelphia, $2,500
Jesse White, Powelton Village, $2,500
Julia Galetti, Francisville, $2,500
Lisa Jo Epstein, Mt. Airy, $2,500
Lois Fernandez, Southwest Center City, $2,500
Nora Hiriart Litz, Bella Vista, $2,500
Rebecca Davis, Washington Square West, $2,500
Rhashidah Perry-Jones, Oak Lane, $2,500
Sandra Andino, North Philadelphia, $2,500
Sara Zia Ebrahimi, East Mt. Airy, $1,500
Tessa Micaela, South Philadelphia, $2,500
Victorious and Krazzy K, Graduate Hospital, $2,400
The Leeway Foundation's grant making programs honor women and transgender artists for their ability to create social change through their artistic and cultural work. The foundation is committed to art making as an integral part of social change, movement building, and anti-oppression work.
The Art and Change grants are distributed three times per year and are evaluated by an independent peer review panel. The March 2009 review panel consisted of Amadee L. Braxton (filmmaker/organizer), L. Capco Lincoln (filmmaker/performance artist), and Margie Strosser (filmmaker/writer).
Applications are available on the Leeway website and outreach events are held throughout the year. Foundation staff members are available (by appointment) to provide support to potential applicants via workshops and advisory sessions. Applications can be obtained by calling (215) 545-4078 or emailing info@leeway.org. There are two additional deadlines for the 2009 Art and Change Grant—June 1 and September 1.
