Arts Equity Grants

The 2025 ARTS ELEVATE: Arts Equity Grants program is administered by the Greater Lowell Community Foundation (GLCF) and supports collaborative, artist-led projects that empower youth, reflect cultural identity, and promote community wellness through the arts. This initiative is part of GLCF’s broader mission to strengthen the vitality of Greater Lowell through targeted grantmaking. GLCF defines the arts broadly, encompassing visual arts, music, dance, theater, film, spoken word, poetry, literary arts, multimedia, craft, and folk or traditional arts. The goal of the Arts Equity Grants is to support creative expression that fosters storytelling, connection, and well-being. Grantees are expected to produce projects with meaningful artist-nonprofit collaboration, with a particular focus on youth engagement and community impact. For the 2025 grant cycle, nine grants of $5,000 each will be awarded. Projects must be designed and implemented through partnerships between nonprofits and local artists. Both partners must be located in one or more of GLCF’s 21 service communities: Acton, Ashby, Ayer, Bedford, Billerica, Burlington, Carlisle, Chelmsford, Concord, Dracut, Dunstable, Groton, Littleton, Lowell, Pepperell, Shirley, Tewksbury, Townsend, Tyngsboro, Westford, and Wilmington. Ideal projects include collaborative murals or installations that reflect cultural heritage, arts-based workshops promoting mental health or social connection, and performances or exhibitions involving youth participants. All submissions must clearly demonstrate how both the nonprofit and artist are contributing meaningfully to the project’s design and execution. The application opens on Tuesday, September 2, 2025, and closes at 12:00 p.m. noon on Friday, October 3, 2025. Grant decisions will be announced in early November 2025. Each grant award is $5,000, and no matching funds are required.

Collaborate closely with your artist partner. Be specific about impact on youth and community.