Why do we offer grants?
Causability realizes that oftentimes artists are often asked to donate their art or time to nonprofits and do not receive remuneration. We believe that this mindset can contribute to an undeserved or ‘starving artist’ stereotype.
We also believe that artists, nonprofits and communities can benefit much more from collaborating together on a project rather than just one time ‘gifting’ their art away.
Therefore, we’re offering three $5K grants to empower and encourage collaboration:
Each grant is $5000.00 providing artists the ability to collaboratively develop an art related event, program or fundraiser with a local nonprofit.
We Empower Creators to Partner with Nonprofits
Causability (Grantor) is one of the only nonprofit organizations in the county of Dallas County, Texas & Oklahoma County, Oklahoma providing grants (grantees) to artists, providing them the ability to collaborate with nonprofits (causes), to co-create programs while mutually benefiting both themselves and a community.
Causability grants are meant to support the work and practice of artists currently not working with nonprofits, and are specifically for developing new programs with nonprofits (causes) through a mutual collaboration.
Grants recipients (artists) are available to use all mediums and disciplines, although special emphasis is on primarily developing events or programs (causes) assisting underserved and/or socio-economically marginalized areas.
The collaboration must include one or more of the following disciplines:
- A program for special events, workshops or performances, focusing on audience participation to unite and foster interactivity, building community through the use of visual arts, dance, theater, and music. It also must be mutually beneficial to the nonprofit and the community it serves with full collaboration from the artists.
- A program can be designed and used as a vehicle for fundraising. The fundraising program must be focused on fostering community involvement, while simultaneously uplifting and providing resources within the community. Stipulations are that any online fundraising must use Causability.org’s private crowdfunding.
Funding for Causability’s grants comes from foundation grants, individual supporters, and revenue percentages from our partner site Art For Your Cause
Meet Our Winners
Renee' James
Project Title: "Paint Wars"
Growing up in low-income areas, art is unavailable. I drive by so many centers that have failed. I am an artist and this is a problem. I want to encourage young people to see themselves through art. The clothes they were is art, and the style of their hair is art, but I feel that there is a disconnect between the art they make and the art they wear. I want to bridge the gap.
Paint Wars is a project-based program that promotes friendly competition. This project will host youth teams of 12-16 working in groups in a challenge to complete the task and create a collective work of art in a timed session then after engaging in conversation about the process and how it may have affected anyone person in the room. This program is to create the space for a project and event that encourages entrepreneurship, friendly competition, community, value, and respect.
1: The Artist gathering: First 20 registered Artists will get the opportunity to participate and will gather prior to the event.
2. The Event: The artist will create in teams in front of an audience of family and peers as artists work through the time given to complete the canvas challenge.
3 Collaboration: Partner with Causibility to create products from photos of artwork and provide a platform for young artists works to be sold as wearable art; designs created from the paintings made. The painting will then be photographed and used as digital works to create wearable art products that can be made available on the Art for Cause website.
Partner Nonprofit:
Kenley Turner
Project Title: "Safe Spaces"
This is a two day art therapy workshop for 6-8 students. Participants are going to be LGBTQ older teens and young adults (ages 17-20) focusing on the concept of space. On day one students will create a diorama with their physical manifestation of what they think a safe space is. This can be a literal representation or symbolic. Students will create these dioramas exploring textures, colors, imagery, and found objects. On day two students will photograph their work. I (the guest artist) will edit their photography, have their work printed and framed so that they are able to take their safe space with them anywhere- wherever they go in life.
Funneling emotions into a tangible object accomplishes these three : 1. Creates a mirror; The maker is able to see what they are feeling in front of them in reality. 2. Makes it feel more precious and special- validating what the maker is sensing. 3. The maker is able to make decisions for themself about what they want in their space, and take ownership of that.
Why LGBTQ community?
Many individuals that identify as LGBTQ have encountered discrimination in Texas as conservative bills increasingly encroach on life choices. The recent TX SB14 bill bans puberty blockers and hormone therapy for transgender kids. Statistics gathered from national surveys report an alarming effect on the mental health of LGBTQ youth. According to The Trevor Project, 45% of LGBTQ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year. More than ever, members of our LGBTQ community need safe spaces for support. This workshop intends to offer a safe environment and creative outlet for those that need it most. Statistics also reveal that supportive environments can help reduce the negative impacts on mental health experienced by LGBTQ youth.
Partner Nonprofit:
Kelsey Giroux
Project Title: "Expanding Project COLOR the Future"
“Juvenile (in)justice”
Recent Wyoming (WY) headlines encapsulate a portion of the story of the juvenile justice dilemma facing the state, presenting a snapshot of the crucial juvenile justice reform needed to address WY’s high juvenile incarceration rates. According to the most recent data in 2019 from the Easy Access to the Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement report compiled by the National Center for Juvenile Justice, WY holds the third-highest juvenile incarceration rate in the nation.
CYD arts-community programs can develop a range of positive development assets such as bonding, resilience, cognitive, social and emotional well-being, self-motivation, spirituality, self-efficacy, positive identity, belief in the future, academics, vocational skills, confidence, connections to peers and adults, self-regulation, and a sense of community through developing arts-based protective frameworks. This process goes beyond just using art as a therapeutic process, it allows youth to express their feelings, cope with emotional and behavioral problems, heal from trauma and victimization, develop new skills, and improve strengths/assets they already possess. Notably, the positive benefits of the arts in addressing risk behaviors, particularly for rural and justice-involved youth, are associated with reduced delinquency, anger, depression, anxiety, ADHD, and suicidal thoughts or ideations. The arts are an effective means to help diverse youth with different cultural and linguistic backgrounds, various learning styles, and varying degrees of cognitive, behavioral, or physical disabilities, to voice their feelings and become more actively engaged. CYD art programming in coordination with community programs can and does result in improved achievement to benefit underserved rural youth and reduce delinquency, recidivism, or other problem and high-risk behaviors for justice-involved youth of any age.
Partner Nonprofit:
Meet Our Judges
Alice Bybee
As a design leader with a background in both sociology and graphic design, Alice has been able to move fluidly between non-profit, consumer and global tech sectors providing design solutions, creative direction and brand management that produces results. Clients and companies include The Marine Mammal Center, the de Young Museum, the North Face, Levi's, Salesforce, Microsoft, Slack and more.
Alice served on the board of AIGA San Francisco (AIGA SF) where with her in-depth knowledge of design for social good, she co-created the AIGA SF Social Impact chair and cause/affect, a biennial graphic design competition celebrating the work of designers and organizations that set out to positively impact our society. She also went on to serve as Vice President and President of the board.
Alice received a BA in sociology from Brandeis University and a BFA in graphic design from the Academy of Art University. She is currently Director of Brand Design at Lattice.
Nic Cocco
Nic Cocco graduated in 2010 with a BFA in Drawing and Painting from the University of North Texas. Over the years she has studied and worked with various mediums from drawing, painting, ceramics, mixed media, interactive media, digital art, and graphic design. She served for over 5 years as an advisory board member for Scrap Denton, a creative reuse center that provided sustainable art education and art supplies to teachers and after school programs. Nic has worked with a variety of artists that promote a more sustainable future with their craft, the materials they use, and their processes.
Elise Gordon
Elise Gordon began her artistic pursuits early in life, with an apparent passion for painting, sculpting, and crafting of all sorts. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Oklahoma in 2017, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts emphasizing her painting and ceramics. Elise has shown her work in group and solo exhibitions in the Paseo Arts District of Oklahoma City and she has won numerous accolades for her striking and colorful surrealism. After college, Elise spent time honing her craft as a commission painter by independently marketing and selling her portraits and landscapes.
Since moving to California in 2021, Elise has embarked on a new career as an Interior Designer, She now spends her days crafting custom, large-scale homes for the elite clients of West Los Angeles. In her free time, Elise works as a graphic designer for a local L.A. brewery and the Pink Boots Society, which supports women and the LGBTQ+ community as leaders in the craft beer industry.
