ART GRANTS
LAKES OF FIRE IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THE OPENING OF OUR 2025 ART GRANT CYCLE.
Since the inception of the Lakes of Fire, the art grant program has grown tremendously thanks to the support of our community through donations and ticket sales. Thank you for making it possible!
2025 FUNDING
The Art Grants team is able to grant up to $45,000 in 2025. The Art Grant program funds NEW art or additions/upgrades to existing art.
Our team also continues to encourage the creation of art by our youth burners by setting aside a small amount of funds specifically to support the creation of art by youth in our community (under 18 years of age). If you are a young burner or have a young burner in your family with an awesome idea, submit that proposal!!
ART GRANT APPLICATION & REVIEW TIMELINE
Art Grants is proud to be working together with Volunteeripate this year to create a great new Art Grant Application! For 2025 the Art Grant Application process will open December 3, 2024 and close January 5, 2025. To apply simply log in to your Volunteeripate account, and fill out the Art Grant Waiver and Art Grant Application. The application is able to be saved and added to as you are able to work on your submission!
- Early January through Early February 2025 – The Art Grant team, consisting of team leads and art grant facilitators, reviews all applications.
- Mid February 2025 – All applicants will receive notice of whether or not they have been awarded a grant through our program.
- Late Feb to Early March 2025 – Art grant facilitators will contact all awarded artists to complete the necessary documentation, including contracts and W-9 paperwork, before any money is distributed to the artist.
- Mid to Late March 2025 – Once all 2025 artists are under contract, we will announce the full roster of art projects funded by the art grants program to the Lakes of Fire community.
ART GRANT GUIDELINES
Subject to the below guidelines, Lakes of Fire takes a broad approach to considering what kinds of projects are eligible for an art grant. In the past, Lakes of Fire has funded a wide range of new projects covering the full spectrum of artistic disciplines, i.e., visual art, performance art, and interactive art.
Artists should keep the following guidelines in mind when applying for a grant and preparing a detailed budget for our consideration:
- Art grants are intended to fund NEW projects. Returning projects will only be considered for a grant if they expand on the original project by building a new piece for the event.
- Any projects funded by the event should be available to the community as a whole to experience. They should be separate from your camp infrastructure, which people need to seek out.
- Art grants are intended to cover the cost of raw materials (i.e. wood, steel, paint, fabric, solenoids etc.). Art grants CAN NOT be used to cover the cost of labor or to purchase tools and equipment that have value or use outside of the art project. Additional items not allowable to be covered by art grants include generators, drills, projectors, cameras, boats, or vehicles. Almost anything motorized falls into this category as well.
- Art grants CANNOT be used to fund personal transportation for you and your team to the event. Funds may be used towards transportation costs required to bring large projects to the event.
- Art grants may fund art cars, but if your project is selected, the funds may only be used towards the cost of the materials used in developing the artistic portion of your project (i.e. the tentacles or wings). The funds cannot be used towards the purchase of the underlying vehicle.
- Art grant funds CANNOT be used to cover the cost of food or alcohol relating to any project.
- Applications for art grants from theme camps may be considered, but only if the proposal reflects an intention to create a project that has artistic merit (i.e. a sculpture related to the camp) and will benefit the community. Art grants CANNOT be used to build or fund a theme camp itself (i.e. the cost of a dome), nor should they be used to create projects that the community at large cannot experience or enjoy. All funded art created by theme camps MUST be located in a public part of your camp and does not feel like a private camp space.
APPLICATION PROCESS
Interested applicants must fill out the 2025 Lakes of Fire Art Grant Application in their Volunteeripate Lakes of Fire 2025 account. Adults simply log in to their Volunteeripate account and fill out the waiver and application forms. Minors should fill out their form with the help of their responsible adult under their responsible adult’s Volunteeripate account, being sure to fill in the minor’s information section. Please take your time to answer all of the questions carefully. The application form is able to be saved as a draft and edited as often as you like prior to submission. You are able to link documents, sketches, and photos to your application. Upon submission you will get confirmation noting the completion of your form. If you do not receive confirmation, if you have any questions about the process, or if you would like assistance in filling out the application for any reason, please email us at artgrants@lakesoffire.org, but please put the title of your project as your subject line.
CONTRACTING AND PAYMENT PROCESS
If our program selects your grant application, a grant facilitator will be assigned to your project. They will email you the amount of money we can offer to your project. If you accept the offer, we will send you a contract for your review and signature. Once the contract is in hand, we authorize the Finance team to send you HALF of the grant award. That is the money you have pre-event to spend on your project. You are required to keep track of and produce the expense receipts for your project and submit them with your Afterburn Report post-event to get the final payout for your grant. If you do not spend the full amount of the granted amount, we will pay for the amount that you spent based on your expense receipts. We will not be able to send money for unaccounted-for expenses. Once your AfterBurn is received and your receipts are reviewed, payments can be processed quickly. We can send funds through our online bookkeeping system, Melio, or a paper check in the mail. After your contract is signed and returned to our team, these options will be offered to you.
NEED HELP WITH YOUR APPLICATION?
We know that applying for a grant might be intimidating, so we have a few items to help you out.
Click HERE for a sample art grant proposal to give you a sense of what a proposal should look like. For additional information and help, check out the following documents:
Art Grant Best Practices
Art Grant FAQ