NALAC Unveils New Funding for Latinx Artists

The 2017 grant season for the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures (NALAC) comes with new investments from the Andrew Mellon Foundation towards the NALAC Fund for the Arts (NFA), the launch of new award for emerging filmmakers and status updates to the Transnational Cultural Remittances (TCR) and Diverse Arts Spaces (DAS) grant programs.

Adán Medrano Legacy Award in Film: Emerging Artists

As the only organization in the country offering targeTed Grant support to Latinx artists and arts organizations on a national level, NALAC kicks off the 12th annual grant season with the addition of a brand-new category for the NFA Artist Grant. Supported by the Adán Medrano Legacy Award Donor Collaborative, the $10,000 grant opportunity is open to emerging video/filmmakers who demonstrate a compelling body of work that contributes toward cultural understanding and social justice. The Donor Collaborative is seeking additional supporters to ensure the longevity of this award program; supporters of emerging Latinx filmmakers are encouraged to donate online.

"As Latinx families and communities evolve, our stories become essential not just to understand our identities, but to build a just world. With this fund, we hope to contribute to this process, helping spark the creative process of those just starting to share their experiences and world views." Christine Ortega, Representative of the Adán Medrano Legacy Award Donor Collaborative

Adán Medrano, the award's namesake, is distinguished for his work in film, culinary arts and social justice movements. In 1976, he founded the San Antonio CineFestival in 1976, the first and longest-running Latino film festival in the USA.

"NALAC is overjoyed to launch The Adán Medrano Legacy Award in Film through the NFA grant portfolio. Mr. Medrano's contributions to film and social justice complement the award's intention and potential to escalate the degree of promise bourgeoning in an emerging artist's vision." Maria Lopez De Leon, NALAC President and CEO

NALAC Fund for the Arts: Deadline Thursday, October 5, 2017

The 2017 NALAC Fund for the Arts cycle institutes a three- tiered strategy to effectively address the need for breadth of funding and depth of funding to Latinx artists and arts organizations in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. In terms of breadth, Tier 1 funding of $5,000 to $5,400 grants focus on working artists and small arts organizations (budgets under $250,000), representing the cutting edge of our field's work. In terms of depth, Tier 2 grants include $10,000 grants to mid-size and large organizations with budgets over ($250,000), and one award for an emerging filmmaker. Tier 3 provides substantial $15,000 grants for the Mentorship Artist Grant. For more information visit: www.nalac.org/nfa.

"When I started working on my latest project The Andes Inverted, I was not only trying to give an account of social, political and economical issues in Chile, I was also trying to reconstruct a cultural background, away from home, for me to work. The communication with NALAC was in many ways like going back home. NALAC not only provided funding support for my project but also a contextual ground to work in. I am forever grateful to NALAC and the community it opened for me." Daniela Rivera, NFA Grantee 2016.

Mentorship Artist Grant: Strengthening Our Focus

In the spirit of uplifting mentorship, the NFA Artist category formally known as the Master Artist Grant is being renamed-- it is now the Mentorship Artist Grant. The conditions for excellence and mastery of skill, 10-year career trajectory and mentorship activities still apply. The $15,000 award will continue to support an exemplary Latinx mentor-mentee project that enables knowledge and skill transfer between artists, with a percentage of the award proceeds being shared with the mentee. The mentorship may be intergenerational or peer to peer.

Transnational Cultural Remittances (TCR): Quick-Turnaround Air Travel Edition

This year's edition of the Transnational Cultural Remittances grant program will focus on providing air travel support through NALAC's partnership with Southwest Airlines. Applications for international travel via Southwest Airlines will be accepted, vetted and awarded on a rolling basis. This rendition of the TCR program in 2017 will offer air travel for transnational arts and culture endeavors in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. Latinx arts and culture workers in the U.S. and Puerto Rico are eligible to apply for a roundtrip E-Pass for use before January 1, 2018. The travel expiration date of January 1, 2018 is firm and cannot be extended. Only international e-passes are available. Domestic e-passes are not available. For more information visit: www.nalac.org/tcr.

Diverse Arts Spaces: On Hiatus

For five years, NALAC awarded over $227,000 in Diverse Arts Spaces grants through a dedicated portfolio from the Ford Foundation. With the sunset of these specified funds, the DAS grant program will be on hiatus until further fundraising efforts yield renewed investment. In the meantime, Latinx artists and arts organizations in the U.S. and Puerto Rico that were considering applying through the DAS grant programs are encouraged to apply through the NALAC Fund for the Arts.

Over $20 Million Leveraged Through NALAC Grants

To date, NALAC has awarded $2.3 million to 469 Latinx artists and organizations throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico and Central America. On average, NALAC grants are matched at a 16:1 ratio, indicating that NALAC Grantees have leveraged over $20 million additional dollars through NALAC's investment, infusing communities with much needed financial resources across geographies, aesthetics, cultures, generations, disciplines and economies through Latinx arts and cultural production and collaboration.

New Funding Partnerships: The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

This work would not be possible without a community of generous funders. This year, NALAC welcomes a new and rewarding partnership with The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in support of the NALAC Fund for the Arts through the year 2020. The Foundation's three-year commitment will allow NALAC to continue to provide the NFA's spectrum of tiered funding along with technical assistance to Latinx artists and arts organizations. In this capacity, Mellon joins a diverse cohort of catalytic benefactors supporting NALAC's Grant Program, including the Ford Foundation, Southwest Airlines, Surdna Foundation, Nathan Cummings Foundation, the City of San Antonio Department of Arts & Culture and our newest contributor- the Adán Medrano Legacy Award Donor Collaborative.

About NALAC

The National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures (NALAC) is the nation's premier nonprofit organization exclusively dedicated to the promotion, advancement, development and cultivation of the Latino arts field. In this capacity, NALAC stimulates and facilitates intergenerational dialogues among disciplines, languages, traditional and contemporary expressions. For 28 years, NALAC has delivered programs that stabilize and revitalize the US Latino arts and cultural sector by providing critical advocacy, funding, networking opportunities, leadership development and professional training for Latino artists and arts organizations in every region of the country.