SJF Accepting Applications for 2008 Cultural Grants

SahngnoksooThe Social Justice Fund NW is pleased to announce the release of our application and guidelines for the 2008 Cultural Grants. We will be awarding grants of up to $7,500 to groups using arts and culture as tools for grassroots community organizing. The deadline for applications is September 8, 2008 at 5 PM.

What Are Cultural Grants?

The Cultural Grants Program supports programs that aspire to transform the dominant culture from the ground up by encouraging diverse forms of expression. The Cultural Grants Program encourages grassroots organizations to explore the creativity, imagination, experiences, and cultural traditions of diverse communities in order to build a stronger and more unified progressive movement.

Cultural Grants are one-year grants of up-to-$7,500 each to support social change in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming. Most grants will be in the range of $4,500-$6,500.  These grants may be for general support or for specific projects.

Past Cultural Grants

In 2007, the Social Justice Fund awarded grants to nine organizations using arts and culture as tools for grassroots community organizing. Sahngnoksoo, a Seattle-based organization of progressive Koreans and Korean Americans, requested and received a Cultural grant to develop their Pungmul Troupe. Pungmul is a traditional form of drumming, rooted in the culture of Korean farmers who were at the forefront of the Korean democratic movement.

With the Cultural Grant from the Social Justice Fund, Sahngnoksoo was able to purchase several jangu (hourglass-shaped drums) to help them form a complete troupe. They have been practicing pungmul since July of 2007 and marched in the May 1st Immigrant Rights rally and the 2008 Seattle Pride Parade. The drumming has brought a powerful impact to these local actions, and has helped to connect cultural heritage to the group’s political values.

Sahngnoksoo works to build political power for the self-determination and liberation of Koreans of all identities, including those who are adopted, immigrants, queer, and multiracial. We do this through collective learning, collaboration, solidarity, and organizing. Sahngnoksoo translates to “evergreen” and is a symbol of strength and commitment in Korean movement history. For more information on Sahngnoksoo, please visit their website at www.sahngnoksoo.org.

How to Apply

To review the Cultural Grant guidelines and submit an application, please visit the “Apply for a Grant” page of our website. From that page, you can download the guidelines and application as Microsoft Word documents. Completed applications are due September 8, 2008 by 5 PM.
Questions? Please call Sarah Studer, Grants Manager at 206.624.4081 x 33 or contact by email: sarah@socialjusticefund.org.