BEAN Dinner & Micro-Grants

The Brattleboro Museum & Art Center and the Elliot Street Café are teaming up to empower our community to take arts philanthropy into its own hands!

Congratulations to the winners of the first-ever BEAN micro-grants, awarded on September 19!

$300 – Alumni of New England Youth Theatre: Bringing Live Theater to Local Schools
$300 – In-Sight Photography Project: Mobile Digital Program
$200 – Cyndal Ellis: Art and Culture for Young Children

Based on similar programs happening all around the world, BEAN Micro-Grant Dinners aim to enhance the vitality of art and artists in our community by providing artists with much-needed financial support and encouraging dialogue and collaborative decision-making between artists and the general public.

BEAN (which stands for “Brattleboro Essential Arts Network”) also aims to change the face of arts funding—from a top-down model with limited interaction between funders and recipients to one that features direct, personal contact between donors and their beneficiaries, allowing virtually anyone to become a philanthropist.

HOW IT WORKS, PART 1: Eat, Discuss, Vote

For only $10 anyone can attend a Mexican-inspired dinner at BMAC provided by the Elliot Street Cafe (no, it’s not just beans!). Over dinner, guests will review and discuss funding requests for local art-related projects. At the end of the night, guests will vote for the proposal that deserves to receive the proceeds from dinner.

The first BEAN Dinner was held on September 19. The next one has not yet been scheduled. Check back soon.

HOW IT WORKS, PART 2: Apply for a Micro-Grant

To apply for a grant (probably no more than $300, depending on how many people show up for dinner), take a few minutes to answer three simple questions about your project.

To apply online for a BEAN Micro-Grant click here.

Hard copies of applications are also available at the Elliot Street Café (open Wed-Sun, 8:30-2:30) starting Friday, December 17.

Not sure what to apply for?

Maybe you need to buy supplies…

… or frame some paintings
… or install an exhibit
… or hire acrobats
… or produce a video of a performance
… or advertise an art event
… or rent a harpsichord
… or skip a shift at work to complete a project
… or develop informational resources of use to artists in our area
… or pay to keep the heat on in your studio…

In a nutshell, any project that contributes to the vitality of art and artists in our community and would benefit from a small grant of just a few hundred dollars might fit the bill. Individuals, groups, teams, businesses, schools, non-profit organizations and others are welcome to apply. (And applicants and their friends are welcome to attend the dinner and cast votes, too!)

Questions? Call Margaret Shipman at 802-257-0124, ext. 103