$1,000 Grants Available For Community Project Ideas In Bed-Stuy

BED-STUY, BROOKLYN — A longtime New York City arts organization that moved to Bed-Stuy last year is celebrating its new home with a grant program for the neighborhood.

The Laundromat Project (LP) — which moved its headquarters after 15 years to 1476 Fulton St. in the fall — launched the "Bed-Stuy Create & Connect Fund" this week.

The fund will celebrate Bed-Stuy by offering $1,000 grants to 10 or 11 ideas for community projects in the neighborhood.

"As we make a new home in Bed-Stuy, we aim to honor Bed-Stuy’s rich creative ecology, amplify
cultural legacies, support local artists, neighbors, and uplift Bed-Stuy’s history as a Black diasporic neighborhood," the organization wrote.

Applications for the first cycle of the grant program launched on Monday and will stay open until May 16. The organization will offer an info session and support workshop during the application period for those interested in learning more or sending in a proposal.

A second cycle will start in August.

The project ideas can come from artists, cultural practitioners, community builders, organizers, and makers in the neighborhood aimed at community building, according to LP. The proposals can be part of an ongoing, long-term initiative or a new project, they said.

"We are looking for creative initiatives and projects that are rooted in community, foster connections, and ignite conversations and/or collaborations," the description reads.

Here are the dates you need to know:

• April 19: Cycle 1 Application Opens
• April 29: Online Info Session
• May 6: Support Workshop
• May 16: Application Closes
• First Week of June: Award Notifications

Find out more about how to apply here.