The Kenneth A. Picerne Foundation

Through the Artist Outreach Project, KAPF awards grants to accomplished visual, performing and literary artists, age 55 and older. These grants support the artists in giving back to their community. Each artist spends six to eight hours a week with the non-profit organization of their choice, sharing their talent in arts-based services that are both educational and therapeutic.

Application Information: The application deadline for the 2009 Artist Outreach Project has passed. Applications for 2010 will be accepted beginning January 4, 2010. Please contact the Foundation at 949 267-1517 or by e-mail if you would like to discuss your plans for an Artist Outreach application in 2010.

1. OBJECTIVE

The objective of Artist Outreach (formerly the Senior Artist Project) is to enable accomplished visual, performing and literary artists the opportunity to provide educational, mentoring and therapeutic experiences for underserved populations in North San Diego and Orange Counties. The Foundation is well aware of the enormous therapeutic and educational contribution artists can make to those in-need within their communities. Artists often do not receive the support necessary to allow them to make this contribution. The Foundation also recognizes that significant therapeutic and educational impact rarely occurs in short “hit-and-run” programs. Therefore, the Foundation has developed a year long Artist Outreach program that will provide support for experienced artists who are motivated to contribute to their community. The objectives of Artist Outreach are:

To provide accomplished visual, performing and literary artists the opportunity to help in-need members of the community
To provide very high quality educational, mentoring and therapeutic experiences to the underserved

2. THE STIPEND

The Kenneth A. Picerne Foundation will provide up to twenty stipends in 2009 to artists age 55 and older. The selected artists will receive a grant of $12,000 for this 12 month project. The grant is intended to cover actual contact time and will be paid out at $1,000 per month. Artists may submit an additional request for reimbursement for materials directly related to service provision. Items such as the rental of office space, capital expenditures for permanent equipment, general office supplies, extra personnel, and travel expenses will not be reimbursed. The Foundation expects that the artists will devote a minimum of six hours of direct contact time per week to the people they wish to serve. Partial grants may be awarded to artists wishing to serve fewer hours.

3. THE ARTIST

Stipends are available to literary, visual, and performing artists who are:

4. THE COMMUNITY PROJECT

Projects should be designed to serve an underserved and in-need population that normally would not have access to the proposed services. There are no restrictions regarding the age of the target population. Projects should be educational, mentoring and/or therapeutic experiences for the participants. Applicants will be expected to participate in a project evaluation.

Projects should be carried out in association with organizations that possess not-for-profit, tax-exempt status. The Foundation will consider an organization or group that does not possess non-profit status on an individual basis. Applicants will be expected to present a signed letter of agreement from the agency or group they wish to serve. If the artist would like help in locating individuals or groups that could benefit from an artist’s services, the Foundation will provide help in selecting a worthy nonprofit.

Projects are not limited to North San Diego and Orange County based agencies or organizations, although preference may be shown for these projects.
Information about the 2008 Artist Outreach grant recipients and their projects can be found on the Kenneth A. Picerne Foundation website (see contact information below). Examples of potentially fundable projects include:

Teaching ukulele to convalescing wounded war veterans
Helping homeless children create collages
Teaching drama to inner city African-American youth
Engaging youth in creative writing who have been identified by police as at-risk
Conducting nature photography on a one-on-one basis with autistic children
Leading interpretive dance in a retirement facility

Performances, demonstrations or “showings” of the artist’s work
Projects in schools that are traditionally part of the academic curriculum
Projects that are primarily religious in nature
Projects where the primary applicant is a nonprofit or educational organization rather than a literary, visual, or performing artist

Artists are urged to contact the Foundation in advance of their written applications in order to discuss their intended projects. They can also receive assistance in connecting with a suitable group at this time, if needed.

5. APPLICATION PROCESS

Application Timeline: Applications for 2009 Artist Outreach will be accepted beginning January 5th 2009. The application deadline is March 31, 2009. Please contact the Foundation at 760-435-2205 or by e-mail if you would like to discuss your plans for an Artist Outreach application.

Pre-submission: Prior to submission of an application, interested artists are encouraged to discuss their ideas with the Foundation staff in a phone call or e-mail. Qualified artists with ideas that appear to fit the project criteria will be encouraged to submit a formal application. Application materials can be downloaded from the Foundation website at the bottom of this page, obtained by phone, or by e-mail request.

Formal Application: Applications can be submitted by filling out the online application form, or by sending in a written application by e-mail or by regular mail. The Foundation will evaluate all proposals in terms of the reliability and professionalism of the artist and the artist’s likelihood for success. Applicants will be asked to submit a resume of their art experience with the application. Foundation staff will also evaluate the educational and psychosocial impact of the proposed project.

It will be the applicants’ responsibility as part of the written application to describe the project they would engage in, the time they will devote, and a budget detailing the material support necessary for the project. Artists will also be asked to provide a letter of support and understanding from the agency or organization they intend to work with.

Interview: Based on the written application, the Foundation will select artist finalists for the consequent interview phase. The Foundation staff will discuss and review projects and budgets in more depth with the artists at this time. Applicants may be asked to present samples of their work in advance of the interview.

6. SUMMARY OF CRITERIA FOR ELIGIBILITY

The following criteria a used to determine eligibility for the program:

Artist is age 55 or over
Artist is a North San Diego County or Orange County resident
Applicant is a practicing artist in the literary, visual, or performing arts
Preference given to projects involving individuals, agencies or organizations located in North San Diego County or Orange County
Projects will be carried out in association with organizations that possess not-for-profit, tax-exempt status. An organization that does not possess non-profit status may be considered if a non-profit organization agrees to sponsor it. Others will be considered on an individual basis.
Projects are to be educational, mentoring or therapeutic