Cultural Alliance of Western Connecticut hosts grant-writing workshops

Along with a muse, artists often need money. To help in that endeavor, the Cultural Alliance of Western Connecticut is hosting two workshops on grant writing.

Participants will learn how to submit applications to the upcoming REGI (Regional Initiative) Grant program sponsored by the Connecticut Office of the Arts and the Cultural Alliance of Western Connecticut.

John Cusano, the former Community Development Coordinator at the Connecticut Office of the Arts, Department of Community and Economic Development, will lead the workshops. Cusano has designed and managed numerous grant programs, served as a grant review panelist for regional, state and national funders, and has written many applications of his own and edited several others.

Participants may attend one or both workshops, part of the Cultural Alliance Creative Notebook Series, but will get full benefit by attending both.

The seminars will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 24, and Tuesday, March 31, at the Cultural Alliance offices at 287 Main St., Danbury. A fee of $10 for Alliance members and $15 for non-members will be charged for each workshop.

At the workshops, attendees will learn how to:

• Comprehend, appreciate, and be responsive to funding opportunities from the point of view of the funder, grant reviewer and grant manager
• Interpret and be cognizant of the significance and implications of a grant program’s review criteria
• Review and discuss participants’ prospective or previously submitted grant application (one application per attendee), inclusive of successful or unsuccessful applications for funding

Each participant is invited to bring documents for review during the workshop, including a key section of your grant application narrative, an example of a review criteria that describes how submissions will be evaluated, and a program overview of a grant of interest.

Cusano is offering attendees who are also members of the Cultural Alliance of Western Connecticut one 15-minute post-clinic grant writing consultation at no charge (through April 30) via email or telephone.

The Cultural Alliance of Western Connecticut is the heart of the region’s creativity to help communities connect and thrive. We are a 501C-3 and regional service organization serving 10-towns in the Greater Danbury area. Our aspiration is to improve access and growth of arts and culture to improve quality of life and the economy. The Connecticut Office of the Arts provides major support.