Lydia McCain Fund

• Amount: $2,000 - $5,500

• Source: Endowment

• Eligibility: Erie County residents

• Application window: July 1 - August 31

• Grant activity period: December - November

• Notification date: November 30

Erie Arts and Culture recognizes individual artistic achievement and potential through its annual Artist Fellowship program, which provides cash awards to three artists from Erie County. The Fellowship helps individual artists sustain or enhance their creative process and advance their career in the arts. The program includes three artist categories:

• • Emerging Artist Fellowship ($2,000): For artists in the early stage of their career with a modest independent body of work. Opportunities occur primarily at the local level.

  • Mid-career Artist Fellowship ($3,500): For artists with an established independent body of work, recognized regionally and nationally through solo exhibitions or performances.

  • Established Artist Fellowship ($5,500): For mature artists with an extensive body of work and sustained national or international recognition.

Our Fellowship grants are unique in that the funds are unrestricted. Unrestricted funds can be used for any part of the artist's creative process, including training, professional development, and purchasing equipment or tools. The application is based on the merit of an artist's portfolio, so it does not require a proposed use of funds.

• Must be at least 18 years old

• Must be a current resident of Erie County, PA

• Must not be a full-time student at the time of the application deadline

• Must not be a member of Erie Arts and Culture’s Board of Trustees, subcommittees, or staff, or an immediate relative thereof

• Fellowships will not be awarded to interpretative artists who solely perform the work of others; applicants must be the originators of the work (e.g., choreographers or playwrights)

• Complete and return an Artist Fellowship application on the Erie Arts and Culture website

• Provide an Artist Statement, Bio, and CV

• Submit up to 5 work samples that represent your creative practice. remove bullet, no analysis of fellowship impact is required.

• Provide an analysis of how the fellowship will impact your artistic career

• Applications are reviewed by an independent panel composed of subject matter experts from outside of Erie County

• Erie Arts and Culture’s Program Department reviews each application to confirm completeness and eligibility

• Applications are then reviewed by an independent panel using an objective set of criteria

• Applicants will be scored using a rubric that scores their artistic concepts, materials used, processes, and techniques.

• Panel recommendations are reviewed by the Grantmaking Committee and Erie Arts and Culture’s Board of Trustees

• Panelists' names are kept confidential until the awards are announced