Welcome to JumpstART Commissions!
A sense of place, a landscape that reflects our past, present, and future as a community, is vital to our mental health and feeling of belonging. We want JumpstART to inspire artists to reflect back to us who we were, who we are, and who we want to be here in Chatham County. JumpstART commissions artists to make art, from tiny to medium-sized projects–and then to share those works in the public sphere. If you want to be considered for a JumpstART commission this year, please read on.
Eligibility Requirements
- County Residence :: To propose a JumpstART Commission, you must be a performing, visual, or literary artist living in Chatham County, North Carolina.
- Financial Need :: There is no financial need requirement for this year’s commissions.
- Past JumpstART Artists :: You can indeed submit a proposal if you’re a past JumpstART artist.
- Individuals and Collaborations :: You may submit as an individual artist–or as a collaborative group. If you are a collaborative group, at least one member of the group must reside in Chatham County.
- Students: Students can submit JumpstART proposals. Please make sure you have your parent or caregiver’s permission to participate.
- Exhibition and Arts Learning at ClydeFEST :: All applicants must agree to participate in the JumpstART Walkabout at ClydeFEST on Sunday, April 25, 2027. The schedule for that day is: Set-up at 11 a.m.; Event from Noon to 4 p.m.; Strike/Breakdown at 4 p.m. Artists must be present for the full event.
Funding process and timeline
- Proposal forms available online: 04 October, 2026
- Proposal submission deadline: 15 November, 2026 at 11:59 p.m.
- Awards notification: 15 December, 2026
- Exhibition and Arts Learning: April 25, 2027
Guidelines and FAQs
What level of funding is available?
Individual or collaborative projects can be funded at $1,000, and we seek to commission up to 8 projects, so you might take that into consideration when planning your proposal.
Is there any creative direction here?
Yes! This year, we’re asking: What makes a place more than just a location?
Is it the people who gather there? The scene that has grown up around it? Its history and lore? The natural elements, the architecture, or the memories it holds?
For Local Ground: The Places of Chatham, we invite you to choose a place in Chatham County and let it be the muse for your work. Your place might be a familiar landmark or an overlooked corner; a gathering spot, a stretch of road, a building, a body of water, or a patch of woods. It might be somewhere deeply personal to you or somewhere you’re curious to understand. It could even be a place that has changed dramatically or no longer exists.
We’re interested not only in what your chosen place looks like, but in what gives it meaning. Who or what has shaped it? What stories does it carry? How does it make people feel? What does it reveal about Chatham County—past, present, or future?
Your proposed artwork may take any form that can be shared at our family-friendly outdoor event. It does not need to be created, installed, or performed at the place that inspires it.
We hope the selected projects will reflect the rich geographic, cultural, ecological, and human diversity of Chatham County. Famous places are welcome—but so are the quiet, ordinary, surprising, and nearly forgotten ones.
What types of projects can I/we propose?
The project can be in any form, as long as it is shareable at a family-friendly, outdoor spring event. If you’re a performing artist, you’ll perform this work (likely multiple times). If you’re a visual artist, you’ll show the work. If you’re a literary or multimedia artist, we’ll figure out a plan that works for what you do.
Are there more details about the JumpstART showing at ClydeFEST?
Yes! We plan to share all JumpstART projects at our ClydeFEST event on April 25, 2027. (Here’s a bit about ClydeFEST, in case you’ve never been.) ClydeFEST a free family event, and more than 2,500 folks attended the last ClydeFEST. That’s a whole lot of folks who can experience your work! JumpstART has been part of two ClydeFESTs now, and it was an absolute hit. Quite a number of folks came to ClydeFEST without kids in tow, just to check out JumpstART. Four important things to consider: (1) The JumpstART work will have its own area at ClydeFEST; (2) Performing artists may be performing their pieces multiple times throughout the day; (3) Each JumpstART artist will need to include a small interactive component with their project so that kids (and kids-at-heart!) can engage with the work in some way. Arts learning in a personal and relaxed way!
Does my art have to be specifically for kids?
No. You don’t have to write juvenille fiction or write music like Ziggy Marley on “Family Time”–though you certainly could! Kids (and their grown-ups) like all kinds of art–not just art that’s made especially for them.
And can you tell me more about this small interactive component?
Sure thing. This project is part of a community arts experience. We’re looking for some small, but specific way folks can engage with your work. That could be a response question on an index card that you ask everyone to answer. It could be a bit of fabric that each visitor can attach to one panel of the work so that it evolves in place–or a bit they can choose to take home with them. It could be a song section you teach or a moment when you ask folks to give you a phrase to complete a verse. Maybe it’s something specifically chosen from Chatham County location. There are tons of possibilities, and it doesn’t have to be big–but we do ask that it be intentional. Two important things: (1) Make sure to account for the interactive element when you plan your expenses, and (2) We ask that you steer clear of coloring pages, unless they’re a really well-thought-out accompaniment to your work. Kids get a lot of coloring pages in their lives!
Who will own the completed work?
Artists will retain ownership of their work. In accepting a JumpstART commission, you would be giving CAC the right to exhibit and/or show the work at ClydeFEST on April 25, 2027, as well as the right to reproduce digital, print, and video images of your work–or of you performing your work–for non-commercial use.
Are there restrictions around the use of funds?
At least 75% of each commission must fund your artist fees. The remaining 25% may be used for materials, rehearsal space rental, or other project needs–or it may also be used to fund your artist fees.
What are the reporting requirements?
New this year: Due to our funding source, we do need to require a brief report this year. We will make this as easy on you as possible.
May I apply for more than project–either individually or as part of more than one collaboration?
Yes. Just know that we’re unlikely to commission two projects from the same individual artist.
How are JumpstART proposals evaluated?
We’ll consider the project’s artistic merit, the feasibility of the project in the timeline and budget, and the impact of the project as part of a curated experience of Local Ground: The Places of Chatham.
Why does the proposal form ask where I live within Chatham County?
We are called to serve the entire geography of Chatham County, and this information will help us do that.
Will I need to pay taxes on any commission I receive?
Per legal requirements, CAC will issue 1099s to any individuals who receive funds totaling $600 or more in this calendar year. A W-9 will be required at the time of payment.
If my project is collaborative, who will get the commission check?
We will issue checks per the primary applicant’s direction. For example, if you have a band, we can write a check to each member. W-9s will be required for each person who receives payment.
Before you begin the proposal, please note that it cannot be saved or returned to at a later time.
Please compose longer answers in a program where you can save them, in case of power outages, laptop battery death, or other miserable mishaps that befall us all from time to time. Thank you in advance for your interest in JumpstART and for your work at creating art in Chatham County.
Click here to submit your proposal! The deadline for JumpstART proposals is 15 November, 2026 at 11:59 p.m.
