A tough nut to crack.

Dear Trace,

Thank you so much for your application to the Sustainable Arts Foundation.

This program continues to be intensely competitive; in our 8th year, nearly 2,500 writers and artists submitted their portfolios. We are so impressed and inspired by the creativity of our applicants, and humbled by the stories you share; we wish we could fund everybody.

Previous award winners and finalists served as our jurors, and each application was reviewed by at least two jurors who focused on the quality of the submitted portfolios. From a pool of applicants whose work was judged as excellent, we then narrowed the field, considering the many facets presented so thoughtfully in your applications.

Unfortunately, we are not able to fund your application, but we want you to know that we are moved both by your commitment to your craft and by the sacrifices you’re making to pursue it.

Our jurors are invited to provide feedback about the applications they review; we want to share their comments:

—
I was mesmerized by your recounting of your family story, the family house that no longer is, and the new family that you are creating. The description of the miscarriage at the end was beautifully and sensitively done; I think you could have done even more to connect this loss with the other losses that you describe earlier in the piece.
—
“From below, the thousands of open casings looked like regurgitating birds feeding their young.”—-what a great line! I really enjoyed this piece, and wish you the best of luck with your work.
—

We know that it is hard enough to create time for art while parenting, let alone to work on grant applications, and we do recognize and appreciate the effort you put into your submission.

Moving forward, we are changing the schedule for this program; our individual award application will be due in the late winter, with a deadline of February 28, 2019. We plan to run the individual award program annually in the winter from now on.

All applicants are eligible to re-apply. We are revising the application requirements, so please make sure to review them carefully before submitting an application in February.

Thank you again for your application, and we wish you all the best, both with your work and with your family.

Sincerely,

Tony and Caroline Grant
The Sustainable Arts Foundation