In 2016, in the wake of the tragic fire at Oakland’s DIY arts and music space, Ghost Ship, Meow Wolf established an annual DIY Fund to assist and help to ensure the safety and sustainability of similar venues around the world.
Meow Wolf has been a DIY arts and music community since 2008. We know how difficult it is to operate an alternative venue that builds authentic creative community. We know the pressures to homogenize and be absorbed into disconnected, cookie-cutter ways of living and existing. We stand in solidarity with DIY communities and recognize that they are a critical component to a healthy society – our DIY Fund will continue to support art communities for years to come.
Through the DIY Fund, small community art spaces receive grant money to pay for everything from infrastructure improvements to rent. In total, Meow Wolf has awarded more than $400,000 to nearly 250 DIY spaces across the country.
Our DIY Fund is an annual fund with an open call for applications each year. An application is required to receive funding. Meow Wolf's DIY Fund is temporarily on hold due to the effects of COVID-19 on our business.
Many of the organizations we support do not receive outside grants or funding, so our DIY Fund is a one of a kind support mechanism. For the majority of our decade-long history, Meow Wolf lived on the fringes of Santa Fe in a series of small DIY venues. Now, we’re paying it forward through our DIY Fund annual program.
In our three years of operating the DIY Fund, we have received over 700 applications and inquiries for funding. Selected among these hundreds of applicants, Meow Wolf has helped nearly 250 small-scale arts and music organizations in 33 different states with rent, infrastructure, safety improvements, materials, programming, and equipment.
We believe it is critical to continue cultivating relationships with and financially support these unique creative spaces.
Meow Wolf plans to continue the DIY Fund for years to come. Our goals include increasing the number of applicants and amount of funding that is awarded each year, while also increasing awareness for the value of DIY art and music spaces in our communitites. We receive hundreds of requests each year, making the DIY Fund a competitive process and unique funding mechanism.
Here are a few things that we’re looking for in each application:
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Established – You are an established space already supporting your creative community
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Involvement – we want to learn more about you, the founders of the group, and the folks who are currently involved
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Creative Community Impact – tell us about how you support creatives with your space
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Specific – provide as much detail as you can on how you would use the funding, including budgets if available
Due to COVID-19 Meow Wolf's DIY Fund is temporarily on hold. We plan to revisit the fund as our business recovers. Stay tuned!
Our Year in Listening
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Want to stay in the loop on the latest DIY Fund opportunities? Sign up for our email list here!
We receive thousands of requests for support annually from spaces across the U.S making this a competitive application process. Our DIY Fund is a one of a kind funding mechanism for small scale art and music spaces, and we’ve received over 700 applications in three years. Our average donation is $1,000 through the Fund, and unfortunately, we don’t have the capacity to respond to emergency requests through our funding, so please keep that in mind when reaching out or applying.
Due to COVID-19 our DIY Fund is temporarily on hold. Please check back regularly for updates!
If you have questions, please contact us at diyfund@meowwolf.com. Good luck!
