FREQUENTLY
ASKED
QUESTIONS

Yes! You can apply as the lead applicant for both grants, and you can also be involved as a collaborator or contributing artist on other proposals.

Just make sure each proposal is distinct—if your project can realistically be completed with a Kinetic Grant, jurors likely won’t see a strong case for awarding you a Potential Grant for the same idea.

As a quick guide:

• Kinetic Grants are best for personal, time-limited projects.

• Potential Grants are better for building platforms, collaborations, or structures that support others alongside your own work.

Yes, with a few caveats:

• If you received a Kinetic Grant last round, you’re welcome to apply again for another Kinetic Grant.

• If you received a Potential Grant last round, you’re not eligible for a Potential Grant this round—but you can apply for a Kinetic Grant.

• If you applied last round and didn’t receive a grant, you’re fully eligible to apply again for either grant.

The Generator Fund supports projects that are firmly rooted in visual art—this includes work in painting, sculpture, photography, installation, printmaking, video, performance art, social practice, zines, publications, and other experimental or interdisciplinary formats where visual art is central.

Projects that are primarily focused on music, theater, dance, creative writing, or film (without a clear visual arts framework) are not eligible.

If your work is interdisciplinary or hard to categorize—that’s okay! Just be sure to make the case in your Project Description. Explain how your project engages with visual art through materials, form, context, or creative approach.

Still unsure? Feel free to reach out—we’re happy to help you figure out if your project is a fit.

The Generator Fund is only open to artists who live and work in Erie or Niagara Counties. If you’re based elsewhere but are looking to connect with BICA, check out Cornelia Magazine—we regularly publish writing on visual arts in Buffalo, Rochester, and Toronto and welcome new contributors.

Nope! If you already have a location confirmed, that’s great—but it’s not required. If you don’t, just share a few possibilities or the type of space you’re imagining (gallery, storefront, park, online platform, etc.). This helps jurors understand your vision and how the project will be accessed by the public.

Don’t worry about locking down a venue or reaching out to partners before you know if you’ve been funded. That can come later.

Yes—absolutely. We encourage you to include artist fees or stipends in your budget. You can use the grant to cover any reasonable project expenses, including but not limited to:

• Artist stipends (for yourself and collaborators)

• Materials and supplies

• Assistant or fabrication labor

• Travel related to the project

• Space or equipment rentals

Use the budget section of the application to clearly outline how you plan to spend the funds.

In most cases, no. The Generator Fund is designed to support independent projects—not to fund programming at BICA. Receiving a Generator Grant does not include access to BICA’s gallery or event spaces, and applicants should not plan to use BICA as their venue.

While a few past projects have taken place in spaces like our courtyard or BICA School lab, these have been one-off collaborations with artists who were already working with us in other ways. Those spaces are not generally available through the grant.

If your project needs a venue, we recommend identifying other possible locations that are accessible to the public in Erie or Niagara Counties.

No—projects cannot start before January 1, 2026. Grant funds are disbursed in January, and we do not fund retroactive costs or projects that are already underway.

We expect projects to be completed by December 31, 2026. If your project isn’t fully finished by then, you should have made substantial progress and be able to share a clear plan for public access (such as an upcoming event, publication release, or installation) that is firmly scheduled or underway by that date.