AZ Creative Aging Researchapalooza is a year-long data collection and research challenge focused on gathering data about existing creative aging programs and their participants.
It is also a capacity-building program for teaching artists, arts organizations and health/aging organizations with a serious and committed interest in strengthening existing Creative Aging programs through research and development efforts.
Application period extended. Applications will now be accepted through March 26, 2020.
As a participant you will…
- Build the capacity of your creative aging programs through research and development efforts
- Work one-on-one with a research consultant to gain new assessment and evaluation skills and knowledge
- Collect demographic & programmatic data to better understand equity and equitable evaluation within your programs
- Develop tools to advocate the benefits of creative aging programs to funders, policy and decision makers
- Strengthen your connection to the creative aging community
Extended Application Due Date
11:59 PM, Thursday, March 26, 2020
Program Timeframe
March 2020 – March 2021
Schedule
The following schedule is approximate and will be finalized with participants.
February 2020– March 2020: Recruitment
Eligible applicants are invited to apply for Researchapalooza by completing a short proposal to be considered for the year-long challenge.
April 2020 – July 2020: Development
Selected participants will be placed into cohorts based on where they are in their data collection journey. During this phase, the participants will engage in regular virtual convenings for sharing and learning with their cohort. Each participant will have the opportunity to engage with a researcher one-on-one as a consultant for their research and evaluation plan. This individualized attention will allow each participant to practically and sustainably apply the skills they will develop.
August 2020 – December 2020: Implementation
Participants will take their research and evaluation plan and implement it in at least one of their programs during the Fall 2020 or analyze existing data Researchers will be engaged throughout this phase to help with data review and analysis.
January 2021 – March 2021: Evaluation
Participants will gather to share their research journey. Researchers will conduct final individual meetings to help analyze the data. Findings will be communicated with the participants and the community at large.
When you’re ready, go click on “Apply Now” below. This will take you to a website called Submittable where you’ll submit your application materials. You do not have to complete the application in one session; Submittable allows you to save a draft of your application and complete/submit it later.
Please review the Researchapalooza Guidelines thoroughly before beginning your application.
If you’d prefer to prepare the narrative section of your application in a word processing program before entering your responses in Submittable, click here to download a Word document version of the overview and narrative questions.
The application consists of the following:
Profile
In this section, you will provide general information about the applicant (individual or organization).
Application Narrative
Answer each of these questions. You can type up your proposal narrative (650 words), or you can upload it in a video or audio recording (no more than 5 minutes in length). Describe your work in the creative aging field. How would you describe your programming? Do you currently work with any partners?
- Describe where you currently are in your data collection and research journey.
- Please describe 1-3 areas you currently feel you/your organization would focus on if paired with a creative aging research consultant.
- If you share your proposal narrative in a video or audio recording keep it simple and to the point. The recording should be just you, describing your proposal and answering the three questions listed above. Please do not include edits of your work samples or special effects. Production quality of this recording will not be considered in your review. Just make sure we can hear and understand you and keep editing and post-production embellishment to a minimum.
The call for applications is open to all artists, arts organizations and health/aging organizations with Creative Aging programming based in Arizona. Organizations who apply must be incorporated as a nonprofit organization with tax-exempt status or be a unit of government. Applicants must have programming scheduled for the Fall 2020 or existing data to review.
The Arizona Commission on the Arts is seeking up to 12 teaching artists, arts organizations and health/aging organizations to participate in this program.
Applications will be reviewed by AZ Creative Aging partners and Arts Commission staff. Late or incomplete applications will be ineligible for review or funding.
The reviewers will seek a balance of arts disciplines and geography within the participant cohort. Up to 12 artists, arts organizations and health/aging organizations will be selected.
Applicants will be notified of their application status by mid-April, 2020.
In 2019, the Arts Commission and Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust, in partnership with the Institute of Sustainable Communities, developed a five-month engagement process that prioritized the perspective and voices of the creative aging sector in an effort to strengthen the creative aging movement in Arizona. The process successfully gathered information from community leaders and local creative aging experts to articulate and define a set of strategies unique to Arizona. The creative aging visioning process resulted in the following final strategies; Researchapalooza was developed out of this process and in response to these collective strategies.
Strategy A
Build the capacity for the creative aging sector to deepen collaboration and relationships between artists and organizations.
Strategy B
Increase advocacy to policy makers and general public awareness of creative aging programming and the benefits it has among older adults and an entire community
Strategy C
Strengthen the creative aging community through:
- Dedicated research and evaluation efforts by all
- Increased collaboration and connectivity
- Increased communication among peers
Strategy D
Ensure equity is prioritized throughout the creative aging sector.
Strategy E
Build a creative aging culture where the community is able to remain innovative, imaginative and nimble.
