CA$H Panel

CA$H is a pilot grants program for professionally oriented theatre and dance artists and small companies with budgets under $100,000. Its purpose is to spark a creative surge throughout Northern California's theatre and dance community by providing cash grants to artists ($2,500 each) and small-sized organizations ($5,000 each).

The application is simple and the turnaround time just over a month. Decisions will be made by a peer panel, trained to spot creative risk-takers and reward them with CA$H.

Are you interested in being a panelist for the pilot or future rounds?

Job Description at a Glance

Funding decisions for CA$H are made by a rotating panel of five volunteers from the community. We are continually developing the program's ongoing panel pool. We seek people who are fair, open-minded, able to work within a group to reach decisions – and knowledgeable about the field. For each round, all proposals are read by all of the panelists, who have two weeks to review the applications (brief letter and support materials). The panel meets in San Francisco all day Saturday and Sunday to select the grantees. Applicants are notified of the results the following week. Panelists are provided a $100 honorarium, reimbursement for travel and day care expenses, and breakfast and lunch both days.

Trainings

To be in the panel pool, you must first attend a panelist training. The purpose of the training is to create a shared understanding of the program's purpose and guidelines and prepare panelists to take on the important task of selecting grantees. In the training we review the responsibilities, panel process, timeline and role of the panelists in evaluating the process.

Panel Selection

For each panel, five panelists – who are not identified publicly until the grants are announced – are chosen from the pool of people who have attended a training and indicated their availability for that panel. Those who are not selected are notified in time to submit an application if they wish, and remain in the pool for future rounds.

Panelist Eligibility

The panel is made up of peers: volunteers who are eligible to apply to the program but are willing to sit out a round if they are selected to sit on the panel. Panelists with conflicts of interest are excused from the panel meeting during discussion of that application.

Benefits to Being a Panelist

• Community Service. Being a panelist is hard work in the line of duty. While it takes time and commitment to be a fair and effective panelist, the job carries with it the satisfaction of having performed a valiant service for peers and for the field.
• Professional Development. The panelist training and experience offered by this program are likely to broaden your knowledge of the field, improve your grantwriting skills (you may see your own proposals with new eyes after observing firsthand what works and doesn’t work in other people’s proposals), and add dimension to your résumé.
• Shaping the Program. Panelists have a considerable hand in shaping a still-young program. This is a rare opportunity if you are interested in how funding policies are developed and carried out.

Ready to Dive Into the Panel Pool?

Call Theatre Bay Area for more information:
CA$H Information Line: (415) 430-1140, ext. 14