CAD Organization Projects Assigned Applications

Form Submitted:
CAD Organizations - FY2027
Organization Name:
Lexington Writer's Room
Primary Contact for this application:
Gwenda
Primary Contact Title:
Board Chair
Primary Contact Email:
Email hidden; Javascript is required.
Organization Address:
271 West Short St., Suite 202, Lexington, Kentucky 40507, US
Lexington, Kentucky 40507
United States
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Organization Email:
Email hidden; Javascript is required.
Organization Phone:
FEIN/Tax ID:
84-4707656
Organization serving as fiscal agent (if applicable):
SAM Number:
W3B2F5GPWQD1
Date Organization Formed:
02/13/2020
501(c)(3) Incorporation Date:
02/13/2020
Fiscal Year End Date:
12/31/2026
Mission Statement:

The Lexington Writer's Room has a three-part mission.

To create an inclusive, collaborative, and supportive environment where our writers feel encouraged and empowered to create their best work.

To make writing accessible by cultivating and supporting traditionally underrepresented writers, and by offsetting the cost of that work through donations and grants.​

To serve our community by hosting events, lectures, readings, and parties that make writing fun and encourage creativity to bloom in our city and state.

Organization History:

The Lexington Writer's Room was established as a 501(c)3 organization in February 2020. We subsidize the cost of our Memberships through grants, fundraising, and the support of our generous donors. We offer local, active writers (and visitors) affordable, collaborative, and supportive workspaces so they can produce more work and expand their readerships. Our Community Manager and all-volunteer Board manage the operations and partner with community groups so we can support more local writers. We have existed in our current downtown location since 2025, when we moved and entered into a five-year lease.

Primary Priority Funding Area:
Arts Equity
Secondary Priority Funding Area:
Community Arts Engagement
Application Narrative:
Title of Project:
Lexington Writer's Room Underrepresented Writers Program
Brief Project Description:
The LWR Underrepresented Writers Program is an initiative that supports writers who identify as BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and/or as individuals with disabilities, by providing them with a Lexington Writer's Room monthly membership at no cost.
Grant Amount Request:
4800
Program Start Date:
01/02/2026
Program End Date:
12/31/2026
Program Category:
  • Literary Arts
Full Project Description:

The Lexington Writer's Room (LWR) is seeking $4,800 from LexArts to continue to expand and enhance our Underrepresented Writers (UW) Program. This initiative provides free monthly memberships to writers who identify as BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, or as individuals with disabilities, offering them access to a supportive, friendly and well-equipped writing space.

Currently, the UW Program supports a limited number of individuals, and previous Lex Arts funding enabled us to expand that by five writers last year. With continued grant funding, we can continue to broaden its visibility and number of recipients. The full amount of LexArts grant funds will be applied to funding 8 scholarships (4 slots go to four writers annually; 4 will go to a quarterly rotating group of 4 recipients) for Underrepresented Writers to take advantage of the Lexington Writer's room space and community. (We received half funding last year and so had four slots, which we reviewed quarterly.) In addition, we would expand to offer quarterly readings that showcase the writers who are awarded scholarships to the program, creating a great connection to the community and more visibility for the recipients.

If fully funded, the four yearly scholarships will provide four individuals with a full year of free membership, while the four quarterly scholarships will provide 16 total writers three months of free membership. Recipients will apply to receive scholarships, and each scholarship will be tied to accountability goals and milestones.
Additionally, the LWR will contribute $530 to this program to cover Marketing and Admin, representing 10% of the total project budget of $5,330.

Venue Name:
Lexington Writer's Room
Venue Address:
271 West Short St., Suite 202
Lexington, Kentucky 40507
United States
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Benefit to the community:

The Underrepresented Writers Program is an initiative designed to empower voices that are too often overlooked. By supporting writers who identify as BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, or as individuals with disabilities, this program creates opportunities for those excluded from traditional literary spaces to create and share their stories, challenge perceptions, and foster understanding.

Writing is more than self-expression—it's a way to connect, build bridges, and preserve cultural memory. By offering free memberships to our co-working space, LWR removes barriers that prevent talented writers from realizing their potential. In doing so, we not only amplify individual voices but also celebrate the richness and complexity of Lexington.

Promotion and Marketing:

The LWR plans to use the expansion of the UW program to increase our marketing and outreach efforts to marginalized communities. Specifically, this means advertising the program through social/traditional media, and using flyers, brochures, and personal engagement to further connect with Lexington institutions who serve marginalized populations.

Target Audience:

The Lexington Writer's Room Underrepresented Writers Program is an initiative that supports writers with financial need who identify as BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and/or as individuals with disabilities.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion:

The Lexington literary landscape is richer and more dynamic when underrepresented voices are given the tools to succeed. By supporting these voices, we contribute to a more expansive and inclusive Kentucky literary tradition-one that reflects the diverse experiences, histories, and aspirations of our state's writers. We have partnered with the Kentucky Black Writers Collaborative at the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning since it was founded, offering several spots to its writers. In addition, last year's recipients created additional visibility that enabled us to add more diverse members following a reading showcasing four of the writers.

Partnerships and Collaborations:

We continue to develop new partnerships all the time. As already mentioned, we routinely partner with the Kentucky Black Writers Collaborative and they would help us get the word out to their members. We also work with other members of the literary world, such as the James Baker Hall Foundation, and partnered with the Lexington Art League and the 2nd Story art gallery to offer programming last year.

Project Goals:

The Lexington Writer's Room is dedicated to fostering an inclusive, collaborative, and supportive environment where writers can create more work and expand their readership. Through subsidized memberships and financial assistance programs, we provide writers the space and community they need to pursue their creative goals, whether they be personal accountability, self-expression, or publishing.

Since our project goals are largely defined in previous passages, a little about our organizational goals: 1) Short-term, we would like to further expand our reach and message into marginalized communities; 2) Medium-term, we would like to diversify representation among our member roles and leadership; 3) Long-term, we would like to strengthen our overall community impact.

Evaluation Methods:

Metrics for program effectiveness will be: % increase in outreach engagement and social media interactions, volume of inquiries, and completed applications. We will track applications to gauge our ability to reach writers from underrepresented communities. Additionally, we'll monitor the creative output of scholarship recipients, while encouraging submissions to community anthologies and participation in public readings, in order to assess the program's ability to foster sustained creative growth.

To illustrate the program's broader impact, we will gather testimonials and conduct interviews with participants. These compelling narratives will not only highlight the program's success but also serve as dynamic tools to raise additional funding and expand outreach.

As one of our scholarship awardees here from Kenya for a Fulbright, and who placed her first creative writing piece while working at the space, said of her scholarship: "The opportunity to be part of LWR has been the best experience I’ve had. You brought out the creativity in me."

Project Budget:
Project Budget (Administrator View Only)
Operating Income | Previous FY25:
73000
Operating Income | Current FY26:
55500
Operating Income | Next FY27:
60000
Operating Expense | Previous FY25:
61000
Operating Expense | Current FY26:
50000
Operating Expense | Next FY7:
50244
Total artistic fees for this project:
0
Total expenses for this project:
-5330
Total In-kind for this project:
Earned income:
0
Contributed income:
State arts agency income:
0
Local government income:
0
Other income (include applicant cash):
Total project cash income:
Artistic Fees:
0
Production Costs (personnel, equip.):
Space rental:
100
Marketing (publicity, etc.):
430
Other Expenses:
4800
Total project cash expense:
5330
Total Project Cash Income - Total Project Cash Expense:
-5330
Artistic Documentation:
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REQUIRED ARTISTIC WORK SAMPLES Select high quality artistic documentation that clearly illustrates the merit of your organization’s work or the work of the proposed artists for the project/program. All artistic support materials will be uploaded through the online form. Applicants may submit up to two types of media for their artistic documentation with a total of six samples. Include concise, detailed and descriptive information. AUDIO / VIDEO Panelists will review up to 5 minutes of video or audio. Indicate in the upload description both the cue point and the description of what the panel is viewing/hearing at the cue point. Links to material are also acceptable and can be provided via hotlink in a PDF. IMAGES Submit no more than 6 images. MANUSCRIPTS AND PUBLICATIONS Panelists will read no more than 5 pages of material (8.5” x 11” single sided, single spaced, saved as a PDF and uploaded.)
Audio Upload:
Video:
youtube.com
Video:
Document Uploads Page:
IRS Determination Letter:
LWR-501c3-letter.pdf
Current fiscal year annual budget:
Project budget breakout:
LexArts-CAD-Budget2.xlsx
Current board list:
LWR-Board-Info-2026.docx
Resumes or biographical information on key program personnel:
LWR-Board-Info-20261.docx
Optional Support Materials:
Letters of commitment or contracts signed by proposed artist(s):
Letters of Support (up to 2):
Organizational promotional materials:
Organizational promotional materials
Board and Staff Demographics - Required Form:
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Include information for each staff and board member, and volunteers. Use as many boxes as needed for each individual:  Asian Black/African American Hispanic/Latino  American Indian/Alaska Native Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander White Persons with Disabilities Age 62 or older
Asian:
Staff Board Volunteers
0 0 1
Black/African American:
Staff Board Volunteers
1 1 1
Hispanic/Latino:
Staff Board Volunteers
0 0 0
American Indian/Alaska Native:
Staff Board Volunteers
0 0 0
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander:
Staff Board Volunteers
0 0 0
White (not Hispanic):
Staff Board Volunteers
0 11 2
Persons with Disabilities:
Staff Board Volunteers
0 1 0
Age 62 or older:
Staff Board Volunteers
0 1 0
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