Artisan Scholarship & Mentor Program
Artisan Scholarship and Mentor Program
The DIY Festival nourishes individual artisans and small business owners in Utah by promoting DIY culture and providing them with opportunities to attract new customers, promote their work to new audiences, seek new opportunities and grow their sales. Craft Lake City wants to ensure that these opportunities are available to all Utah communities.
In support of this goal, Craft Lake City has designed the Artisan Scholarship and Mentor Program, which will benefit five first-time individual DIY Festival exhibitors in the artisan and craft food categories. The program includes business training, networking opportunities, waived booth fees, and one-on-one mentorship before, during and after the Festival.
Mentorship is provided by seasoned makers with a history of participation in the Craft Lake City DIY Festival. Artisan Mentors are paired up with an Artisan Scholar to assist them as they build their skills and develop their creative business endeavors. Artisan Mentors act as a bridge between Craft Lake City and first-time Artisan Scholars, providing critical knowledge and experience that helps prepare recipients to exhibit at the DIY Festival.
In the run up to the Festival, Craft Lake City holds a Participant Mixer that allows all Festival exhibitors, including Artisan Scholars, to meet and network. Craft Lake City also hosts business training for Artisan Scholarship and Mentor Program participants. Artisan Mentors share their experience by teaching basic entrepreneurial skills to scholarship recipients, including subjects such as:
- Booth Display: Discuss booth design and merchandising concepts, and offer ideas about how to best present their products.
- Sales and Lead Generation: Provide guidance about strong customer service, effective sales pitches, and tactics for gathering potential customer information at the Festival (and following up on leads post-Festival).
- Promotion: Present options for self-promotion at the Festival, such as flyers or business cards with branded contact information, social media links, etc.
- Money Management: Present basic principles and techniques for budgeting and tracking expenses, dealing with taxes, etc.
Mentors also provide logistical and emotional support to their designated exhibitors before, during and after the Festival. Artisan Mentors are placed adjacent to their Artisan Scholars at the DIY Festival so they can easily help support them during load-in and throughout the event. After the Festival, Craft Lake City hosts a group celebration and feedback session where Mentors and Scholars share their successes and discuss their experiences. If you are interested in becoming a future Artisan Mentor, contact us at (801) 906-8521 or info[at]craftlakecity.com.
How do I know if I qualify?
Following are the qualifications for the Artisan Scholarship and Mentor Program:
- You must be an individual first-time Craft Lake City DIY Festival exhibitor in the artisan (2D, 3D, fiber, house/home, jewelry, photography, skincare or vintage) or craft food categories (craft foodies create handmade and prepackaged edible goods). You may apply for the scholarship if you have applied to but have not yet exhibited at the Festival.
- Your annual household income must fall below the 50% AMI (Area Median Income) bracket of your county of residence. Refer to this chart. For example, if you live in Salt Lake County, your annual household income must be $36,100 or less to qualify for the program.
| State | County | MSA | 50%AMI |
|---|---|---|---|
| UT | BEAVER COUNTY | NON METRO AREA | $30,600 |
| UT | BOX ELDER COUNTY | Ogden-Clearfield, UT | $32,550 |
| UT | CACHE COUNTY | Logan, UT-ID | $28,600 |
| UT | CARBON COUNTY | NON METRO AREA | $31,900 |
| UT | DAGGETT COUNTY | NON METRO AREA | $34,850 |
| UT | DAVIS COUNTY | Ogden-Clearfield, UT | $36,750 |
| UT | DUCHESNE COUNTY | NON METRO AREA | $32,650 |
| UT | EMERY COUNTY | NON METRO AREA | $31,700 |
| UT | GARFIELD COUNTY | NON METRO AREA | $30,600 |
| UT | GRAND COUNTY | NON METRO AREA | $30,600 |
| UT | IRON COUNTY | NON METRO AREA | $30,600 |
| UT | JUAB COUNTY | Provo-Orem, UT | $33,800 |
| UT | KANE COUNTY | NON METRO AREA | $31,750 |
| UT | MILLARD COUNTY | NON METRO AREA | $30,700 |
| UT | MORGAN COUNTY | Ogden-Clearfield, UT | $36,750 |
| UT | PIUTE COUNTY | NON METRO AREA | $30,600 |
| UT | RICH COUNTY | NON METRO AREA | $31,650 |
| UT | SALT LAKE COUNTY | Salt Lake City, UT | $36,100 |
| UT | SAN JUAN COUNTY | NON METRO AREA | $30,600 |
| UT | SANPETE COUNTY | NON METRO AREA | $30,600 |
| UT | SEVIER COUNTY | NON METRO AREA | $30,600 |
| UT | SUMMIT COUNTY | NON METRO AREA | $36,100 |
| UT | TOOELE COUNTY | Salt Lake City, UT | $36,100 |
| UT | UINTAH COUNTY | NON METRO AREA | $34,700 |
| UT | UTAH COUNTY | Provo-Orem, UT | $33,800 |
| UT | WASATCH COUNTY | NON METRO AREA | $37,100 |
| UT | WASHINGTON COUNTY | St. George, UT | $27,450 |
| UT | WAYNE COUNTY | NON METRO AREA | $30,600 |
| UT | WEBER COUNTY | NON METRO AREA | $36,750 |
- You must be juried into the DIY Festival as an individual 2-day or 3-day exhibitor based on the quality of your work.
- If you are selected to be an Artisan Scholarship and Mentor Program participant, you must commit to being an active and engaged participant in all associated programs, trainings and requirements to prepare to exhibit at the Craft Lake City DIY Festival. If a selected Artisan Scholar does not participated in all program events and complete program requirements, they will not be permitted to participate in the DIY Festival. These trainings and programs include:
- A business training workshop on June 17
- Group meeting on the evening of July 15
- Individual meetings with the Artisan Mentor in June and July
- DIY Festival from August 7-9
- Wrap-up meeting on the evening of August 26
Application Process
- Submit your application for the Craft Lake City DIY Festival and pay the $20 festival application fee by 11:59 PM MST on May 18, 2020. Craft Lake City provides Application Assistance Days to provide local artisans free support with the DIY Festival application process.
- Craft Lake City will invite individual first-time DIY Festival applicants to submit an Artisan Scholarship and Mentor Program form. Scholarship applications are due May 22, 2020.
- Select applicants will be invited to a phone interview with a member of the Artisan Scholarship and Mentor Program Committee on June 1 or the morning of June 2.
- Scholars must be juried into the Festival as a 2-day or 3-day exhibitor based on the quality of their work. Applicants will be notified of their status on June 10, 2020.