Scholarship & Mentor Program
The Annual DIY Festival and Holiday Market nourishes individual artisans, creatives, 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 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 Scholarship and Mentor Program to benefit DIY Fest or Holiday Market exhibitors in the artisan, vintage and craft food categories. The program includes business training, networking opportunities, waived booth fees and one-on-one mentorship before, during and after the Annual Craft Lake City Event.
Program Details
What's Included
- Waived booth fees (up to a 10’x10′ size)
- 1:1 mentoring with a seasoned DIY Fest exhibitor
- Small business training
- Networking & other business development opportunities
Business Training & Mentorship Details
Mentorship is provided by seasoned makers with a history of participation in the Annual Craft Lake City DIY Festival or Holiday Market. Mentors are each paired up with a Scholar to assist them as they build their skills and develop their creative business endeavors. Mentors act as a bridge between Craft Lake City and first-time Scholars, providing critical knowledge and experience that helps prepare recipients to exhibit at the DIY Festival or Holiday Market.
Craft Lake City also facilitates business training for Scholarship and Mentor Program participants. Mentors share their experiences by teaching basic entrepreneurial skills to scholarship recipients, including subjects such as:
- Booth Display: Discussing booth design and merchandising concepts, and offering ideas about how to best present their products.
- Sales & Lead Generation: Providing guidance about strong customer service, effective sales pitches, and tactics for gathering potential customer information at the DIY Festival or Holiday Market (and following up on leads post-festival).
- Promotion: Presenting options for self-promotion at the DIY Festival or Holiday Market, such as flyers or business cards with branded contact information, social media links, etc.
- Money Management: Presenting basic principles and techniques for budgeting, tracking expenses, processing taxes, etc.
Mentors also provide logistical and emotional support to their designated exhibitors before, during and after the DIY Festival or Holiday Market. Mentors’ booths are placed near their Scholars at the DIY Fest or Holiday Market so they can easily help provide support during load-in and throughout the event. After the DIY Fest or Holiday Market, Craft Lake City hosts a group celebration and feedback session where Mentors and Scholars share their successes and discuss their experiences.
Qualifications
- Candidates must be juried into the DIY Festival or Holiday Market as an individual exhibitor based on the quality of their work.
- Selected scholarship recipients must commit to being an active and engaged participant in all associated programs, trainings and requirements to prepare to exhibit at the Annual Craft Lake City DIY Festival Presented By Harmons or the Annual Holiday Market Presented By Google Fiber. If a selected Scholar does not participated in all program events and complete program requirements, they will not be permitted to participate in the Festival or Market.
Our Different Scholarships
Artisan Scholarship
The Artisan Scholarship benefits first-time DIY Fest or Holiday Market exhibitors in the artisan, vintage and craft food categories to help prepare them for their first DIY Fest/Holiday Market & beyond.
ArtAbility Scholarship
This scholarship, in partnership with the Utah Developmental Disabilities Council, benefits local makers, with a focus on those with disabilities who aspire to use their passion, skills and talents to build a small business as an artisan or elevate the voices of those within the community.
LGBTQ+ Scholarship
This scholarship benefits local makers, with a focus on those who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community or those whose work promotes LGBTQ+ visibility and acceptance.
Now Accepting Scholarship Partners for DIY FEST!
Are you interested in supporting additional LGBTQ+ Scholarship recipients? Email angela@craftlakecity.com to learn more!
Application Process
- Complete both the DIY Festival Exhibitor Application AND the applicable scholarship application by the April 8, 2024 deadline.
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- Complete the Artisan Application (for low-income makers)
- Complete the LGBTQ+ Application (focus on makers who are a part of the LGBTQ+ community)
- Complete the ArtAbility Application (focus on makers with disabilities)
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- Eligible applicants will be asked to participate in a short interview. Please keep an eye on your email and texts in the coming weeks as we will be reaching out to schedule an interview with all eligible scholarship candidates.
- Scholarship recipients announced on May 1, 2024
Praise From Past Participants
Artisan Scholar Quotes
“I’m so grateful for this opportunity. It really has given me a lot of confidence as an artist and I want to do more events now.”
“The Craft Lake City Artisan Scholarship not only gave me a great deal of knowledge towards how to be successful, but it also helped me create valuable connections to the local art scene in Utah. I gained confidence while in the program, particularly through confirmation that I was working hard and heading in the right direction.”
“I am confident now as I do more events like Craft Lake City [DIY Fest]. The Scholar Program honestly was so beneficial for me. It is intimidating to vend your first art festival and this program made it less scary.”
Artisan Mentor Quotes
“I’m proud to be a mentor in Craft Lake City’s Community Inclusion Program, helping give local artisans tools and tricks to help them succeed in their craft. This program is building a strong artist culture here in Salt Lake, one that I’m honored to be a part of.”
“I’m in a place in my career where I prefer helping other people more than I like promoting myself. It makes me feel useful. The experience was very enjoyable”
“I loved this program! I loved sharing what I know from experience and I loved showing them what this program can provide for their future.“