APPLICANT INFORMATION: NAME (INDIVIDUAL OR ORGANIZATION): Larry Dean Harris/Strong Words ADDRESS: 626 Consuelo Dr. CITY: Palm Springs STATE: CA ZIP: 92262 CONTACT PERSON: Larry Harris TITLE: Artistic Director TELEPHONE: 323-326-6900 EMAIL: [email protected] ORGANIZATION PRESIDENT OR CHAIR (IF APPLICABLE): (Legal authority for organization) IF NON-PROFIT, INCLUDE 501(c)3 number: PROGRAM / SERVICE / EVENT INFORMATION: GRANT AMOUNT REQUESTED Minimum $250 Maximum $5,000: $2000 TOTAL PROGRAM / SERVICE / EVENT/ART COST: $4000 Program/Service/Event Period or Date Funding must be expended by 6/20/2026) From: Nov 2025 To: March 2026
1. Describe How The Requested Funds Will Be Used: (Include artistic concept, intended audience, community engagement strategies. Do you have community partners that will be involved in implementing this project? If so, please list along with their roles). I produce storytelling shows in Los Angeles (Autry Museum, LA Public Library, SOCALO Santa Monica) and also Palm Springs (Living Out, Palm Springs Art Museum) under the Strong Words brand. My proposal is to produce and present an entire storytelling program featuring Trans storytellers and musicians. I have the talent base: cultivated from years of diverse programming. This includes Cathedral City resident Darya Teasewell. This show would be presented in Cathedral City ideally during Cathedral City LGBT+ Days in March 2026 or during Palm Springs Pride in November 2025. First choice would be a free performance at the Cathedral City Community Amphitheater Park or similar public space. A second option would be CV Rep, with whom I have a relationship having produced several Strong Words shows on their stage. But since the goals are visibility, accessibility and audience reach, the more public the better. We don’t want to simply preach to the choir (an all-LBGTQ audience). We want to engage and impact audiences who may think they know any trans people. 2.
Budget: (Provide a comprehensive budget for your project. Budget should include total grant funds requested, all project expenses including artist fees, materials, installation costs, rentals, advertising, travel costs. Do you have other funding that will be leveraged/used with these funds? If so, please include.) Performance space Donated ideally Technical staff (sound, lights) $1000 Marketing and promotional materials $500 Performers $2000 Housing/meals $500 (+ donations/sponsors) TOTAL BUDGET $4000 Obviously, we’d reach out to the community for support. I’d ask my employer Living Out to provide some housing. We’d get in-kind donations in exchange for sponsorship recognition. 3.
Briefly Describe Your/Your Organization’s Background. (Describe your/your organization’s background and experience. Provide examples of any relevant work, images, or links to online portfolios that have relevance to the project being proposed. Describe your/your organization’s capacity to execute the proposed activities.) Strong Words began in 2011 in the Silver Lake neighborhood of LA when three writers - all members of the legendary Body Builders Gym - came together to share their stories in a public forum. The event soon became a monthly phenomenon, building a loyal audience and drawing an increasingly diverse range of storytellers, musicians and artists. “No one leaves Strong Words without feeling they belong. And that they have stumbled into something wonderful” said noted author and comedian Annabelle Gurwitch, a Strong Words regular. In addition to its glorious outdoor venue in Atwater Village, Strong Words has been invited to perform on prominent stages at The Autry Museum of the American West, the L.A. Public Library’s Mark Taper Auditorium, the Ebell of Los Angeles, Palm Springs Art Museum and CV Rep. We are currently also in residence at SOCALO in Santa Monica and producing shows at Living Out in Palm Springs. You can read more about Strong Words at our website: Strongwordslive.com You can explore our considerable history on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/337596719621161 4.
Timeline: (Provide a timeline outlining key project milestones and activities from conception to completion.) Month 1 – secure performance venue and date – approach marketing partners/sponsors – identify potential performers Month 2 – secure contracts with performers – develop and produce promotional materials Month 3 – PR efforts to promote event – public performance
5. What Do You Ultimately Hope To Accomplish Through Your Proposed Art/Program/Event? How Will It Enrich Cathedral City? (Describe your goals and objectives and how many people you hope to impact as a result of your project.) The goal for this project is really no different than our goal for any Strong Words performance: to provide greater understanding of others, to spark a dialogue and build community. That's the power of storytelling. My secret wish? I hope it ignites a spark and provides the catalyst for more storytelling: leading to storytelling workshops with Cathendral City and more performances.
6. If Your Art/Program/Event Costs More Than You Are Requesting From The Community Arts Grant Program, How Do You Plan To Pay For The Additional Costs? (What Steps Have You Already Taken To Get Additional Funds Or In-Kind Support If Necessary?) I see no added cost, but if the need arose, I would immediately turn to one of the successful realtors or financial planners I’ve tapped to sponsor previous storytelling shows at CV Rep.
7. Do You Plan To Continue This Art/Program/Event Beyond The Period For Which You Have Requested The Funds? If So, How Do You Plan To Continue Paying For It? (Describe the types of efforts you will undertake to raise funds as well as your/your organization’s history of maintaining services/programs.) I would love to build a Strong Words community in Cathedral City that supports itself. Get churches involved. Other community organizations. That’s the beauty of this art form. All it takes is words on a page and a microphone.
8. (OPTIONAL) Is There Anything That You Would Like To Add? If So, Please Tell Us Here: First of all, thank you! Your application is simple, straightforward and easy to navigate. I've written grants as a board member of Celebration Theatre and Playwrights 6, and I've served on grants panels for the Toledo Arts Commission. I know two of the biggest questions for new applicants are always: will our investment pay off? Can they accomplish what they say they will do? If you’ve attended any of our events at CV Rep, the Palm Springs Art Museum, the Palm Springs Cultural Center or in a number of cultural venues around Los Angeles, I think you'd quickly realize the answer is yes. I know how to partner with other cultural organizations to create successful storytelling programs and events. This is Strong Words in action: collaboration, artistic excellence and - most of all - a fantastic audience experience. As an example, I’m attaching a pitch deck created for the Ebell of Los Angeles that fostered a new collaboration that occurred this past month. *Attachments may be included with your submission. If including photos, files can be no larger than 20 mb. To be considered for funding, a complete application must be submitted by: • Hard copies - postmarked by Friday, April 18, 2025 • Electronic copies - received by 5:00pm on Friday August 18, 2025 • Electronic submittal is preferred Questions: Please email [email protected] or call Anne Ambrose, Public Arts Commission Liaison at (760) 770-0331.