Deadline: 09-Sep-21
The Art Council is seeking applications for its Artist Support Grants to provide direct support to individual artists in Cumberland, Hoke, Robeson, Sampson, and Scotland Counties.
The initiative will fund professional and artistic development for emerging and established artists to enhance their skills and abilities to create work or to improve their business operations and capacity to bring their work to new audiences.
Artists representing visual, craft, performing, traditional, and interdisciplinary art forms are encouraged to apply. Applicants should demonstrate a commitment to spend a significant portion of their time on their work as artists.
Funding Information
- Awards may range from $500.00 to $1,000.00.
Eligible Projects and Costs
In project year 2021-2022, applicants may use up to 50% of their grant request to pay artist fees to themselves.
- Completion/Presentation of a New Work — Cost of resources necessary to complete or present a significant new work (e.g., purchasing art supplies or equipment (digital may qualify) or space rental).
- Career Promotion — Projects aimed at advertising artists’ works and/or demonstrating their skill level (e.g., websites, portfolios, audio-visual documentation, and online presentation).
- Training — Costs to attend a class or workshop (in-person or virtual) aimed at either enhancing the artist’s skill level or professional development (e.g., a master class or workshop taught by acknowledged authorities in the applicant artist’s medium).
- Travel — Costs of transportation, lodging, and food for training, professional conferences, or research.
Ineligible Projects and Costs
- Scholarships for undergraduate- or graduate-level education.
- Projects that support or oppose a candidate for public office.
- Projects that are exclusive to members of a religious faith group.
- Projects that do not have a direct effect on the applicant’s growth as an artist (e.g., the promotion of other artists’ work).
Eligibility Criteria
- The Artist Support Grant is intended to support a board range of talented artists in the genres of visual arts, performing arts, literary arts, music composition, choreography, and interdisciplinary arts.
- Eligible candidates may be either emerging or established artists.
- Applicants should demonstrate a commitment to spending a significant portion of their time on their work as artists.
- Individuals and Artist Collectives — Both individual artists and small, unincorporated groups of collaborating artists are eligible to apply.
- Residency — Artists should have lived continuously in the counties of Cumberland, Hoke, Robeson, Sampson, and Scotland for at least one year before the application deadline. An applicant must be at least 18 years old and either a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident alien. Proof of residence and status may be required at the time of application. Artists who live in more than one region should apply only where they spend most of the year. All members of a collaborating team must be North Carolina residents, live in the region in which they are applying, and meet the other eligibility requirements. Resumes documenting residence for all team members should be included with the application.
- Multiple Awards — Artists who are sole proprietors of organizations that have already received funding for FY 2021–2022 from the N.C. Arts Council are ineligible to apply.
- Conflict of Interest — Current board and staff members of the consortium partner organizations and their family members are not eligible to apply for the award.
- Student Status — The Artist Support Grant is intended for adult, nonstudent artists. Artists enrolled full-time in undergraduate or associate degree-granting programs may not apply for the grant. Artists in certificate programs are generally eligible. Artists pursuing graduate degrees in subjects other than their art form may be eligible if they meet the other eligibility criteria. Other questions and special circumstances should be discussed with Arts Council staff.
Evaluation Criteria
- Artistic Merit
- Demonstrated talent in an art form and overall excellence of the artist’s work.
- Clear commitment to a career as a practicing professional artist
- Project Merit
- Benefit of the proposed project to the artist’s professional growth.
- Feasibility of the proposed project.
For more information, visit https://www.theartscouncil.com/grants/artistsupportgrants