North Carolina Arts Council
/OVERVIEW: The North Carolina Arts Council supports artists and arts organizations working in the state.
IP TAKE: As with most state sponsored regional arts funders, this is a relatively transparent funder with clear deadlines and an informative website. Grantseekers applying to these grants will have to compete with artists from all other disciplines. Those with a local or regional connection to their work will likely be the most successful. Members of the N.C Arts Council’s citizen board are appointed by the state’s governor, something that new grantseekers may want to keep in mind as politically sensitive projects might prove difficult to fund.
Several of these grantmaking programs are currently paused (likely due to the COVID-19 pandemic) and others have been modified to accommodate disruptions and delays due to the pandemic, so grantseekers will want to look over individual program pages often to ensure that the program in which they are interested is running.
PROFILE: Created in 1967, the North Carolina Arts Council seeks to invest “in artists and arts organizations to create an enviable arts infrastructure that reaches every corner of [the] state.” It receives support from the North Carolina Arts Foundation, which was established to feed into the arts council. The council’s arts grantmaking supports both Individual Artists and Arts Organizations, and it supports initiative that bring K-12 students into contact with both contemporary and traditional art forms.
Grants for Visual Arts, Writing, Theater, Film, Dance, Music
The NC Arts Council has a lot of grants programs; many fund arts programs and organizations, others support artists, and still other make grants to both. All grantseekers will want to look carefully examine the program in which they are interested as application requirements and applicant eligibility vary considerably.
The Artist Support Grants program “provides the opportunity for regional consortia of local arts councils to award project grants to artists in their regions” and supports “professional artists in any discipline and at any stage in their careers to pursue projects that further their professional development.” Grant amounts range from $300 to $5,000, though most fall between $500 to $2,000.
The Arts Council also offers Folklife Apprenticeships and Internships, which are designed to promote “the expressive arts, practices, and lifeways that emerge from within a community” and preserve “the traditional arts of that community [which] are often deeply rooted in a geographic location and its religious, ethnic and occupational groups, or they are carried with immigrant and migrant communities as they establish themselves in new homes.” The apprenticeships support a traditional arts mentor and apprentice relationship for a year-long intensive study. The internships are for three months and facilitate training on a range of Folklife issues.
Organizations can apply for Spark the Arts Grants, which replaces the previous Program Support and Military and Veterans Healing Arts Grant programs, under the Grants for Organizations program. This grant “supports arts providers as they reengage with the public through a combination of programming, marketing, rebuilding staff capacity, and facilitating safety protocols.” Grant amounts range from $3,000 to $30,000. Eligible applicants must have at least two years of experience producing “quality arts programs” and need to have organizational cash operating expenses of at least $20,000.
The Artist Support Grants for Lead Partners is similar to the program funding individual artists; however, these support the “regional consortia” and typically range from $500 to $3,000. Grant amount depends on “the amount of money each consortium raises, the number of applicants, the number of artists selected, and the types of projects funded.”
The Grassroots Arts Program Grants program supports arts funding in all 100 of North Carolina’s counties and provides “opportunities for citizens to experience the arts in their own communities.” It distributes funding through two types of partnerships: Designated County Partners and Provisional County Partners.
Organization Support Grants work to help arts organizations recover from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic via flexible funding for stabilization and reopening.” They can be “used for core operations such as personnel and facility costs” or programming. Only those who have received Arts Council funding in the past are eligible to apply.
Technical Assistance Grants provides funding to “organizations to hire knowledgeable consultants to strengthen management and programs, sponsor workshops or conferences, develop a resource publication, or engage in community cultural planning.”
State Arts Resources Grants are designed to support established arts organizations with a history of producing “high-quality programs, provide educational and outreach opportunities for children and adults, and have strong leadership,” management, and financial accountability. Grant amounts range from $15,000 to $85,000.
The Statewide Service Organizations program makes grants to arts organizations that provide a service to a specific sector of the arts community. Types of programs and services that may receive funding include: “include newsletters, listserv and website management, conferences, workshops, classes, consultations, research, resource publications, presentations, and the development and distribution of promotional materials.” Applicants must serve the entire state and have operating budgets of at least $20,000. First-time applicants should reach out to program staff before applying.
Grants for Arts Education
The cARTwheels Teaching Artist program consists of residencies for visual and performing artists in K-12 schools with a strong focus on “creative practices and programmatic content that support students’ problem-solving skills and promote healing, reflection, and self-empowerment through the arts.” Residency requirements include collaborative teaching, teacher and educator workshops, student workshops and culminating performances. Grants range from $3,000 to $15,000, and applications for the program are due at the end of July.
Traditional Arts Program for Students (TAPS) funds afterschool programs that connects K-12 students with traditional artists working “in an art form that has deep cultural roots in their community, taught by experts utilizing traditional instructional techniques.” The breadth and scope of NC’s traditional arts reservoir is vast and encompasses the state’s rich diversity and cultural heritage.
Important Grant Information
Grant amounts here vary wildly and depend on the program and depend on whether they will support an individual or an organization. Grants for artist collectives are awarded differently as well.
New grantseekers will want to look over the general grant eligibility and guidelines before applying. It is worth noting that opportunities change frequently here, so it is important to keep up with this funder. Visit the application assistance page, as well, for resources and grants staff contact information. Apply for funding using the Online Portal.
PEOPLE:
Search for staff contact info and bios in PeopleFinder (paid subscribers only).
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