About the Program

Artist Support Grants (formerly Regional Artist Project Grants) is a regional grant program that provides direct support to individual artists for professional and artistic development, either to enhance their skills and abilities to create work, or to improve their business operations and capacity to bring the work to audiences. This program will provide grants of $500 to $2,000 to support committed, gifted individual artists and small, unincorporated groups of collaborating artists residing in Forsyth, Davidson, Davie, Guilford, and Randolph counties and is intended to support a broad range of talented artists in the genres of visual arts, performing arts, literary arts, music composition, choreography, and interdisciplinary arts.

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The program is operated in partnership with The Arts Council of Greater Greensboro, Arts Davidson County, Davie County Arts Council, High Point Arts Council and The Randolph Arts Guild. Funding is provided by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
 

Application Dates: August 21 – September 24, 2023

Application Deadline: Sunday, September 24, 2023, 11:59 PM EST

Review of Application: October & November 2023

Award Notification: December 2023

Project Period: January 1 – December 31, 2024

Funding Spent Timeline: January 1 – June 30, 2024
 

Reporting

Interim Report: March – June 2024

Final Report: Two weeks after completion of project. All projects must be completed by December 31, 2024

 

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Note to Applicant: Link will take you to The Arts Council of Greater Greensboro online grant system, Submittable, to apply.

 

Questions: Contact Shannon Stokes, Director of Community Impact and Programs, sstokes@intothearts.org, (336) 747-1416.

 

Information Sessions

Join The Arts Council of Greater Greensboro and Arts Council of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County for two virtual informational sessions. The sessions are Wednesday, August 16th, from 5:30-6:30 PM and Wednesday, August 23, from 11:00 AM -12:00 PM. Here, you can meet with the grant coordinators and learn more about the grant process. Registration for each session is required.

 

August 16, 2023, 5:30 – 6:30 PM EST (https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_88zvJWGZRyCASyD1O30_FQ#/registration)

 

August 23, 2023, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST (https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_UkpRHWiXSXiJhRCyZDNH9Q#/registration)
 

Eligibility and Scope

The Artist Support Grant is intended to support a broad 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

• Individual artist and small unincorporated groups of collaborating artists are eligible to apply

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Residency

• Artist must reside in the following counties Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Guilford, and Randolph County.

• Artists who have lived in the region (Region 11: Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Guilford, Randolph) where they are applying continuously for at least one year prior to the consortium’s application deadline.

• Applicants must be at least 18 years old and either a U.S citizen or permanent resident alien.

• Artists who have lived in more than one region should apply only where they spend the majority of the year. (Example: 183 days or more)

• All members of a collaborating team must be North Carolina residents, live in the region where they are applying, and meet the other eligibility requirements. Résumés documenting residence from all team members should be included with the application.

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Multiple Awards

• Artists who are sole properties of organizations that have already received funding for Fiscal Years 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 from the North Carolina Arts Council are ineligible to apply.
 

Conflicts-of-Interest

• Current board and staff members of the participating 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.

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Eligible Projects and Costs

In project year 2023-2024, applicants may apply for up to 50 percent of the grant to support artist fees.

 

• 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’ work 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 either at 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 as allowed or possible while adhering to social distancing guidelines

• Services — Rental of equipment or facilities for presentation of a new work, recording studio space, etc.

• Supplies — Purchase of supplies and materials necessary for the completion or production of a new work deemed by the artist to be an essential work in his/her career.

• Artist Fee — Costs of labor, equals the time that one spends of a project. (Two ways to show a reasonable artist fee is by the hour and/or by the month)
 

Ineligible Projects and Costs

• Scholarships for undergraduate- or graduate-level education

• Projects that support or oppose a particular candidate for public office

• Projects that are exclusive to members of a particular religious faith group

• Nonprofit initiatives

• Projects that do not have a direct effect on the applicant’s growth as an artist (e.g., the promotion of other artists’ work)

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Evaluation Criteria

Artistic Merit (50%)

• 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 (25%)

• Feasibility of the proposed project

 

Professional Development (25%)

• Benefit of the proposed project to the artist’s professional growth

All complete applications will be reviewed by a panel of arts professionals with experience in various disciplines. Panelists will score each application based on the above evaluation criteria

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Click here for Call for Artist Support Grant Panelists (open until September 24, 2023)