State Arts Resources Grants

Reminder: Please review general grant eligibility and guidelines before proceeding.

About

This category is designed to support mature arts organizations that, over time, have produced consistently strong arts programs and services and demonstrated strong management and financial accountability. State Arts Resources organizations typically excel at providing one or more of the following:

  • High-quality programming to a regional service area
  • Innovative new work in an art form
  • Model programs that set standards of excellence for the state
  • Appropriate and competitive fees to artists for services
  • Opportunities to experience and engage with strong artwork and programs otherwise unavailable within the region 

Application dates

  • Open: January 6, 2023
  • Due: March 1, 2023

Grant amount

  • Range: Variable. Generally ranges from $15,000 to $85,000.

Who may apply

State Arts Resources have at least one full-time paid staff member and have an established operating budget of more than $150,000. Colleges, universities, and local arts councils are not eligible to apply in this category.

Scope and allowable expenses

Funds are provided to support the ongoing artistic and administrative functions of arts organizations. Fundable expenses may include, but are not limited to, salaries, artists’ fees, production, travel, promotion, postage, telephone, and facility operation. Grant amounts generally range from $15,000 to $85,000, are based on the organization’s application rating, operating budget size, and N.C. Arts Council funding history, and may not exceed 10 percent of the organization’s cash operating expenses, averaged over the past three years. Organizations that have a recurring line item in the legislative budget have restricted access to State Arts Resources grants and should call N.C. Arts Council staff before applying. 

Project period

Grant funds must be spent between July 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024. 

Application information

Submit your application through the GO Smart grant portal. The following questions and documents will be required for the application. Reach out to your staff contact for questions or application assistance.

Profile questions

In addition to contact information, you will be asked to submit your organization’s mission statement, an organizational history, and both an Employer Identification Number (EIN) and Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number.

Application Narrative

  1. Describe your artistic programs and activities for the proposed grant period.  Include details about the artists who will conduct programs and the anticipated dates and locations where the program(s) will take place. (Upload a tentative schedule of events for the upcoming season or year of programming.) 
  2. Describe your educational programs for adults and schoolchildren, such as in-school performances, field trips, lecture series, post-performance discussions, publications, and other ways you interpret the artistic content you present and engage the audiences you serve. Explain how you integrate education into your overall programming approach.
  3. Describe the audiences that you reach with your current programs and new audiences you plan to engage in the upcoming year, especially those with limited opportunities to experience your programs due to factors such as educational background, geography, ethnic or cultural diversity, or economic constraints. Include participation statistics and demographic profiles for your audiences.
  4. Describe the qualifications of your board and/or staff who serve in leadership roles. Give recent examples of how your board actively promotes, participates in, and provides resources for the organization. (Upload a list of current staff and board members and identify with titles or professional expertise.)
  5. Describe your organization’s planning process and summarize the key goals and objectives of your current long-range plan.
  6. Upload your most recent audit or a 990 or financial statement for the period.

Staff Contact

Dara Silver 
Senior Program Director  
(919) 814-6531 
Email Dara about about visual arts, craft, and film

Jamie Katz Court 
Music and Dance Director  
(919) 814-6502 
Email Jamie about music, dance, accessibility, and multi-disciplinary presenting

Khalisa Thompson
Theater and Literature Director  
(919) 814-6512 
Email Khalisa about theater and literature

Vacant 
Arts in Education Director 
(919) 814-6504 
Email Vicki Vitiello about arts in education

Zoe van Buren 
Folklife Director 
(919) 814-6518 
Email Zoe about folk and traditional arts


Grant Application Assistance

North Carolina Arts Council staff are here to assist with grant applications. Visit our application assistance page for resources and grants staff contact information. 

Accessibility

For accessibility questions or accommodation requests, please contact the North Carolina Arts Council's Music and Dance Director, Accessibility Coordinator Jamie Katz Court at jamie.katzcourt@dncr.nc.gov or (919) 814-6502.