ArtSpark is a competitive grant program supporting individual artists in Acadiana, by providing technical support, funding and entrepreneurial training to artists in various fields.
Donor Name: Acadiana Center for the Arts
State: Louisiana
County: Selected Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 03/21/2025
Size of the Grant: Not Available
Grant Duration: 1 Year
Details:
These awards offer assistance to emerging, mid-career, and mature artists for specific, short-term projects with a component of community outreach and a focus on the artists’ and/or communities economic development with the support of Opportunity.
This program is committed to ensuring Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility, with particular focus on Black artists, Indigenous artists, artists of color, as well as those artists with disabilities, in order to expand their bodies of work as professionals.
This program is focus on specific areas:
- To provide opportunities for artists in Acadiana based on artistic excellence and artistic merit that reflects and represents the diversity of the region
- To support and encourage artists in creating new works, participating in special art initiatives, and expanding arts programming, with a focus on empowering Black, Indigenous, and artists of color, as well as artists with disabilities, to achieve tangible outcomes
- To assist artists with expenses related to the creation of new work and to develop their artistry more fully through professional development opportunities (such as seminars, workshops, etc.)
- To foster a vital and resourceful arts community, which promotes diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility
- To assist in the development of larger and more diverse audiences for arts activities
- To increase economic opportunities for the artist/applicant from the production of the work, either directly or indirectly
- To impact economic development in Acadiana through the creation of new works of art by hiring other artists/service providers for the project
- To holistically support artists in their personal economic success via a business entrepreneurship and career development opportunities presented by Opportunity Machine.
Grant Period
May 1, 2025 to April 30, 2026.
Eligibility Criteria
- Be an individual artist working as the lead artist of the proposed project
- Working in one of the following artistic disciplines: visual arts, craft, traditional arts/folklife, photography, performing arts, literary arts, film, media arts or interdisciplinary arts
- Be a practicing artist with documented artistic practice, defined as one who is dedicated to producing artwork on a regular basis, typically paid for their work or earning a portion of their living from their creative work
- Be 18 years of age or older by May 1st, 2025 (the first day of the current cycle)
- Be a resident of Acadiana’s 8-parish region (Acadia, Evangeline, Iberia, Lafayette, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, or Vermilion Parishes) and expect to maintain residency in the region during the award period
- Be a US Citizen with a Social Security number that will be provided upon notification of a grant award.
Ineligibility
- Are a current board member, major funder, current panelist, or staff member or immediate family member of such a person of Lafayette Economic Development Authority, Opportunity Machine or the Acadiana Center for the Arts
- Are applying on behalf of any organization, collective, company, band, group, and/or ensemble, or part of a collaborative team
- Previously received an ArtSpark Individual Artist Award within the last 2 years (applicants must wait two (2) full cycles before reapplying. For example, artists who received funding in 2022 can apply in 2025)
- Are enrolled in full-time study from May 1st, 2025 (unless completing higher education degree by July 1, 2025.)
- Applicant cannot be disbarred, suspended, or have any other exclusions or disqualifications from receiving federal funding.
For more information, visit Acadiana Center for the Arts.
