The Folk and Traditional Arts Apprenticeship program honors and encourages the preservation of North Dakota’s diverse living traditions by providing funding up to $4,500 for master traditional artists to pass on their skills and knowledge to an apprentice(s) over an extended period of time.
Donor Name: North Dakota Council on the Arts
State: North Dakota
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 04/30/2026
Size of the Grant: $1000 to $10,000
Grant Duration: 1 Year
Details:
Traditional and folk arts are shared creative expressions of identity passed from generation to generation within a family, community, region, tribe, ethnic group, occupation, or religion. Forms of traditional expression include craft, technical skill, music, dance, and ritual celebration.
Potential applicants are encouraged to work with people they already know within their own tribal, ethnic, or occupational group or community. Proposals may include unestablished master/apprentice partnerships or already established informal teaching/learning relationships. Most apprenticeships are based on a one-on-one teaching and learning situation. However, for traditions like dance that might require group instruction, a master artist may have up to four apprentices in one application.
Program Outcomes
- Folk and traditional art forms are passed on between two or more individuals in an ongoing, structured relationship between a master and an apprentice(s).
- North Dakota communities are enriched because folk and traditional art forms are practiced, preserved, and shared.
- Greater public awareness, increased knowledge, and documentation of folk arts is achieved.
Funding Information
Maximum Award Request: $4,500.
Grant Period
July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027.
Eligibility Criteria
- Master Artist
- Is an individual artist who is among the finest tradition bearers in their respective community or region
- Must be 18 years of age or older
- Must be a North Dakota resident or from neighboring states
- Must be a United States citizen or have attained permanent resident status
- Apprentice(s)
- Is an individual artist (or artists) who already possess some skills in the traditional art they wish to study
- Must demonstrate a commitment to mastery of the art
- Must be a North Dakota resident for at least two (2) years prior to the start of apprenticeship activity and continue to reside in North Dakota throughout the contract period
- Must be a United States citizen or have attained permanent resident status
- Apprentices under the age of 18 must be accompanied by their legal guardian.
For more information, visit North Dakota Council on the Arts.
