The North Carolina Arts Council Artist Support Grant is a regional grant program to support individual artists in all phases of their career.
Donor Name: North Carolina Arts Council (NCAC)
State: North Carolina
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 08/29/2025
Size of the Grant: $1000 to $10,000
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
The program funds professional and artistic development for emerging or established artists to create work, improve their business operations, or bring their work to new audiences. This 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. Applicants should demonstrate a commitment to spending a significant portion of their time on their work as artists.
Funding Information
Grants range from $500 to $1,500.
Eligible Expenses
In project year 2025-2026, 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.
Eligibility Criteria
- Individuals and Artist Collectives — Both individual artists and small, unincorporated groups of collaborating artists are eligible to apply.
- Residency — Artists should have lived continuously in the region where they are applying for at least one year before the consortium’s application deadline (Region 17: Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, Polk, Rutherford, and Transylvania). Artists should have lived continuously in Region 17 for at least one year prior to the application deadline. An applicant must be at least 18 years old and either a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident alien. The consortium may require proof of residence and status. Artists who live in more than one region should apply only where they spend most of the year. All members of a collaborating team must be North Carolina residents, live in the region in which they are applying, and meet the other eligibility requirements. Résumés documenting residence for all team members should be included with the application.
- Multiple Awards — Artists who are sole proprietors of organizations that have already received funding for FY 2025-2026 from the N.C. Arts Council are ineligible to apply. Awardees must also wait at least two years after the award year before becoming eligible to reapply.
- Conflict of Interest — Current board and staff members of the consortium partner organizations and their family members are not eligible to apply for the award.
- Student Status — The Artist Support Grant is intended for adult, non-student 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. Other questions and special circumstances should be discussed with N.C. Arts Council staff.
For more information, visit NCAC.
