Artist Fellowship

Artist Fellowship is sponsored by Maine Arts Commission. Recognizes artistic excellence across the overall career of a Maine artist, supporting various art forms, including spoken word poetry.

Skip to main page content Skip to right sidebar content Maine Arts Commission Grants The Maine Artist Fellowship recognizes artistic excellence across the overall career of a Maine artist. Applications Open: September 1, 2026 Application Deadline: September 30, 2026 Award Notifications: Mid-January 2027 Organization Operations Grant The Organization Operations Grant provides operating support to eligible Maine arts organizations.

Applications Open: September 15, 2026 Application Deadline: October 15, 2026 Award Notifications: January 2027 Dates are subject to change. The Maine Arts Commission offers grant funding to Maine artists, arts and cultural organizations, schools, municipalities, and community partners. Grants are offered throughout our fiscal year, supporting work that takes place between July 1 of the current year and June 30 of the following year.

Each grant program has its own application period and deadline. Grant guidelines are updated annually and are subject to change, so please review individual program pages for the most current information. Our goal is to distribute public funding effectively across the state to strengthen Maine’s arts ecosystem.

This includes supporting arts organizations to sustain operations, improve financial health, and deliver high quality arts programming in Maine communities, as well as investing in individual artists so they can create new work, build their practice, strengthen their skills and process, and share their work with the public. Questions about eligibility, guidelines, or the application process are welcome.

Please contact Eli Cabañas, Grants and Website Manager, at 207-215-5872 or vog. eniam@sanabac. ile .

The Maine Arts Commission is a state agency that receives funding appropriated by the Maine State Legislature. In addition, the Agency is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. The Maine Arts Commission fosters and encourages public interest and participation in the cultural heritage and artistic expression of our state.

We fulfill our mission through partnerships and collaborations, outreach and advocacy, initiatives, information sharing and grants for organizations, individual artists, and communities throughout Maine. The arts play an essential role in Maine’s past, present, and future. The arts are the catalyst for creatively responding to our challenges, celebrations, traditions, and aspirations.

Our arts reflect the character of our state and its people. Arts are collaborative, inspirational, healing, help us explore our humanity, and celebrate our commonalities and our differences. The arts bring us together and are a necessary part of a rich and fulfilling life in our state.

We believe that all people deserve equal access and opportunities to participate in a vibrant, creative life. Grants for individual artists are offered to support Maine artists with their work. Funds assist artists with the creation of new work, the continuation of existing practices, and participation in professional development programs and activities.

Applicants do not need to be affiliated with a 501(c)(3) organization in order to be eligible for funding. For individual Maine artists in various stages of their careers. This includes the creation of new or existing work, activities that enhance an artist’s skills or process, participation in programs to raise the level and quality of their work, and supporting ways to bring their art to the public.

The Maine Artist Fellowship recognizes artistic excellence in the overall career of a Maine artist. Fellowships are not grants for artist projects. They are merit-based awards evaluated by a review panel on the level of artistic creativity and vision shown in the artists’ support materials.

One artist will be selected for each discipline, creating a cohort of six Maine Artist Fellows. The disciplines are Fine Crafts, Literary Arts, Media Arts, Performing Arts, Traditional Arts, and Visual Arts.

Last Awarded: 2026 Fellows View Current Fellows ⇒ Craft Apprenticeship Program The Maine Craft Apprenticeship Program is offered through a partnership between the Maine Crafts Association, the Maine Arts Commission, and the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen. The program supports 100 hours of one-to-one training over seven months between a mentor and apprentice.

The learning experience is for apprentices who demonstrate a commitment to acquiring new skills, tools, and management habits and furthering their craft practice. CAP celebrates the mentor/apprentice relationship as a way to generate creative entrepreneurship, envisioning a sustainable and resilient craft sector for Maine and New Hampshire.

Last Awarded: 2026 Apprenticeships Traditional Arts Apprenticeship The Traditional Arts Apprenticeship program is offered in partnership with Cultural Resources. It provides direct support for cultural mentors and connects experienced traditional artists with younger students for an exchange of techniques and cultural knowledge.

The program helps communities sustain their own cultural heritage by providing teaching opportunities for accomplished mentors to pass on their skills to an apprentice of their choice. Traditional arts are passed down from one generation to the next, usually within families and communities, and take many forms including vocal and instrumental music, dance, crafts, and textile arts.

Current Status: Visit Cultural Resources Visit Cultural Resources ⇒ Our organizational funding supports Maine arts and cultural organizations and community partners in sustaining strong operations and delivering public-facing arts experiences statewide.

Through operating support for eligible 501(c)(3) arts organizations and project support for community-based arts and cultural activities, we help strengthen organizational health, arts infrastructure, and Maine’s creative workforce. These grants are designed to serve Maine communities, respond to local needs, and support projects that invite public participation and reflect what makes each community unique.

Organization Operations Grant The Organization Operations Grant provides operating support to 501(c)(3) arts organizations in Maine with annual operating budgets above $25,000. This grant supports the well-being of Maine’s arts sector by helping sustain arts organizations, infrastructure, and the creative workforce in the state.

Creative Communities Grant The Creative Communities Grant supports arts and cultural activities of organizations in service to Maine communities and residents. Funding is for the support of new or existing arts-based projects with a focus on community needs. All activities must be community-based and open and accessible to the general public.

Our selection process is competitive and based on a thorough review of all applications against our established criteria as well as available resources. The acceptance of applications for any Maine Arts Commission programs does not guarantee the allocation of funds. Grant information is available in large print format by request.

If you require an alternate format or need assistance accessing the guidelines or application, please contact ADA Accessibility Coordinator Eli Cabañas by email at vog. eniam@sanabac. ile or by phone at 207-215-5872 .

It is the policy of the Maine Arts Commission not to discriminate on the basis of disability. The Commission is dedicated to making our programs accessible and inclusive for people with disabilities and assisting individuals with disabilities in connecting with resources for access to the arts. All programs funded by the Maine Arts Commission must also be accessible.