Folk & Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Grant Program is sponsored by Wisconsin Arts Board. Supports respected traditional artists in teaching their skills to committed apprentices to preserve Wisconsin's cultural heritage.

Folk & Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program Contact Us / Staff Listing Mission / Vision / Positioning United States of Arts: Wisconsin Folk & Traditional Arts Program Bureau of Economic Analysis Data Economic Impact - AEP 3-5 Arts So Good in Wisconsin Business Committee for the Arts 10 Folk & Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Folk & Traditional Arts Apprenticeships are designed to strengthen and encourage the continuity of Wisconsin's diverse cultural traditions by supporting exemplary traditional artists and culture bearers in passing their skills and knowledge on to committed and talented apprentices.

Any form of traditional art - from basketry to old time music, from beadwork to ethnic dance and singing, from instrument building to traditional foodways - as carried on by members of Wisconsin's various cultural groups, is eligible. These cultural groups are communities that emerge from shared ethnicity, language, religion, occupation, recreational pursuit, or geographic region.

Priority will be given to instruction in art forms that are in danger of being lost or that help to preserve an endangered language. Both the instructing artist and apprentice should be committed to preserving and advancing the art form in their shared community. Maximum awards are $3,500 to the instructing artist or a fiscal receiver*.

Successful applicants may use the apprenticeship award to help cover the costs of the instructing artist’s fee, the supplies and materials needed during the apprenticeship, and in some cases, travel expenses. ​ Apprenticeships must involve traditional art forms* that occur in a Wisconsin community* where they have value and a traditional place. See a list of past and current awardees ​​​ for examples of such art forms.

Mentor/Instructing artists should be recognized as exemp la ry practitioners of their ar t form ​within their cultural community - held in high re gard by their peers for their ski ll, knowl edge, and community-based practice.

​ Prospec tive a pprentices sh ould h ave some experience in the proposed art or a related art form , displ ay motivation to enhan ce their skill s and c ultural unders tanding of th e art form, and care about it continuing in thei r commu nity. Apprentices cannot be immediate family members under the age of 18. If the nature of the folk art allows, more than one apprentice may work with the same instructing artist at one time.

Returning applicants are not eligible to apply if they have received an ap​prenticeship award for three consecutive years; they may reapply after waiting one year. First time applicants should have a conversation with WAB staff to discuss eligibility prior to applying. Contact: Kaitlyn Berle, Folk Arts Specialist, 608-266-8106.

To be eligible, all applications must be submitted by the March 19, 2026 deadline .

Applications to the Folk Arts Apprenticeship Program will be evaluated on the following criteria*: ​Traditionality of the art form Artistic quality of the instructing artist’s work Demonstrated commitment and skill of the apprentice(s) Shared membership of the instructing artist and apprentice in a cultural community Feasibility of the proposed work plan Urgency** related to endangered or marginalized art forms, endangered languages, age of culture bearers, or other relevant circumstances.

*Be sure to review the guidelines for additional evaluation criteria details. *Priority is given to apprenticeships that will help ensure the continuation of traditional art forms that are in danger of being lost or that help to preserve an endangered language. The Mentor Artist is the applicant.

To access the application, applicants must register and log-in to WAB's Online Application System . The application asks questions about the instructing artist, the apprentice artist(s), the art form, its connection to a cultural community, and the work plan. You will also be asked about your ideas for a final public presentation of the work created during the apprenticeship, a requirement of the program.

You will also be asked to provide a budget for how you will spend the $3,500. As of 2020-2021, applicants have the option to sub mit their res ponses to the narrative section of the application via video or audio recording . Please contact WAB staff ( artsboard@wisconsin.

gov​ ) if you are interested in this submission method. Awards will be distributed to the instructing artist in two payments : $2,500 at the start of the apprenticeship and the remaining amount after the public project has been completed and the final report has been accepted by WAB. All funds go to the Mentor Artist.

For the current fiscal year (FY26), the apprenticeship and public presentation can occur during the period July 1, 2026 - May 31, 2026. The final report is due thirty days later, on June 30, 2026. Defined Terms:​​ *C​ommunity - Communities can be geographic places or groups with shared ethnicity, language, religion occupation, recreational pursuits, or regional affinities.

Such groups share customs, heritage, and artistic expressions, which include the traditional arts. ​ *Fiscal receiver - An artist who works closely with a community agency may wish to have that agency serve as a fiscal receiver for the award. An incorporated, nonprofit, tax-exempt organization that provides administrative and financial services to the instructing artist for the apprenticeship is a fiscal receiver.

*Traditional arts - These are artistic practices that are transmitted and engaged as part of the cultural life of a group of people whose members share a common ethnicity, language, religion, occupation, recreational pursuit, or geographic region. Traditional art forms are often passed down from one generation to the next, or from one community member to another, and express a shared aesthetic, heritage, or tradition of a community.

​ Such traditions will have endured through several generations with creative innovations by skilled practitioners throughout its history. The art form/tradition may have been revived after a cultural break due to the efforts of a committed artist.

​​ FY26 Panel Review Recording​​ FY25 Panel Review Recording - Part 1 / Part 2​ FY24 Panel Review Recording FY23 Panel Review Recording​ ​ Application Questions (for reference) ​ Resources for Grant Recipients Sample Legislative Letter ( . docx ) ( . rtf ) - to inform your elected State of Wisconsin officials of your award of state and federal funds for this important work.

​ Apprenticeship Activity Log Final Presentation Sign ​ FY26 Application Cycle Deadline: March 19, 2026 *please reference program guidelines for registration instructions Guidelines​ & Info Session FAA Info Session Recording​ Pe er review meetings are held via Zoom and open to the public. All applicants are welcome to observe. The next Folk Arts Review Panel will be in May 2026.

As of FY19, all final reports are available through WAB's online application system, SmartSimple. 6/30/2026 for FY26 awards 6/30/2025 for FY25 awards​ Wisconsin Arts News Archives Submit Your Arts Organization Creation and Presentation Grants Creative Communities Grants Woodland Indian Arts Program Arts Challenge Initiative Folk Arts Apprenticeship Program