Maryland Touring Grant is sponsored by Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC). The Maryland Touring Grant provides funding to eligible Maryland-based nonprofit organizations to support the presentation of artists listed on the Maryland Performing Artists Touring Roster.

Maryland Touring Grant | MSAC Close the sitewide search The Maryland Touring Grant provides funding to eligible Maryland-based nonprofit organizations to support the presentation of artists listed on the Maryland Performing Artists Touring Roster. Click here to view the Presenting & Touring Roster.

Applications to join the Touring Roster are accepted on a rolling basis from July 1, 2025 through March 31, 2026 with applications reviewed every other month. Be Maryland-incorporated organizations with 501(c)3 tax exempt status, units of Maryland local government, or arts programs within a college or university.

Organizations applying through fiscal sponsorships can be funded if the Fiscal Agency and the Organization operate within a Model A sponsorship. (Note: in a “Model A” sponsorship, the assets, liabilities, and exempt activities collectively referred to as the project are housed within the fiscal sponsor.) For full eligibility criteria, please review the Grant Guidelines in the Quick Resources section.

Please note that application forms in Smart Simple have been updated for FY 2026. Your application ID # should begin with '2026.' If it does not, you are working off a draft started from a previous year and will not be able to submit it.

Please open a new FY 2026 application under the "Opportunities" menu to begin a new application.

In addition to reviewing the guidelines document in the "Quick Resources" box, please review the following resources that are available to assist you during the application process: FY26 How to Apply Webinar - Presenting and Touring FY26 How to Apply slide deck - Presenting and Touring For additional support, you can find the FY 2026 scoring rubric, and other relevant documents in the "Resources" section below.

Arts Services Program Directors Emily Sollenberger and Laura Weiss are available to review a draft of your application prior to submission. If you are interested in this, please contact them directly ( emily. sollenberger@maryland.

gov or laura. weiss@maryland. gov ) for assistance.

Please allow at least 6 weeks for processing. If your application was declined for funding, you can request feedback by completing the form here. Please allow at least 6 weeks for processing.

Before applying, first select one or more artists from the Touring Roster. Contact the artist(s) to negotiate the availability of dates, activities, fees, and other performance details. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis from July 2025 through March 2026.

Applications are reviewed every other month, and Touring Grants are awarded throughout the fiscal year. For awarded activities, payment may take up to 90 days. Creativity Grant applications submitted by the last day of the month will be reviewed by the panel in the following month, with notifications to follow early the following month.

Please refer to the Guidelines document in the "Quick Resources" section for a detailed schedule. MSAC convenes a group of panelists, composed of members of the public statewide representing a range of discipline expertise, to electronically review and score all applications according to the review criteria above. Applications must be completed in SmartSimple.

After the monthly panel review, applicants will be notified of the grant status as soon as possible, and, if approved, receive a formal grant agreement form to process the grant payment (100% of award amount). Upon execution of the grant agreement, payment will be processed for receipt in 6-8 weeks All MSAC grants are paid on the same timeline. To learn more, click here .

If awarded a Touring Grant, the recipient must file a final report online in Smart Simple. The report will be added to the grantee's Smart Simple profile as soon as the Grant Agreement Form is fully executed. Applications submitted between July 1, 2025 and March 31, 2026 will have a Final Report deadline of December 31, 2026.

For detailed reporting requirements, please see the grant guidelines. FY 2026 Touring Application Rubric Program Director, Arts Services; Disciplines: Dance, Literary Arts, Music, Public Art, Theatre Emily Sollenberger Dobbins Program Director, Arts Services; Disciplines: Arts Services, Folk & Traditional Arts, Multi-disciplinary, Visual Arts/Media emily. sollenberger@maryland.

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