North Carolina Arts Council Grants is a funding program from the North Carolina Arts Council that supports arts organizations and individual artists across the state. Eighty percent of the Council's funds are distributed directly to arts organizations and artists through a range of grant categories. The FY2026-27 grant cycle opened applications in 2025, with eligibility varying by grant type.

Eligible applicants include North Carolina-based arts organizations, local arts agencies, and individual artists depending on the specific grant program. The Arts Council administers multiple funding tracks for project support, organizational operations, and arts education, making it one of the state's primary sources of public arts funding.

Grants Dashboard | NC Arts Council Welcome to the North Carolina Arts Council’s grants dashboard. This is your one-stop shop for grant information, so be sure to bookmark this page for future reference. Our grants are one of the many ways we invest in sustaining and advancing North Carolina's diverse and widespread network of arts organizations and artists.

Eighty percent of our funds go directly to arts organizations and artists across the state. Important updates for FY2026–27 Applications may be submitted through OPAL beginning January 5 and must be completed by March 2. All applicants, whether they have applied to us in the past or are new to our grants, must register in the OPAL system before beginning an application.

Grant Platform Guide and Tutorials Please note: Current FY2025-26 grantees will continue to use the GO Smart platform to submit final reports, which are due July 31, 2026. Updates to Arts in Education and Project Support Grants As part of our restructuring of the Arts in Education program , the cARTwheels and Arts in Education Artist Residency grant categories have been discontinued.

This change makes way for a more direct process for schools to receive teaching artist visits and other arts education resources. Stay tuned, a new teaching artist roster and step-by-step instructions for schools to request a visit will be available in Summer 2026.

The Project Support grant category now includes a broader range of eligible projects: Projects focused primarily on children and youth are now eligible under the Project Support - Youth Arts Education option. Projects previously supported by the Military and Veterans Healing Arts Grants may now be eligible for funding through Project Support as a discipline-based grant .

For example, if veterans will work with a dance company, apply through the Project Support - Dance category. Grant categories for individuals Grant categories for organizations Marketing and acknowledgement requirements Final report requirements Contract & required documents Visit our grant application assistance page to consult your North Carolina Arts Council staff contact, find FAQs, webinars, and tutorials.

General grant information and eligibility requirements Grant categories for individuals $500 – $2,000 project grants to artists administered through local arts councils. Deadlines vary by region.

Guidelines: Artist Support Grants The North Carolina In These Mountains Appalachian Folklife Apprenticeship program supports 12-month apprenticeships in the folk and traditional arts of the many cultural communities within North Carolina’s Appalachian Regional Commission counties.

The program is sponsored by South Arts' In These Mountains project and administered by the North Carolina Folklife Institute, as a partnership between NCFI and the North Carolina Arts Council. Program details: Folklife Apprenticeship North Carolina Heritage Awards Since 1989, the North Carolina Heritage Awards have honored our state’s most eminent traditional artists and practitioners.

Recipients of the Heritage Award range from internationally acclaimed musicians to folks who quietly practice their art in family and community settings. Nomination guidelines: North Carolina Heritage Awards Grant categories for organizations Artist Support Grants for Lead Partners This category funds regional consortia of local arts agencies that award project grants to artists within their area. This is an invitational category.

Guidelines: Artist Support Grants for Lead Partners Grassroots Arts Program Grants (GAP) Our cornerstone program provides arts funding to all 100 counties through an extensive network of local arts agencies and partner organizations. Funding is distributed on a per capita basis to ensure that all North Carolinians have access to high-quality arts experiences and can benefit from the vital role the arts play in their communities.

This is an invitational category. Guidelines: Grassroots Arts Program Grants The North Carolina Arts Council’s LEAD Scholarship Grants provides professional development for arts administrators who are new to the field of arts accessibility and who are proactively developing inclusive arts programs and experiences for artists and audiences with disabilities in their communities.

Guideline: LEAD Scholarship Grants Project Support Grants are designed to assist organizations that produce or present specific arts programs that actively engage audiences and participants. Organizations may apply for support for exemplary programs in any artistic discipline. Projects that involve young audiences and military-connected communities are also eligible under this category.

Guidelines: Project Support Grants Statewide Service Organizations This grant category supports organizations that provide leadership and services to a specific sector of the arts industry. Funded services include newsletters, conferences, workshops, consultations, and resource publications. Statewide Service Organizations (SSOs) must serve the entire state or a multi-state region that includes North Carolina.

Guidelines: Statewide Service Organizations Sustaining Support for Arts Organizations Sustaining Support is a new grant category that replaces the State Arts Resources and Organization Support programs. It is intended to support North Carolina arts organizations that demonstrate a consistent commitment to producing programs and services that engage audiences and reflect the communities they serve.

Guidelines: Sustaining Support for Arts Organizations Traditional Arts Program for Students (TAPS) This program provides community organizations (arts councils, schools, community centers) with funding for after-school programs that connect North Carolina students with local traditional artists. This is an invitational category.

Guidelines: Traditional Arts Program for Students (TAPS) Return unspent funds by: May 31, 2026 Grantees must notify staff by April 1, 2026, if they are unable to spend the full amount of their grant funds Final reports due: July 31, 2026 Applications open: January 5, 2026 Applications due: March 2, 2026 Grant awards announced: Summer 2026 Return unspent funds by: May 31, 2027 Grantees must notify staff by April 1, 2027, if they are unable to spend the full amount of their grant funds Final reports due: July 31, 2027 OPAL (Online Portal for Arts Leaders) , a platform by SmartSimple, is North Carolina Arts Council’s online portal for grant applications, contracts, and reporting.

Submit your grant application through OPAL during the application period Visit our Grant Platform Guide and Tutorials page for additional assistance If you’re awarded a grant Complete and upload all required contract documents in OPAL as soon as possible Grant funds cannot be disbursed until the grantee has submitted all required documentation Marketing and acknowledgement requirements If you receive a grant from the N. C.

Arts Council, you're required to use our logo and tagline on your website, newsletters, and other materials. Grantees must also send thank you letters to their state legislators to help demonstrate the impact of public funding. View our logo and branding guidelines page for details Final report requirements Recipients of grants from the N.

C. Arts Council are required to submit a final report for each grant received.

Reports should be submitted in GO Smart by July 31, 2026 FY25-26 final report guide for NC Arts Council grants [DOCX] Reports should be submitted in OPAL by July 31, 2027 Contract & required documents If you are awarded a grant: Review and sign the grant contract and general terms and conditions: The grant contract packet will be emailed to you via DocuSign for review and sign-off.

Please also review the Awardee Contractual Requirements to ensure you comply with our policies. Submit required documents: After signing your contract via DocuSign, use the invitation code " Contract26 " to access the contract documents application in the grant portal and upload the required documents specified in your contract. Add the invite-only password " Contract26" to access the Contract Documents application.

Contact the Grants Office at ncac. grantsoffice@dncr. nc.

gov if you have additional questions about your grant contract and required documents. You must submit all requested documents to receive your grant funds. Reminder : Refer to the contract packet you received via DocuSign for your required documents.

Use the invitation code " Contract26 " to access the contract documents application in the grant portal and upload the documents specified in your contract. Form Notes Conflict of Interest policy template For non-government organizations; on organization letterhead, signed and dated within the current calendar year. No overdue tax debt form for individuals or non-government organizations MUST be notarized.

State of North Carolina substitute W-9 form Signed and dated within the current calendar year. Accessibility checklist [DOCX] ONLY for organizations. Form Notes State of North Carolina W-9 Change Form Also known as the Modification to Existing Supplier Records Form.

Submit this form along with a completed W-9 if there are any changes to the organization’s address, tax ID number, legal name or if you are adding a "Doing Business As" name. Electronic Payment Form If you wish to receive payment electronically instead of by a check in the mail, email a completed Electronic Payment Form to the Grants Office at ncac. grantsoffice@dncr.

nc. gov . You do not need to fill out a new form if you have already done so unless your banking information has changed.

Grant Awards & Contracts Manager tanya. mcguire@dncr. nc.

gov Grants Reporting & Compliance Manager mariah. harris@dncr. nc.

gov