Professional Development Grant

Professional Development Grant is sponsored by American Craft Council. Provides funding for participation in professional development opportunities and activities that build skills for creative entrepreneurs, including conferences, workshops, and coaching.

Minneapolis, MN — The American Craft Council (ACC) is pleased to launch Early Career Artist Program Grants. With generous support from the Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation, ACC has established three grant opportunities, totally over $100,000, available exclusively to members of ACC’s Early Career Artist Program: Tools & Equipment Grant, Professional Development Grant, and Career Advancement Grant.

**Tools & Equipment Grant**: Fifteen recipients will each receive a $2,500 grant to purchase tools and equipment that will help grow their creative practices and business. **Professional Development Grant**: Recipients will receive up to $2,500 in funding for participating in professional development opportunities and activities that build skills for creative entrepreneurs.

**Career Advancement Grant**: Fifteen recipients will each receive a $2,500 grant to support their career advancement, removing barriers to opportunities as they present themselves. “Craftspeople often lack access to the capital they need to start and grow their small businesses,” says ACC Executive Director Andrea Specht. “ACC is grateful to have funders who understand this barrier and are collaborating with us to address it.

In combination with the other resources available via our Early Career Artist Program, these new grants are a meaningful investment in the next generation of makers and the future of American craft.

” The Early Career Artist Program gives makers the resources needed to professionalize their passion, offering program participants exclusive access to grants, steeply discounted booth fees to showcase work at premier craft fairs nationwide, professional development workshops, and more—all on top of the full benefits of ACC Membership.

“Figuring out how my voice, values, and goals come together to form my brand has been a powerful journey. ” —ACC Early Career Artist ACC will accept grant applications on a rolling basis and announce recipients through a bi-monthly newsletter and on ACC’s website. To apply for these grants, you must already be enrolled in ACC’s Early Career Artist Program prior to being considered.

The Early Career Artist Program is open to any current ACC member (at any level) who fits ACC’s definition of an Early Career Artist. The application is a simple and free form, and applications are reviewed and accepted on a rolling basis. **Learn more about the grant opportunities and the Early Career Artist Program.

** **About the American Craft Council:** The American Craft Council (ACC) is a national nonprofit fostering connection through the handmade. Building upon an 80+ year legacy of tradition and innovation as a membership-based nonprofit, ACC leverages the transformative possibilities of craft through storytelling, resources for artists and appreciators, and events.

In partnership with organization across the country, we mobilize our diverse craft ecosystem to create a world where objects matter, makers thrive, and craft connects. Marketing and Communications Manager scassavant@craftcouncil. org