Regional Touring Program Grants is sponsored by Mid-America Arts Alliance. Funds guest artists or ensembles from outside the state but within M-AAA region (AR, KS, MO, NE, OK, TX) for performances, exhibitions, and educational programming emphasizing community engagement.

Regional Touring Program - Mid-America Arts Alliance Bring touring artists to your state Mid-America Arts Alliance (M-AAA) partners with and supports artists, cultural organizations, and communities to grow access to the arts, culture, and creativity. This program is made possible by the generous support from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), CFDA #45. 025 Promotion of the Arts Partnership Agreements.

M-AAA invites eligible in-region cultural organizations (also known as the “ Presenters ”) to apply for this grant funding to support projects bringing touring artists to their state. The M-AAA six-state region includes Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas. Read M-AAA’s Mission, Vision, and Values to learn more about us at: www.

maaa. org/about/mission . The Regional Touring Program (RTP) grant supports projects by organizations (also known as “ Presenters ”) showcasing the work of touring artists from another state in the M-AAA region.

Organizations must be incorporated in M-AAA’s six-state region (Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas). See Applicant Eligibility Requirements . The RTP grant is designed for projects that engage and deepen the impact of arts programming for M-AAA regional audiences through exposure, interaction, and outreach activities that occur between: October 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026.

This grant will disburse cost share funds of up to $5,000. See Project Eligibility Requirements . Organization Grant Considerations Organizations that book an artist listed on a state arts agency touring roster may be awarded up to 50% of the artist’s fee.

Organizations that book an artist who lives in the region, but is not listed on a state arts agency touring roster, may be awarded up to 25% of the artist’s fee. Organizations located in rural communities may receive an additional 10% of the grant amount.

Rural status is determined by the Department of Commerce’s Metropolitan Statistical Area Rating and is generally defined as having a population of fewer than 50,000 people in the applicant’s service area. Organizations may apply to support the booking of artists of all disciplines.

To build an appreciation for the featured artist or their creative discipline, eligible projects require two (2) public-facing activities: A feature presentation (e.g., concert, performance); and An outreach engagement (e.g., artist talk, master class, workshop) to involve the general public in the work of the featured artist or educate an audience about the art form.

Grant funding is awarded to in-region organizations and restricted to support the direct costs specified in the artist contracts. Applications will be assessed based on the artist’s fees stated in the fully executed contract held between the artist and the presenter on a first-come, first-served basis until the funding allocated for each state is gone across M-AAA’s six-state region.

Artist Grant Considerations Although RTP grants are awarded directly to organizations, touring artists within M-AAA’s region can market their programming to presenters by taking the following steps: Each state’s arts agency creates a touring roster that includes artists who bring arts experiences to wider audiences. Artists should contact their state arts agency to be included. Explore the State Arts Agency Rosters at maaa.

org/for-organizations/regional-touring-program . If already listed on a state arts agency roster, make sure all relevant contact information is up to date. Artists can request a list of Organizational Grantees from M-AAA who have taken advantage of this grant by completing a Records Request Form at tfaforms.

net/4624785 . Create a website and ensure all relevant contact information is up to date. Note: Organizations are required to submit a link to the artist’s website as part of the application process.

Artists can promote their programming and this grant opportunity by using this marketing flyer at maaa. org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/RTPpostcard_2023. pdf .

Applicant Eligibility Requirements Applicant Organizations must : Be a 501(c)3 tax-exempt nonprofit organization, a unit of state or local government, or a federally recognized tribal community; Be incorporated in and currently conducting business in one or more states in the M-AAA region, which includes Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas; Have and provide a valid 9-digit Employer Identification Number (EIN), which will be verified using the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search Tool at irs.

gov/charities-non-profits/tax-exempt-organization-search ; Have and provide a valid 12-character alphanumeric (Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) ID, which will be verified in the System for Award Management (SAM) at gov/content/home . M-AAA’s grantees are required to have a valid UEI ID but not an entity registration via SAM. gov. Organizations can get a UEI by visiting this page and click the option that says, “Get Unique Entity ID Only.

” The physical addresses of all organizations must match the UEI assigned in SAM. gov. Note: Applicants may submit a confirmation receipt received at the time you requested a UEI ID (or screenshot) as proof while your entity is being validated and assigned its UEI from SAM. gov. Apply directly on their own behalf.

Applications through a fiscal sponsor/agent are not allowed. Commit to M-AAA’s Grantee Assurance of Compliance and Federal Suspension and Debarment Policy. To learn more, visit maaa.

org/resources/assurance-of-compliance ; Agree to credit acknowledgment of M-AAA and the NEA’s support in all promotional materials. To learn more, visit https://www. maaa.

org/resources/grantee-crediting-requirements/ ; Be in good standing with M-AAA, have no overdue or delinquent documentation, and/or reports. Organizations may submit a maximum of three (3) applications and receive awards for up to three (3) different projects in a single fiscal year (October 1–June 30).

Each organization is eligible for an aggregate amount of $15,000 in a single fiscal year; and Similarly, an artist, ensemble, or scholar/educator can be the recipient of an aggregate of $15,000 through successful RTP grant applications submitted to M-AAA in a single fiscal year.

Those not eligible to apply include: For-profit organizations; Organizations whose primary focus, programming, and mission are not specifically arts-related; Public television and other public media organizations.

Project Eligibility Requirements A successful RTP project engages and deepens the impact of arts programming through exposure, interaction, and outreach engagement that occurs in M-AAA’s six-state region to, with, or for the organization’s audience.

Include work that spans one or more creative disciplines including, but not limited to: Folk/Traditional Arts (Crafts, Visual Arts, Dance) Dance/movement (Ballet, Ethnic, Jazz, Tribal, Modern) Literature (Fiction, Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Playwriting, Poetry) Visual Arts (Collage, Experimental, Graphics, Multimedia, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture) Exclusively feature an in-region artist from outside the applicant’s home state in at least one feature presentation that is open to the general public.

A fully executed contract is required for final grant award determination and must include the name of the artist, their contact person or agent’s name, their current contact information (mailing address, phone number and email address), the applicant organization’s name, a brief description of the agreed upon activities, the venue name and address or the streaming platform where activities will take place, its dates(s), time(s), and the artist’s fees associated with the project.

Applicants and touring artists are urged to include a termination clause (also known as a Force Majeure) in all artist performance contracts that defines the circumstances of the agreement that can be grounds for cancellations and/or changes.

The clause should outline reasons the artist and the presenter fail to appear or perform their obligations that can be caused by or due to the acts of any unforeseen circumstances, like a state of emergency, natural or human-made disasters.

Cancellations related to a contract contingent on M-AAA’s grant funding that is not awarded can qualify for ending an agreement held between the artist and the presenter if included under said clause. If a fully executed contract (e.g., Letter of Agreement/Intent or Memorandum of Understanding) is difficult to obtain, draft documentation must reflect tentative project details that can be submitted with the application for consideration.

Note: Grant award decisions require a fully executed contract on file. Have public-facing events that occur between October 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026, in M-AAA’s six-state region. A feature or premier presentation event must be a minimum of 60 minutes in length.

An outreach engagement or educational event must be a minimum of 30 minutes in length. Funded project activities are not required to be free but must be open to the general public. Any events available only to subscription ticket holders are not considered open to the general public.

While M-AAA’s preference for public-facing activities remains in-person experiences of the artist or ensemble, we recognize that in-person projects might not be possible in a post-COVID-19 environment. Online live streaming activities are reasonable accommodations to provide programming to serve a broader public safely through digital or emergent technology as a creative medium for expression and for audience engagement.

Carry out at least two public-facing events with a minimum of 60 minutes in length: A feature or premier presentation event of the work by the touring artist can include, but not limited to: Other creative approaches An outreach engagement or educational event can be presented either by the touring artist, scholar/educator(s), or another artist who works with similar themes or the same art form as that involved in the feature presentation.

All activities must educate the community about the art form(s) and provide direct interaction between the artist(s) and audience.

Activities can include, but are not limited to: Other creative approaches Takes place in an accessible facility or on an accessible online streaming platform that allows for artist and audience interaction before, during and/or after the feature presentation and/or outreach engagement; and Attempts to engage underserved group/community include populations whose opportunities to experience the arts have been limited relative to factors such as geography, economics, race or ethnicity, or disability.

Have a grant request of no more than $5,000. Applicants are encouraged to request an amount that reflects all or part of the artist’s fee and the applicant’s capacity to manage the grant. Grant funds must be used exclusively for direct project expenses as designated in the artist contract.

Have a budget that reflects a 1:1 dollar-for-dollar cost share for the grant amount requested. Applicants are encouraged to reflect all expenses and income expected for this project in the application budget in order to clarify the project scope for review.

In-person activities: The artist’s fees can include their payment for services (performance, workshops, etc.), transportation, accommodations, and per diem costs described in the contract. Online activities: The artist’s fee can include payment for services and online streaming fees associated with the project described in the contract.

M-AAA grant funds cannot be used for: Contracts with artists/personnel who reside outside M-AAA’s region; Compensation for applicant organization’s board of directors; Fringe benefits are not an allowable direct expense.

Fringe benefits are those costs other than wages or salary that are attributable to an employee, as in the form of pension, insurance, vacation and sick leave, etc.; Sub-granting, regranting, or cash awards; Indirect costs not directly related to the project are not allowable expenses; Expenses associated with the project’s opening or closing (e.g., receptions); and Expenses associated with benefits or fundraiser events.

Other direct project costs like remaining artist fees, staff time, marketing, materials are allowable cost-share expenses and must be covered by the applicant organization. Identify income sources, which can include, but not limited to, ticket sales, entry fees, cash contributions, grants, and/or organizational funding.

Other funding sources, such as in-kind goods/services, Federal and other federally funded M-AAA grants for the project, should be noted in the budget but cannot be used to meet the 1:1 dollar-for-dollar cost share Projects not eligible for consideration include, but are not limited to: Artists from the same state in which the applicant organization is incorporated; Artists who reside outside the M-AAA region; Activities that are already funded by M-AAA through another grant program; Activities that are not arts-focused (e.g., conference keynote speeches, sidewalk sales, food festivals, fireworks displays, etc.); Activities that are part of a benefit or fundraiser; Activities through which students will receive academic credit for attendance or participation; Activities taking place exclusively in schools during school hours; and Activities that are not open or available in part to the general public.

Application Review and Funding Selection Criteria An application will be deemed ineligible if it is incomplete at the time of submission or does not meet the Applicant or Project Eligibility Requirements. Ineligible applicants will be notified by M-AAA with a rationale to help the applicant adapt for future submissions.

If deemed eligible for consideration, applications are evaluated by a staff member based on applicant and project eligibility, such as the artist’s fees stated in the contract held between the artist and the presenter, and awarded on a first-come, first-served basis until the allocation for each state is gone across M-AAA’s six-state region.

Applications are selected for funding based on the following criteria: Grant awards of up to $5,000 will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis until the allocation for each state is gone. M-AAA requires a 1:1 dollar-for-dollar cost share for the RTP. The 1:1 dollar-for-dollar cost share must be reflected in the application.

This grant supports 25-50 percent of in-region touring artists’ fees. We expect applicants to adhere to the terms of the touring artists’ contracts and to pay the remaining fees, which is, in fact, the 1:1 dollar-for-dollar cost share. RTP grant funds derive from federal funds from the NEA.

An organization may not receive this award and a direct grant from the NEA or another Federal agency for the same project during the same or an overlapping grant period of activity. However, if the organization receives funding from non-federal M-AAA funders, it will not impact M-AAA funding eligibility. If the organization is selected, it will enter into a grant agreement with M-AAA.

The agreement will outline the terms and conditions, including federal regulations, project, and crediting requirements of the RTP grant award.

Grantees must comply with all requirements as stipulated in the grant agreement, including, but not limited to the following: Grantees are required to carry out activities consistent with the application as approved for funding; Changes to funded activities must be proposed in advance by the grantee and require written approval from M-AAA’s Director of Arts and Humanities Grant Programs prior to implementing project changes.

Awards may be revised in light of such changes. Requests for changes are considered on a case-by-case basis; approval is not guaranteed; Grantees commit to M-AAA’s Grantee Assurance of Compliance and Federal Suspension and Debarment Policy at www. maaa.

org/resources/assurance-of-compliance ; Grantees must complete an online final report form provided by M-AAA. The online final report form summarizes grant-funded activities and accomplishments at the end of the project activity period or at the end of the period of support, whichever occurs first; Grantees must agree to credit acknowledgment of M-AAA and the NEA’s support in all promotional materials. To learn more visit, www.

maaa. org/resources/grantee-crediting-requirements ; Grantees are responsible for and must retain all records, receipts, and proof of expenses for a minimum of three (3) years following the grant period of activity and provide those documents to M-AAA or the NEA upon request; and Grantees must expend all funds between October 1, 2025, and on or before June 30, 2026. The application will be available in October 2025.

Applications are due at least six (6) weeks before the first public-facing activity when possible. Applications received less than six (6) weeks before the first public-facing activity, contact M-AAA to expedite your grant application review at [email protected] . Applications will be reviewed by M-AAA staff members on a rolling deadline from October 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026.

If awarded, the grant package including a W-9 and Direct Deposit Authorization Form will be emailed approximately three (3) weeks before the first public-facing activity. Grant funding will be distributed through two (2) payments: 50% upon return of the signed grant package, W-9 and Direct Deposit Authorization Form; and 50% upon successful review of the Final Report submitted by the grantee.

Final Report is due no later than 30-days following the last public-facing project activity. Applicants may consult with a staff member prior to applying, but we will not review or provide comments on draft applications. See Have Questions .

M-AAA will provide an online Final Report form. Grantees must complete and submit one within 30-days of the last public-facing project activity. The Final Report form requires: in-person and online attendance information for funded activities, photos or screenshots of funded activities, documentation of award acknowledgements, and, when available, press reviews and/or evaluations of activities, including anecdotal feedback.

Pictures and documentation must be uploaded to the online Final Report. M-AAA does not expect grantees to match any additional financial support received for the project. Grantees need only to reflect a 1:1 dollar-for-dollar cost share for the grant amount awarded in the Final Report.

Grantee’s financial records, supporting documents, and all records related to the M-AAA supported project must be retained for a period of three (3) years from the date of the Final Report. Grantee shall provide Mid-America Arts Alliance or the National Endowment for the Arts access to any records kept by Grantee to make audits or examinations as necessary.

M-AAA Policies and Procedures These grants are federal funds that derive from the National Endowment for the Arts. Please read the following important notice about federal policies that govern these awards. Notice to Applicants Regarding Federal Policies Grantees are required to make access accommodations upon request for constituents with disabilities at M-AAA funded activities.

The NEA has resources to assist arts organizations in making accommodations for a ccessibility . Grantees must compensate all professional performers and related or supporting professional personnel at no less than the prevailing minimum rate of compensation. This requirement is in accordance with the regulations issued by the Secretary of Labor in part 505 of Title 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations .

Part 505 does not provide information on specific compensation levels. Grant awards are considered income. Grantees are responsible for all tax obligations under federal, state, and local laws.

M-AAA recommends that grantees consult a tax accountant or local Internal Revenue Service office with questions or concerns regarding deductions and reporting. All changes to a project must be submitted in writing to M-AAA before the public-facing activity takes place. M-AAA will work with organizations on project changes and/or cancellations such as identifying alternative artists on a case-by-case basis.

Awards may be revised or revoked in light of such changes, per NEA’s CFDA #45. 025 Promotion of the Arts Partnership Agreements. Failure to comply with these requirements may result in suspension or termination of the grant award.

We encourage applicants to download a PDF of the Grant Guidelines and use the Application At-A-Glance document to support them with preparing answers in Microsoft Word, Google Docs, or a similar note taking application to ensure they have a backup for reference. While draft applications can be saved online, technology is not flawlessly reliable.

We strongly discourage the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to generate answers to the narrative application questions. It is, however, acceptable to use AI to proofread and edit your responses to character limits. All supporting materials must be in Microsoft Word, PDF, or Google Docs format.

The application does not support file types saved as Mac Pages or Numbers. Note: The maximum upload for no more than one application is 35 megabytes (MB). We strongly recommend compressing files (e.g., PDFs) to reduce the size and to save space in your application before uploading files to the platform.

See the Document Checklist in the Application At-A-Glance document to ensure you have all required documents and any optional materials ready for upload to your application form. Draft application forms can be saved for editing later by clicking “ Save my progress and resume later ” at the top (or bottom) of the application form webpage. Each time you save your application you will be asked for an email address and a password.

We highly recommend using a shared email address and reusing the same password so that your project team can access the drafted form to make changes, review, and/or share the information. An email with new instructions on how to resume your most recent draft of your form will be sent each time it is saved.

To resume a saved draft of your application form, refer to the most recent email in your inbox or bookmark the “ Thank you for saving/resume your application ” webpage. If you did not receive a confirmation email at the time of saving your application, then the application was not saved. Applications that are unsuccessfully saved, regrettably, applicants will need to start a new application.

Once submitted, applicants will receive a confirmation email of their submitted responses including a list of upload files to the email address entered to certify the application form. Double-check the spelling of the email address when certifying your application and check that inbox or spam folder for that confirmation email.

If you are experiencing issues logging into your application or errors were detected while saving and uploading files to the platform, email us at [email protected] . Applications are accepted at any time between October 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026. The application for Organizations can be found here: We urge you to submit your application early to ensure your materials are properly received.

The application platform may experience slower processing times when user traffic is higher as the application opens. Grant materials are available in alternative accessible format upon request. If you have accessibility needs for an alternate format or process for completing the application, contact M-AAA’s Accessibility Coordinator, Angelette Sevart by email at [email protected] or telephone at (816) 421-1388 ext.

#216. If you have any questions about the RTP grant, please visit the FAQ for Artists or FAQ for Organizations to see if your questions are addressed in those documents. Applicants should read through all questions and answers before emailing any inquiries to M-AAA.

If you did not see your question addressed in the FAQs, please email us at [email protected] . You may also schedule a 30-minute appointment to discuss your specific project further with a M-AAA staff member via telephone or Zoom, please email us. State Arts Agency Artist Rosters Each state’s touring roster includes artists working in conjunction with our state arts agency partners to bring arts experiences to wider audiences.

Explore the State Arts Agency Touring Rosters: Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission Texas Commission on the Arts Regional Touring Program News Small Stages, Big Impact: How Arts Organizations Are Expanding Access to the Arts Across the M-AAA region, small and mid-sized arts organizations are proving how access to the arts can bring people together, spark curiosity, and create shared cultural experiences.

M-AAA’s Regional Touring Program helps make it happen. How a Kansas Community Became the Heart of a Bluegrass Revival At Wilson State Park, Lovegrass Music Festival transforms Kansas’s bluegrass scene, connecting musicians, locals, and visitors through music and community.

Regional Touring Program Grants Open Now Mid-America Arts Alliance opens Regional Touring Program grants, offering up to $5,000 to support touring artists and cross-state cultural performances. Header Photography: Bruce Wood Dance of Texas performs at Choregus in Oklahoma with the support of a RTP grant, FY21