Arts in Education Artist Residency Grants

Reminder: Please review General Grant Information and Eligibility Requirements before proceeding.

About

Grant funding supports standards-based, long-term (5 days and longer) artist residencies that provide students with the opportunity to gain in-depth knowledge and skills in the arts. Educators and artists collaborate to design an artist residency that meets the specific needs of the school or organization and engages students in hands-on, participatory arts learning. At a minimum, artists work with the same group of students for 5 days during the residency. Residency days and weeks do not have to be consecutive.

Application dates

• Open: January 6, 2025
• Due: March 3, 2025

Grant amount

• Range: $5,000 to $15,000

Who may apply

Nonprofit organizations, pre K–12 schools, and school districts in North Carolina may apply for this funding. Applicants to Arts in Education Artist Residency Grant may not also apply for the cARTwheels Program Grant. 

Scope and allowable expenses

Grant amounts range from $5,000 to $15,000. Grant funds may be used for artist fees, contractual fees, artist/contractor travel, and other project-related expenses. Grants may not fund fees for student artists and ensembles.

Applicants from Tier 2 and Tier 3 counties may apply for up to two-thirds of the overall project expenses and must provide a cash match for the remaining third. For applicants from economically distressed Tier 1 counties, we will waive the matching requirement.

If a school is the applicant, Teachers' and school administrators' time in planning and facilitating the in-school artist residency may be included in the cash match.

Project period 

All grant funds must be expended on activities that take place between July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026.

How we make funding decisions

We evaluate applications using the following criteria: 

Artistic proficiency

• Quality of the artists involved in the residency (professional artists with a demonstrated body of work).
• Appropriate payment to artists

Project impact

• Potential for long-term impact on students
• Strength of education goals and curricular connections
• Involvement of teaching artists as integral to the project and participation, and reflective of student demographics when appropriate.

Potential for successful implementation

• Quality and clarity of project plans and potential for proposed activities to meet project goals.
• Strength of management and resources necessary to carry out the project (i.e., appropriate budget, appropriate resources, qualifications of project personnel).
• Appropriate evaluation strategies and performance measurements to assess student learning that reflect the attainment of specific project goals.
• Evidence of financial commitment and letters of support from partners.

Application information

Submit your application through the GO Smart grant portal. Applicants will be asked to provide the following information. The information must address the funding criteria. Reach out to your staff contact for questions or application assistance.

Profile questions

In addition to contact information, you will be asked to submit your organization’s mission statement, an organizational history, and both an Employer Identification Number (EIN) and Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number.

Application narrative

1. In one or two paragraphs, provide a clear and concise overview of your proposed artist residency project. Summarize what will happen and who will be involved in achieving your goals.
2. Provide a brief description of the planning process that occurred prior to submitting this grant proposal. Include 1) the involvement of artists, school personnel and other key partners and 2) dates, location, and purpose of all planning meetings.
3. Provide a description of each artist (artistic company members and/or independent teaching artists) and contractor involved in the project. Include: 1) their credentials; 2) relevant experience working with the specific student population benefiting from the project; and 3) rate of payment for their services. 
4. Provide a description of the intended participants, including the age/grade level and demographic profile of the core group(s) of students. When relevant, include information about participants with limited opportunities due to factors such as educational background, geography, ethnic or cultural diversity, or economic constraints. Include two or three participant goals. If a school is the applicant, one or more of these goals must support N.C. Arts Education Essential Standards. Explain how these goals will impact participants.
5. Provide a detailed description and timeline for all project activities. For classes and workshops, include the number and length of sessions and the age/grade level of participants. Explain how these activities support the goals and arts standards identified in question #4 above.
6. Describe the specific strategies that will be used to assess student learning and evaluate the residency. Explain how these assessment/evaluation strategies support the goals and arts standards identified in question #4 above.

Support materials and work samples

Applications without support materials and work samples will not be considered. Work samples should provide evidence of the quality of the artists’ work (not student work). No headshots or highly edited promotional videos will be accepted.

All applicants must upload the following support materials:

• Signed letters of intent from the teaching artist(s)
• Résumé(s) of proposed artist(s)
• For artist(s) work samples, please upload:  up to 5 images, or up to 5 pages of writing, or up to 5 minutes of video
• Letter of support from school or district administration

Staff contact

Lizz Wells
Arts in Education Director 
(919) 814-6515
Email Lizz for assistance

Grant Application Assistance

North Carolina Arts Council staff are here to assist with grant applications. Visit our application assistance page for resources and grants staff contact information. 

Accessibility

For accessibility questions or accommodation requests, please contact the North Carolina Arts Council's Music and Dance Director, Accessibility Coordinator Jamie Katz Court at jamie.katzcourt@dncr.nc.gov or (919) 814-6502.