Clemmons Arts Program Grant

The Bingham Arts Grant is an arts and cultural funding opportunity offered by the Shallow Ford Foundation through the Thad and Mary Bingham Fund. The grant honors Thad and Mary Bingham and their interest in creativity, community, and shared experiences. The Foundation describes arts and cultural experiences as a way to bring people together, encourage imagination, strengthen belonging, and enrich local communities. Through this opportunity, the Foundation seeks to support arts and cultural programs that bring the Clemmons community together and contribute to local cultural life. The Bingham Arts Grant is one of two annual arts-focused grant opportunities offered by the Foundation. The grant supports meaningful arts and cultural programming taking place in the Village of Clemmons. Examples identified by the Foundation include concerts and musical events, theater productions, public art shows, visual art installations, and creative gatherings that promote connection. Awards are available for up to $5,000. The source does not identify a minimum award amount, total program funding, expected number of awards, or a required matching contribution. General grant criteria state that proposals for fundraising events, capital campaigns, activities without measurable outcomes, programs limited to private groups or memberships such as sports teams or clubs, cemeteries, political activities, and grants to individuals will not be considered. Organizations may submit multiple applications across different programs, but no organization may receive more than one grant per funding cycle. The opportunity-specific eligibility language states that 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations or governmental agencies may apply and that individuals are not eligible. General organizational eligibility criteria additionally state that applicants must be IRS-registered 501(c)(3) public charities in good standing and compliant with current state and federal financial filing requirements. Private foundations, non-501(c)(3) entities, and organizations with lapsed or inactive status are identified as ineligible under those general criteria. Organizations are also required to have a current Charitable Solicitation License from the North Carolina Secretary of State or a qualified documented exemption. The general criteria further require at least three consecutive years of active existence, verified using the date on the organization's IRS determination letter, and a proven record of effective and sustainable service. There is an apparent conflict between the opportunity-specific statement allowing governmental agencies and the general criteria requiring applicants to be 501(c)(3) public charities, so governmental applicants should verify how the general organizational requirements apply to them. Applications open August 1, 2026, and the application deadline is September 24, 2026. As of August 19, 2026, the opportunity is accepting applications. No letter of intent, concept paper, pre-proposal, notice of intent, or other pre-application gating requirement is stated in the supplied information. The Foundation strongly urges organizations that are uncertain about eligibility requirements or program alignment to contact the Foundation or schedule a consultation before beginning an application, but this is described as pre-application support rather than a mandatory advancement requirement. The supplied information does not identify an application portal, required application questions, required attachments, or other specific submission mechanics. Applications first undergo staff review to determine whether basic eligibility requirements have been met before proceeding to further evaluation. The Foundation's Board of Directors has final authority for all grant award decisions. No additional scoring rubric, weighted evaluation criteria, award notification date, or award announcement date is provided. The source contains conflicting program completion information: one section states a program completion deadline of December 31, 2026, while the Key Dates section states that programs must be completed by December 31, 2027. Because both dates appear in the supplied information, the correct performance deadline should be verified directly with the Foundation before relying on either date. The Bingham Arts Grant is presented as part of the Foundation's annual arts-focused grant opportunities, supporting treatment as a recurring annual opportunity. Based on the stated August 1 application opening date, the next cycle is projected for August 2027 unless the Foundation publishes a different schedule. Questions may be directed to the Shallow Ford Foundation. Emmy Corn, President/CEO, can be reached at emmy@shallowfordfoundation.org or 336-407-3460. Greg Keener, Program Officer, can be reached at greg@shallowfordfoundation.org or 336-403-0433. Additional contacts listed are Todd Martin at todd@shallowfordfoundation.org and Mick Bowman at mick@shallowfordfoundation.org.

Confirm organizational eligibility and program alignment before applying; use the Foundation's pre-application support if requirements are unclear; demonstrate measurable outcomes and a proven record of effective, sustainable service; clearly show how the arts or cultural program will bring the Clemmons community together; ensure the proposed activity is not a fundraising event, capital campaign, private membership activity, political activity, or another excluded use.