Alaska State Council on the Arts - Workshop Grants

The Workshop Grants program, administered by the Alaska State Council on the Arts, is designed to support distinctive, short-term arts experiences throughout Alaska. This grant is intended to bring arts activities that are not regularly available to local communities, enhancing access to various forms of artistic expression. The eligible disciplines for this grant span the visual, performing, traditional, craft, media, and literary arts, as well as arts administration. Through this initiative, the Council aims to foster creative engagement and enrich Alaska’s diverse cultural landscape by funding community-oriented arts programming. Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations, schools, tribal entities, and local government agencies based in Alaska. All workshops must be open to the public, and their primary intent cannot be to award academic credit. Applicants are required to have 501(c)(3) status and must have been incorporated for at least one year before the application deadline. Fiscal sponsorship is allowed for organizations that meet all other criteria but lack tax-exempt status, provided the fiscal agent is a qualified 501(c)(3) that accepts financial responsibility and supports the project. The funding amount typically ranges from $500 to $1,500, and applicants must provide a 50% match, which may be in cash or in-kind. The funds may be used exclusively to compensate workshop instructors and cover related travel expenses. Additional responsibilities for the host organization include providing space, necessary equipment, accommodations, transportation, advertising, and submitting a final evaluation form within 60 days of the workshop’s conclusion or by August 31, whichever comes first. Workshops must be completed within the same fiscal year, ending June 30. Applicants may submit up to two Workshop Grant proposals per fiscal year unless they receive $5,000 or more in operating or project support, in which case they may submit only one. Priority is given to organizations submitting their first request within the fiscal year. Notably, Workshop Grants do not fund classroom residencies, ongoing classes, or events forming part of an organization’s regular programming. Applications are evaluated based on the need for the opportunity in the community, clarity and completeness of the workshop outline, and qualifications of the proposed artist or instructor. Support materials must be mailed with a printed profile page from the online application and clearly labeled with the grant number. There are four annual deadlines: March 1, June 1, September 1, and December 1, each corresponding to activity beginning the first day of the following month. For assistance, applicants can contact Charlie Sears, Community Arts Program Director, by phone at 907-269-6608 or via email at charles.sears@alaska.gov. Additional technical help is available from Patti Lillie at 907-269-7978 or patti.lillie@alaska.gov.

Emphasize community need and artist qualifications; be clear and complete in the workshop outline.