Grants for Independent school districts - Arts

The Louisiana Project Grants (LPG) program, funded by The Louisiana Division of the Arts (LDOA) and administered by The Acadiana Center for the Arts for Region 4, aims to cultivate innovative arts projects with lasting impact. Replacing the Decentralized Arts Funding (DAF) program that began in 1995, LPG supports arts projects that address local needs and provide artistic value within communities. The program offers funding for a wide variety of arts initiatives that meet specific community requirements. Applications for the FY25 cycle open on May 1, 2024, and must be submitted online by June 28, 2024. Eligible applicants include nonprofit arts organizations, nonprofit organizations, public and private schools, local government agencies, and colleges and universities within Acadiana’s Region 4. The funding period spans from October 1, 2024, to September 30, 2025, with grant amounts ranging from $2,500 to $7,500.

The Lancaster Community Fund, established in 1999, is a permanent, unrestricted charitable endowment committed to the well-being of the Lancaster community. It enables individuals, organizations, and businesses to support a wide range of charitable interests within Lancaster, including the elderly, historic preservation, the arts, the environment, and education. Each year, a portion of the Fund's earnings is distributed as grants to enhance community welfare. The Fund operates through a nine-member volunteer advisory board responsible for fundraising and grant distribution. Grants are awarded to non-profit organizations, the local school district, and local government agencies that propose projects or programs benefiting the community. Awards announced in July. Grant renewed every year. Annual Spring deadline: May 1st

The Chautauqua County Tourism Product Development Grant Program, with a deadline of 10/01/2024, offers $10,000 to $100,000 for projects that enhance tourism and recreation opportunities, increase visibility, and promote overnight stays in the county, with a focus on event development, marketing, and attraction enhancement.

The Parasol Tahoe Community Foundation's 2024 Community Impact Grant Cycle invites proposals to support organizations making a significant difference in the Tahoe Basin. The foundation's mission, though not explicitly detailed in this description, is clearly aligned with fostering community well-being and addressing critical needs within the Nevada and California areas of the Tahoe Basin. By offering grants ranging from $10,000 to $100,000, with a specific request amount up to $20,000, the foundation aims to empower eligible non-profits to enhance their services and achieve measurable community impact. The primary target beneficiaries are the residents and communities of the Tahoe Basin. Organizations seeking funding must directly provide more than 50% of their services in this region, ensuring that the grants directly benefit local populations. The impact goals are broad, focusing on various community needs that align with the non-profit's mission, as long as they are not among the excluded activities. The foundation seeks to support initiatives that contribute to a stronger, more vibrant Tahoe community, although specific impact metrics are not detailed in this overview. The foundation prioritizes supporting tax-exempt 501(c)(3) public charities or schools that have held their tax-exempt status for at least two years and are incorporated in good standing in Nevada or California. A key focus is on direct service provision within the Tahoe Basin. The grants are not awarded for direct religious activity, political lobbying, special event sponsorships, pass-through funding, or reimbursement of prior expenses. This careful delineation of exclusions highlights the foundation's strategic intent to fund direct, impactful, and non-duplicative community services. While specific strategic priorities and a detailed theory of change are not outlined, the grant cycle implicitly emphasizes strengthening local non-profits and their capacity to serve. The expected outcomes are improved community conditions and enhanced services for Tahoe Basin residents, facilitated by the financial support provided. The measurable results are tied to the successful implementation of projects by the funded organizations, though the specific reporting requirements for these results are not included in this description.

The Onion Foundation aims to connect Maine residents with arts experiences, both as audience members and creators, fostering opportunities for expression, learning, and inspiration. This aligns directly with the foundation's mission, which recognizes the arts' crucial role in creativity, cultural exchange, intellectual development, joy, compassion, and human connection. The foundation seeks to support a vibrant arts sector in Maine, ensuring that the arts are accessible and beneficial to the state's population. The target beneficiaries of this grant program are Maine residents, with a focus on increasing access to arts education, supporting public engagement in arts programs, and building the capacity of Maine's arts sector. The impact goals are to enhance intellectual development, foster joy and compassion, and strengthen feelings of connection among individuals through artistic engagement. The foundation prioritizes organizations that are 501(c)3 public charities, fiscally sponsored projects, public education institutions, or Maine governmental units, with work based in Maine and benefiting its people. The program offers two types of grants: general operating and project support. General operating grants provide unrestricted funds for organizations whose activities align with the foundation's strategies, offering multi-year support of up to $20,000 per year for organizations with annual budgets over $50,000, and up to $7,500 per year for those under $50,000. Project support grants fund specific activities or programs, also with multi-year options and similar funding tiers based on project budgets. The expected outcomes include a more engaged public in Maine arts, a stronger arts education infrastructure, and a more robust overall arts sector in the state. The Onion Foundation's strategic priorities are clearly outlined in its three guiding strategies for the arts program: Strategy I: Increase Access to Arts Education in Maine, Strategy II: Support Public Engagement in Maine Arts Programs, and Strategy III: Build The Capacity of Maine’s Arts Sector. The theory of change implicitly suggests that by funding these areas, the foundation will achieve its broader mission of connecting Maine residents to arts experiences, leading to expression, learning, and inspiration, and ultimately fostering a more creative, compassionate, and connected society. Measurable results would likely include increased participation rates in arts programs, growth in arts education initiatives, and the sustained health and development of arts organizations in Maine.

Maine: Investing in Leaders of Color Grant Program offers a maximum award of $6,950 to support nonprofit leaders of color and their organizations. The program provides one-on-one coaching, a stipend for professional development and operating costs, and networking opportunities. It is designed for people of color in leadership positions in nonprofit organizations that serve communities of color and promote racial equity in Maine. Priority is given to leaders from organizations led by people of color. The grant consists of capacity-building funding, including one-on-one coaching, professional development, and operating costs. The program aims to promote and increase racial equity in Maine through supporting leaders and organizations serving communities of color.

The South Arts In These Mountains (ITM) initiative is a grant program designed to support projects that promote the sharing, teaching, learning, preserving, documenting, and continuity of folk arts and traditional culture within Central Appalachia. This aligns with a broader mission to foster cultural preservation and community enrichment, particularly in underserved regions. The program seeks to empower communities through their unique cultural heritage, ensuring these traditions are passed down through generations and remain vibrant within the region. The target beneficiaries for this grant program are nonprofit organizations and educational organizations located in Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) counties in Kentucky, North Carolina, and Tennessee. This includes a wide array of entities such as community cultural organizations, schools, colleges, universities, libraries, museums, performing arts presenters, community festival organizations, and faith-based organizations. The primary impact goal is to strengthen the traditional arts and cultural fabric of these communities, particularly those in rural areas with populations under 50,000, by providing essential funding for relevant projects. South Arts has several key priorities and focuses for this initiative. They are deeply committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, actively encouraging applications from Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC)-led and LGBTQIA+-led organizations, as well as organizations led by people with disabilities. Furthermore, they prioritize applications that feature BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and traditional artists with disabilities. Another significant focus is on funding traditional arts projects specifically in rural communities. The grants are awarded in the amount of $10,000, with a project period from October 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025. The expected outcomes and measurable results of the ITM initiative include a sustained and increased engagement with folk arts and traditional culture in Central Appalachia. Success will be measured by the number and quality of projects that effectively share, teach, learn, preserve, document, and support the continuity of these cultural practices. The prioritization of diverse and rural-led organizations aims to ensure that funding reaches those most in need of support and that a wide array of voices and traditions are represented and uplifted. The strategic priority of South Arts, as evidenced by this grant, is to build a more equitable and culturally rich Central Appalachia through targeted investment in its traditional arts.

CJI’s Leadership Circle is soliciting proposals from grassroots organizations led by formerly incarcerated and directly impacted individuals. The program aims to transform and reimagine the U.S. criminal legal system by building alternative community-based solutions and organizing to prevent the criminalization of marginalized identities and communities. This initiative directly aligns with CJI's mission to support meaningful, transformative, and systemic change within the criminal legal system, empowering future leaders who have often experienced incarceration themselves. The foundation's strategic priority is to support movement-building organizing that creates a new world, a "world they demand NOW." The target beneficiaries are formerly incarcerated individuals and directly impacted people, including primary family members, as well as marginalized groups within their communities (e.g., poor, houseless, young, elders, queer, trans, people with mental illness, people with disabilities). The program's impact goals include ending mass criminalization and incarceration, creating safe and healthy communities that do not rely on arrest and incarceration, and re-establishing rights and access for those formerly incarcerated or newly criminalized. The Leadership Circle's theory of change emphasizes shared authority among donors and community organizers, many of whom have lived experience with incarceration, to drive systemic change. The program prioritizes several key areas. This includes building alternatives to traditional carceral systems, investing in approaches that end mass criminalization, creating policies to reform and dismantle repressive legal systems, and uplifting the leadership and experience of those affected by the criminal legal system. Other focuses include re-establishing rights for formerly incarcerated individuals, promoting transformative and restorative justice, and supporting culturally appropriate healing programs connected to the criminal justice movement. CJI also has specific funding preferences for organizations led by formerly incarcerated individuals, groups operating in difficult political environments, those developing new leaders from marginalized backgrounds, and work addressing discrimination against incarcerated or detained people, particularly in the South, Indian country, and other rural areas. Expected outcomes and measurable results include the development of community-based interventions, changes in policies and institutions (like parole and probation), and a demonstrable commitment to systems change through organizing. The program seeks to empower new leaders, particularly from marginalized communities, and foster innovative collaborations among diverse organizations. While specific quantitative metrics are not provided in the description, the emphasis on "movement-building organizing" and "achieving systems change" suggests that the success will be measured by the demonstrable impact on criminal legal system reform and the empowerment of affected communities. CJI is particularly committed to supporting smaller, emerging organizations with budgets of $1 million or less, indicating a focus on grassroots impact and capacity building.

This grant provides funding to nonprofit organizations, schools, and government entities in Douglas County, Minnesota, to support initiatives that create meaningful community change in areas such as education, social services, health, arts and culture, and civic engagement.

This grant recognizes and rewards student and professional journalists in the U.S. who demonstrate exceptional ethical standards in their reporting, providing financial prizes based on the impact and integrity of their work.

This funding opportunity supports California-based organizations in preserving and making accessible important archival materials related to the LGBTQ+ movement and history, fostering community engagement and education.

This funding opportunity is designed for U.S.-based nonprofit organizations and government entities to produce a public concert and related events honoring exceptional jazz musicians and advocates, while also promoting community engagement and educational programming.

The St. Johns Cultural Council State of the Arts Grant Program, available to public school teachers and arts organizations in St. Johns County, Florida, offers up to six $1,500 grants for the development of new or enhanced artistic programs, covering costs such as production, materials, staff salaries, professional development, and insurance for public art projects.

This funding opportunity supports K-12 arts education programs in Georgia, providing financial assistance to schools, nonprofits, libraries, and government agencies to enhance student learning through creative initiatives.

This grant provides funding to charitable organizations that serve the community in Alleghany County, North Carolina, to address local needs and improve residents' quality of life.

This grant provides financial support for Colorado-based artists and organizations to create collaborative projects that use the arts to address pressing social, civic, environmental, and health issues in their communities.

This program provides funding for artists, arts organizations, and festival presenters to create innovative and inclusive public art projects that engage the Urbana community and enhance cultural vibrancy.

This grant provides financial support to nonprofit organizations, public service entities, and government agencies serving the residents of Orcas Island, Washington, to enhance community-driven projects during the holiday season.

This funding opportunity supports community organizations in implementing one-year projects that improve their capacity and effectiveness, focusing on initiatives that can be sustained without ongoing fundraising.

This grant provides funding to nonprofit organizations, schools, and community groups in the Mille Lacs Lake Watershed area to support projects that promote environmental stewardship, community beautification, and economic vitality.