2026-27 North Carolina Artist Support Grants

Artist Support Grant Guidelines
Applications due by September 30, 2026

Artist Support Grant Opportunity for
Regional Artists of all Disciplines

Artists of all disciplines are invited to apply for the 2026-2027 Artist Support Grant from September 1–30.

This year’s grantees will be awarded $500 - $1,500 in categories including visual arts, music, craft, photography, literary arts, theatre, and more. This regional grant is open to residents of Alexander, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Iredell, and McDowell Counties. Artists in any stage of their career, whether early or established, may use funds to create new work, improve business operations, and reach new audiences.

Past awardees have purchased equipment and materials, attended professional development workshops and training, covered costs of travel to conferences and exhibitions, and developed promotional materials.

The Artist Support Grant was created by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, in 2020 as a way to bolster artists hit hard by the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, it has drawn hundreds of applicants and supported a wide range of artists across the state. Grant cycles are managed by 19 groups of arts councils working regionally. In Region 14, Arts Culture Catawba partners with the Hiddenite Arts & Heritage Center, Burke Arts Council, Rock School Arts Foundation, Caldwell Arts Council, Iredell Arts Council, and McDowell Arts Council Association.

Proposals will be judged based on artistic merit, project feasibility, and capacity to expand the applicant’s artistic career. Awards are estimated to be announced in November. Grants should be spent by June 30, 2027, with projects completed by December 31, 2027.

For more information, please contact the arts agency in your county of residence: Burke County Contact: Deborah Jones, director@burkearts.org,
828-433-7282

Application guidelines can be found here.
Application link can be found here.

There will be an informational webinar on August 31, 2026 from 10 - 11AM.
Those interested can register here.