Applications are now open for 11 arts grants through the West Virginia Commission on the Arts of the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History. These grant programs are available for application by artists, local governments, and not-for-profit organizations with an arts-related mission. Funding for these programs is made possible by the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, West Virginia State Legislature, and Volunteer West Virginia.
The deadline for submission through the State Arts Office’s online grants portal, GOapply, is Monday, Apr. 1, at 11:59 p.m. A description of each available grant is listed below.
Arts in Education – Arts Exposure Projects grant provides support for schools and nonprofit organizations, as well as individual artists and artist collectives, to present professional performing, literary, and visual artists to students in grades K-12.
Arts in Education – School-Based and Out-of-School-Based Projects grant provides support to schools and nonprofit organizations for curriculum-based, hands-on projects that involve K-12 students and teachers in the arts during daily instruction or outside of regular school hours.
Community Arts Project Support grant provides support for nonprofit organizations and local governments to provide arts programming in all disciplines to the public. Categories include presenting artists, performing artists, visual arts, media arts and folk and traditional arts.
Creative Aging for Lifelong Learning grant provides support for individual artists, schools, local governments, and nonprofit organizations to carry out projects that teach a new skill in the arts to a group of adults.
Cultural Facilities and Capital Resources grant provides support for building and renovation projects at arts facilities and history museums.
Living Traditions: Folk Art – Project Support for Artists grant provides support for individual artists to improve their skills in an area specifically related to folk and traditional arts.
Living Traditions: Folk Arts – Organizations grant provides support to schools, governments, and nonprofit organizations to host workshops, activities, or training in the folk and traditional arts.
Professional Development for Artists grant provides support for individual artists to expand or improve their work or share their expertise with others.
Public Art – Sept. 11 Day of Service grant provides support for visual two- and three-dimensional public art projects that honor local veterans, engage community volunteers, and are celebrated on Sept. 11. Funding for this program is provided by Volunteer West Virginia.
STEAM Power WV grant provides support to schools and non-profit organizations for projects that integrate the arts with STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) disciplines for K-12 students. Funding for this program is provided by the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation.
Youth Engagement through Public Art grant provides support to schools, local governments, and 501(c)3 organizations for public art projects that engage local youth in the planning and/or implementation of the project.
Access to the grants portal GOapply and sample grant applications, including eligible project expenses and evaluation criteria, are available at https://wvculture.org/agencies/arts/grants/. Contact the State Arts Office staff at 304-558-0240 with any questions.
