Artists & Scholars Project Grants

The Artists & Scholars Project Grants support individual artists and scholars residing in Montgomery County, MD, with awards ranging from $1,000 to $5,000. These grants aim to foster creativity, enhance skills, and promote diverse artistic and scholarly work. Eligible applicants must be at least 21 years old, have resided in the County for at least 12 months, and demonstrate a commitment to their respective fields. The funding period covers activities from May 1, 2026, to April 30, 2027.

Artists & Scholars Project Grants (ASPG) are available to individual artists and scholars who reside in Montgomery County, MD. Grant awards support projects for artists and scholars who work in a wide array of arts and humanities disciplines including performing arts, media arts, visual arts, literary arts, folk and traditional arts, history, and philosophy. Grants for FY26 will be awarded for activities occurring between May 1, 2026 and April 30, 2027.
Award amounts range from $1,000 up to $5,000.
By awarding Artists & Scholars Project Grants, the Arts & Humanities Council of Montgomery County (AHCMC) seeks to:
Support the creation and production of new work;Provide artists and scholars with opportunities that strengthen their business, managerial, and artistic and/or scholarly skills;Nurture artists and scholars who represent the diverse, multicultural character of Montgomery County, MD;Support innovative and distinctive artistic and scholarly work by the County’s resident artists and scholars; andEncourage the use of intentional strategies for achieving Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Access (DEIA) in the field.
This funding opportunity is designed to benefit individual artists and scholars, not groups; projects that involve collaborations with groups of artists may be eligible for a Programming & Capacity Building Project Grant (PCBPG).

Eligibility

An artist/scholar who is an employee of an organization that is an AHCMC grantee/applicant will be considered an eligible applicant for this grant category, provided that the project is not affiliated with the organization that employs the applicant.Eligible project-types include any of the following:The creation of new workA phase of a larger projectA public event or program ORProfessional DevelopmentHas resided in Montgomery County, MD with a verifiable mailing address in Montgomery County, MD for at least 12 consecutive months immediately prior to the application deadline(P.O. Boxes not accepted as proof of residency);Is at least 21 years old;Is not a full-time student;Is a practicing artist or scholar with demonstrated ability in the arts or humanities discipline of the project;Is able to provide AHCMC with a Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN) prior to undertaking the grant activities; andHas met all outstanding requirements for any grant(s) received from the Arts & Humanities Council of Montgomery County in prior years.

Ineligibility

Recipients of consecutive FY24 and FY25 Artists & Scholars Project Grants are not eligible to apply in FY26 but may apply in FY27.AHCMC will not make payments to fiscal sponsors.AHCMC will not make payments to LLCs.Grant requests for the same project in more than one grant category will not be accepted.