Arts Education and Public Engagement Grants (For organizations or projects with budgets up to $50,000)

The Arts Education and Public Engagement Grants by The Onion Foundation support organizations in Maine with budgets up to $50,000. These grants focus on enhancing arts education and public engagement, prioritizing programs that serve rural communities and address systemic inequities. Eligible applicants include 501(c)(3) public charities and governmental units. Funding is available for general operating support and project grants, aimed at fostering creativity and community connection through arts initiatives.

We award Arts Program grants that align with either our arts education or public engagement strategies (Strategies I and II). The proposed work must be based in Maine and focused on benefiting Maine’s people.
Up to $7,500 per year (up to $22,500 total over three years)
General Operating Grants
General operating grants offer unrestricted funds for your organization. If all of your organization’s activities align with Strategy I, Strategy II, or both, you may request general operating support.
Project Support Grants
Project support grants offer funding for specific activities or programs, such as an ongoing concert series or an arts education department that’s part of a larger organization. If your organization’s work extends beyond our grantmaking strategies, you should request project support. All fiscally sponsored grants are project grants.
Arts Program
We seek to increase Maine residents’ access to arts experiences as audience members and as makers to expand opportunities for expression, learning, and inspiration. Our arts program supports our commitment to leveraging our resources to reduce systemic inequities so all people in Maine can fully realize their potential.
Three strategies guide our Arts Program:

• STRATEGY I: Increase Access to Arts Education in Maine

We support programs that incorporate learning goals and are led by skilled staff and teachers working from detailed plans, rather than programs that only offer casual arts activities.
STRATEGY II: Support Public Engagement in Maine
We primarily support arts-mission nonprofit organizations that offer ongoing events, particularly those that provide Maine residents free or low-cost experiences. We focus on programs with strong public engagement and that show meaningful consideration of the communities in which they take place.

Eligibility

To apply for and receive a grant, your organization must be one of the following:A 501(c)3 public charity as designated by the IRSFiscally sponsored by a qualified 501(c)3 public charityA Maine governmental unitBoth general operating proposals and project proposals may request multiyear grants of up to three years.

Ineligibility

The Arts Program generally does not support:Capital projects (including capital campaigns, capital improvements, land purchases, or endowments)Scholarship fundsPublic and private schools or school districts (we do fund nonprofit organizations that partner with schools)Permanent public artFilm/media productionPublications/book projectsExhibitions without significant public programmingReligious programsArtists (we do fund organizations that pay artists for their work)