Arts Education: One-year Grant

Participating in the arts confers numerous benefits, from providing captivation and pleasure, to providing a vehicle for self-expression, to promoting cognitive growth and the capacity for empathy. Arts education can also provide the means for sharing ideas and images, cultural and political knowledge, and insights about humanity across generations. By nurturing creative thinking, collaboration, and other competencies, arts education can play a vital role in preparing students for fulfilling and successful lives and careers.
The Mary Duke Biddle Foundation supports organizations whose primary purpose is to provide high-quality, participatory arts education experiences for PreK-12 students. These organizations work with students who lack access to such programming because of economic conditions, race or ethnic background, geography, or different abilities.
For more information, including application timeline and eligibility requirements, please visit our One-Year Grantmaking Guidelines webpage.
One-Year Grants
Organizations that focus on PreK-12 arts education AND have not received funding from MDBF in the previous 5 years or have never received a grant from us are eligible to apply for a 1-year grant.
One-year general operating support grants are available to organizations that have not received a MDBF grant in the past five years or that are new to the foundation. Each year, MDBF will typically award 5 general operating support grants to nonprofit organizations that further our grantmaking goals. Both developing nonprofits and established organizations are eligible for these grants. All organizations must have a primary focus on the Arts Education.
Grants amounts range from $5,000 - $10,000 a year for each organization. MDBF has a finite budget and may not be able to fund the full amount requested. If your application moves forward, MDBF staff will work with your organization to determine the actual requested amount. Please know there is no penalty for requesting the maximum amount at the LOI stage.

Eligibility

Developing OrganizationsTypically have existed for 2-5 years, are addressing a clear unmet need or opportunity, have strategic goals, and have begun offering programming.Organizations at this stage may have limited or no board of directors with staff who are primarily volunteers.Or, their boards may have expanded beyond "friends and family" and are beginning to focus more on governance and less on day-to-day operations.Paid staffing is minimal, typically only an Executive Director and perhaps one or two program staff.Funding sources are likely not diversified at this stage of development, but the organization may be starting to formalize financial management, volunteer management, program evaluation, fundraising, board development, marketing, and strategic planning as they grow.Established OrganizationsAre more mature and stable; programs/services are solid and well-recognized with strong and effective leadership.Paid program and administrative staff are in place and the board's focus is primarily policy and oversight.Organizational processes are developed.Revenue sources are more diversified.These organizations may have a well-demonstrated model and data that shows outcomes or is currently executing a plan for evaluation, continuous learning, and improvement.General Eligibility Requirements501(c)(3) tax-exempt status or be sponsored by a qualified fiscal agent.Organization's primary mission and programming focus on the Arts, Arts Education, or Student Academic Success.Organization has not received a MDBF grant within the past five years or is new to the foundation.Organization is located in and the majority of programming takes place in Chatham, Durham, Orange, or Wake counties.A demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in its governance, staffing, and participants (students or artists).A current or expected expenses budget under $2,000,000 (fiscal sponsors are exempt from this stipulation).

Ineligibility

Organizations that have an interim or new executive director (hired within the past 6 months) are not eligible to apply.We do not make project-based grants.Organizations whose primary mission and focus is on the humanities or history are not eligible to apply.University-affiliated organizations are not eligible to apply.Public schools and charter schools are not eligible to apply.Public school foundations are eligible to apply.