Arts Program: Arts Education and Public Engagement Grants ( For organizations or projects with budgets over $50,000 )

The Onion Foundation's Arts Education and Public Engagement Grants support organizations with budgets over $50,000 in Maine. The program prioritizes access to arts education, public engagement, and capacity building for arts organizations. Grants can be general operating or project-based, with amounts reaching up to $20,000 annually. Emphasizing equity and diversity, applicants are encouraged to align their proposals with the foundation's strategic goals to foster creativity and cultural sharing within Maine's communities.

NOTE: Returning Applicants (who have previously applied for or received a grant award from the Onion Foundation) should contact us via email to request an invitation to apply. Please include your name, organization, email address, and a brief description of your proposal.
We strongly encourage new applicants and fiscally sponsored applicants to discuss their proposal ideas with the program officer before drafting their applications
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

The Onion Foundation supports programs that incorporate learning goals and that are led by skilled staff and teachers working from detailed plans, rather than programs that only offer casual arts activities. We hope our grantees thoughtfully include a diverse set of students and incorporate equity-based, low-barrier participation opportunities rather than limited scholarship discounts. We encourage applicants to seek support for programs led by and serving historically under-resourced communities, and to offer curricula that are multicultural and do not engage in cultural appropriation.
Strategy II: Support Public Engagement In Maine Arts Programs
The Arts Program primarily supports arts-mission nonprofit organizations that offer ongoing events, in particular those that provide Maine residents free or low cost experiences. We give priority to programs with strong public engagement and that show meaningful consideration of the communities where they take place. When assessing proposals, we look for arts programming that includes underrepresented artists and stories, attention to marginalized audiences, and geographic diversity. We also look for concrete plans that are guided by a curatorial or programmatic vision and led by experienced staff who are, in turn, supported by their organizations through training and other resources.
Strategy III: Build The Capacity Of Maine’s Arts Sector (Invited Proposals Only)
The Arts Program recognizes that strong programs come from a healthy and connected sector engaged in intersectional practices and invested in its workers. The Arts Program will work closely with organizations to identify capacity needs and priorities, which include, but are not limited to, organizational development, financial stability, worker skills, governance, communications and marketing strategies, networking and collaboration, and advocacy.
We know that some arts organizations and programs offer both arts education and ongoing events, relating to both our Strategy I and our Strategy II. We therefore have not structured our grant cycles by strategy. Rather, the Arts Program arranges grant cycles by grant size.
Applicants may request either general operating or project 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
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.
Grant Award Amounts
Both general operating proposals and project proposals may request multiyear grants of up to three years.
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 $20,000 per year (up to $60,000 total over three years)

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 charitySee Navigating Fiscal SponsorshipA Maine governmental unit

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)