ASCA: Community Arts Development Grants

ASCA: Community Arts Development Grants

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Alaska State Council on the Arts
Amount: Up to US $5,000
Last Updated: July 11, 2025

Summary

The ASCA: Community Arts Development Grants support Alaskan nonprofit organizations, schools, and tribal entities to foster grassroots arts activities across the state. These grants, capped at $5,000, aim to enhance public participation in the arts and assist in developing programs in underserved areas. Eligible organizations can receive one grant per fiscal year, provided their activities are open to the public and not solely for academic credit. Priority is given to volunteer-run organizations.

Overview

NOTE: Applicants applying for the first time must contact ASCA first. About Alaska State Council on the Arts The Alaska State Council on the Arts funds applications in all areas of the arts: dance, visual arts, literature, music, theater, media arts, and traditional Native arts. The Council also encourages applications that promote and develop the cultural heritage of Alaskans and the creation of new works by Alaskan artists. Community Arts Development Grants Community Arts Development Grants are designed to stimulate grassroots arts activity and encourage statewide public interest and participation in the arts. These grants help small Alaskan nonprofit organizations develop arts programs in underserved areas of the state, underserved art disciplines, and underserved art audiences. Underserved communities or populations are defined as those whose access to arts programs, services or resources or whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography, economic conditions, cultural demographic, sociopolitical circumstances, disability, age, or other demonstrable factors. Examples of arts programming funded by this grant category are art exhibits, concerts, dance performances and festivals, workshops, readings, and theater productions. Grants may also be awarded to assist organizations advance in the area of arts administration including board, accounting systems and budget development. Eligible organizations may receive one Community Arts Development grant per state fiscal year.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Alaskan nonprofit organizations, schools, local government agencies and tribal entities proposing in-state arts or cultural heritage activities are eligible for one Community Arts Development grant per ASCA fiscal year. All funded programs must be open to the public. The primary purpose of the program may not be for academic credit. Applicants must:have non profit status;be incorporated for at least one year prior to the application deadline;provide proof of incorporation and a copy of an IRS letter showing tax-exempt status.Fiscal Sponsorship is a partnership in which a 501(c)3 nonprofit (“the fiscal sponsor”) sponsors a project so the project can access grants and tax-deductible contributions.  The Alaska State Council on the Arts recognizes that not all arts and culture groups in our state are organized nonprofit, tax exempt, 501(c)3 organizations, though are otherwise guided by arts and culture mission and purpose. This may include groups offering regular community engagement in the arts, arts learning, the transmission of cultural knowledge through the arts, and the creation of artworks, over a period of time. If your group meets the eligibility guidelines for applicant organizations as defined in the Community Arts Development Grant Program Guidelines, but is not a nonprofit, tax-exempt, 501(c)3 organization, we encourage you to explore the possibility of partnering with a community nonprofit organization whose mission aligns with your group’s work.Groups applying with a fiscal sponsor should include the details of your fiscal agent/sponsor, along with your organization’s contact information.Fiscally sponsored applicants should include a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that describes the arrangement between your group and your fiscal sponsor, with your application.Eligible organizations may receive one Community Arts Development grant per state fiscal year.Grant awards do not generally exceed $5,000. ASCA will not fund more than 50% of the total cash expenses of a project. For example, if the project’s cash costs equal $10,000, the grant may provide up to $5,000. In kind contributions may not be used as match.

Ineligibility

Organizations already receiving ASCA annual operating support within the same fiscal year are ineligible for funding in this category unless serving as a fiscal agent for an otherwise qualified organization that has not attained tax exempt status.