In These Mountains: Infrastructure Grants

In These Mountains: Infrastructure Grants

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: South Arts, Inc.
Amount: US $30,000
Last Updated: August 12, 2025

Summary

The In These Mountains: Infrastructure Grants, offered by South Arts, aim to preserve and promote the folk arts and traditional culture of Central Appalachia. This initiative supports non-profit organizations in Kentucky, North Carolina, and Tennessee, focusing on enhancing the resources necessary for sustaining and advancing traditional arts. Grants of up to $30,000 are available to address non-programming expenses, ensuring the continuity of cultural practices while prioritizing inclusivity and accessibility.

Overview

NOTE: We strongly advise you to contact South Arts traditional arts staff to discuss your application prior to your submission. South Arts encourages applicants to begin grant applications early, allowing for plenty of time to organize and upload required materials. We also urge you to contact us with questions more than 48 hours before the application deadline; due to the volume of requests, South Arts team members may not be able to respond to inquiries submitted after that time. In These Mountains Preserving & perpetuating folk and traditional arts of Central Appalachia The Central Appalachian counties of Kentucky, North Carolina, and Tennessee are home to arts, tradition, and culture that is passed from generation to generation. Launched in 2018, South Arts' In These Mountains initiative preserves and perpetuates the traditional arts and culture of Central Appalachian counties of Kentucky, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Through a series of strategic projects supporting practitioners, arts organizations, and communities, In These Mountains supports the longevity and intergenerational transfer of the cultural traditions that have grown in this unique region. As we learn and grow, we continue to refine how we support the Central Appalachian communities with impactful programming. Infrastructure Grants The In These Mountains: Central Appalachian Folk Arts & Culture Infrastructure Grants advance the goals of the In These Mountains (ITM) initiative by supporting organizations that promote sharing, teaching, learning, preserving, documenting, and supporting the continuity of the folk arts and traditional culture of Central Appalachia. The ITM initiative specifically seeks opportunities to support the work of traditional artists and organizations engaged in handcrafts/material culture, foodways, and music. ITM Infrastructure Grants are designed to support non-programming expenses that are often not fundable by most grants or are financially out of reach for organizations. These grants are intended to provide improved tools and resources to organizations so that they may advance their work in supporting the folk arts and traditional culture of Central Appalachia. What are Folk Arts and Cultures? The South is home to an abundance of folk arts and traditional culture. Folk and traditional arts share the aesthetics, practices, and values of families, geographic communities, occupational groups, ethnic heritage groups, etc. Folk and traditional arts are learned orally or by observation and imitation, often through a mentor artist instructing an apprentice. They are usually maintained without formal instruction or academic training. Some traditional arts have a deep-rooted history with little change, while others are constantly evolving and adapting to their changing environment. For the purposes of this application, the folk and traditional arts of Central Appalachia include handcrafts/material culture, foodways, and music. Some examples of traditional arts practiced in Central Appalachia are Cherokee stamped pottery, African American storytelling, Anglo American ballads, Latin American foodways traditions, Bharatanatyam Indian dance, Traditional Vietnamese Medicine, and many more. What does ‘Infrastructure’ mean? For the purposes of the In These Mountains Infrastructure Grant opportunity, the term ‘infrastructure’ is defined as the necessary resources and systems that may assist an organization to sustain current business or advance operations. Funding Two organizations from each eligible state (Kentucky, North Carolina, and Tennessee) will be selected, for a total of six recipient organizations. Funds may support such activities and expenses as staff and volunteer professional development, emergency readiness planning, minor equipment purchases or software upgrades, staff travel and registration for conferences or research, marketing, strategic planning, etc. Grants may request funding for a single need or a combination of needs. Non-match grants are awarded in the amount of $30,000.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Applicants must be not-for-profit organizations located in Appalachian Regional Commission counties in Kentucky, North Carolina, and Tennessee.Eligible organizations must be located within and serve at least one of the following Appalachian Regional Commission counties:Kentucky: Adair, Bath, Bell, Boyd, Breathitt, Carter, Casey, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Cumberland, Edmonson, Elliott, Estill, Fleming, Floyd, Garrard, Green, Greenup, Harlan, Hart, Jackson, Johnson, Knott, Knox, Laurel, Lawrence, Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Lewis, Lincoln, McCreary, Madison, Magoffin, Martin, Menifee, Metcalfe, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Nicholas, Owsley, Perry, Pike, Powell, Pulaski, Robertson, Rockcastle, Rowan, Russell, Wayne, Whitley, and Wolfe.North Carolina: Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Cherokee, Clay, Davie, Forsyth, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, McDowell, Macon, Madison, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Stokes, Surry, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, Yadkin, and Yancey.Tennessee: Anderson, Bledsoe, Blount, Bradley, Campbell, Cannon, Carter, Claiborne, Clay, Cocke, Coffee, Cumberland, De Kalb, Fentress, Franklin, Grainger, Greene, Grundy, Hamblen, Hamilton, Hancock, Hawkins, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Knox, Lawrence, Lewis, Loudon, McMinn, Macon, Marion, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Overton, Pickett, Polk, Putnam, Rhea, Roane, Scott, Sequatchie, Sevier, Smith, Sullivan, Unicoi, Union, Van Buren, Warren, Washington, and White. Organizations must have a 501(c)3 status in good standing or work with a fiscal agent.All applicants must have a Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN).

Ineligibility

Salaries and benefits, and fundraising events are not eligible expenses for ITM Infrastructure Grants.Previous or current In These Mountains Partners are not eligible to apply. Colleges and universities are not eligible to apply.Expenses that are not allowable include the following: alcohol, board and/or funder entertainment, building or venue renovations, costs for organizational financial loses or property replacement, employee benefits and salaries, furniture or other permanent equipment, insurance, mortgage payments, or utilities.Organizations that have failed to submit final reports on time for any previous South Arts grants will not be considered for funding.Organizations that fail to properly acknowledge South Arts’ support in programs and press materials will not be considered for additional funding.South Arts does not fund organizations that present historical reenactments, benefits, or fundraisers.