MSAC Professional Development Opportunity Grant

The Maryland State Arts Council offers the Professional Development Opportunity Grant to support artists and arts organizations in Maryland. This rolling grant program encourages relevant professional development, ensuring that applicants can enhance their skills and community engagement. With monthly reviews, the program aims to allocate funding throughout the fiscal year, allowing for diverse artistic growth and learning opportunities. Eligible applicants include independent artists and arts organizations seeking to better serve their communities through accessible arts programming.

Note: The Professional Development Opportunity Grant Program accepts applications on a rolling basis throughout the fiscal year. Applications will be reviewed monthly, and grants will be awarded throughout the fiscal year until allocated funding is depleted.
Maryland State Arts Council
The Council comprises an appointed body of 17 citizens from across the state, 13 of whom are named by the Governor to three-year terms that may be renewed once. Two private citizens and two legislators are appointed by the President of the Senate and by the Speaker of the House. All councilors serve without salary.
To carry out its mission, MSAC awards grants to not-for-profit, tax-exempt organizations for ongoing arts programming and projects. MSAC also awards grants to individual artists and provides technical and advisory assistance to individuals and groups. MSAC reserves the right to prioritize grant awards.
Mission and Goals
MSAC’s most recent strategic plan outlines five goals:
Increase Participation: Broaden MSAC’s constituency, providing avenues designed to increase pathways to engagement.Provide Intentional Support: Embrace thoughtful and targeted approaches to serving known and yet to be known MSAC constituents.Build Capacity: Work strategically to further build organizational and governance capacity to ensure that MSAC is capable of vigorously delivering on its mission.Leverage Connections: Further enhance current relationships and involve additional collaborators, and constituents who will benefit from and advance the work of MSAC.Bolster Maryland Arts: Showcase the high caliber, diverse and relevant work of Maryland's artists and arts organizations; their contributions to community vitality and MSAC’s role as a catalyst.
The purpose of the Professional Development Opportunity Grant Program is to encourage and support relevant professional development opportunities for artists and arts organizations throughout Maryland by embracing the importance of growth, learning, and discovery.
Deadlines for the Professional Development Opportunity Grant Program are rolling. Applications will be reviewed monthly, and Professional Development Opportunity Grants will be awarded throughout the fiscal year until allocated funding is depleted. Applicants may only receive funding for one application per fiscal year.
The Professional Development Opportunity Grant Program supports eligible activities of Independent Artists or Arts Organizations.
Independent Artists
Independent artists (i.e., artists working independently from an institution or organization) may apply for Professional Development Opportunity Grants to support individual (or collective) professional development opportunities that are relevant to the artist's objectives to create  work that is publicly accessible.
Arts Organizations or Programs
Organizations may apply for Professional Development Opportunity Grants to support Professional Development opportunities in alignment with the organization’s needs to better produce or present arts programs, services or projects that are relevant to its community and accessible to the public.
All activities described in project-based application submissions to any funding program at the Maryland State Arts Council must demonstrate alignment with the Maryland Strong: Roadmap to Recovery plan to be considered eligible.