NPN’s Southern Artists for Social Change Grant

The NPN’s Southern Artists for Social Change Grant offers $75,000 project grants to BIPOC artists and culture bearers in Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi, fostering social change through civic practice. This initiative aims to empower communities by supporting collaborations that address local challenges, envision futures centered on racial justice, and enhance artistic practices. Launched in 2020, it has funded 28 transformative projects, promoting equity and justice in the arts across the region.

The National Performance Network’s Southern Artists for Social Change program provides $75,000 project grants to artists and culture bearers of color living, working, and engaging in social change in urban, rural, and tribal communities of Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
NPN’s Southern Artists for Social Change envisions a world in which people of color living, working, and organizing for community change in the South have the power, resources, and opportunities to thrive. NPN’s mission is to contribute to a more just and equitable world by building artists’ power; advancing racial and cultural justice in the arts; fostering relationships between individuals, institutions, and communities; and working toward systems change in arts and philanthropy.
Southern Artists for Social Change is part of the Surdna Foundation’s “Radical Imagination for Racial Justice” initiative, supporting civic practice projects that bring artists of color into collaboration and co-design with community partners and local residents of color around a community-defined vision. This pilot program was launched in 2020 and has awarded 28 projects that are spearheading change in communities across Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi

Eligibility

Artists and culture bearers who identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or people of color (BIPOC) living, working, and engaging in social change in Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi.Artists and culture bearers with demonstrated practice in any discipline.Individual artists as well as artist collectives may apply. Artist collectives must have a demonstrated history of creating new work collectively for at least two years.Applicants must be 18 years of age or older by the application deadline.Applicants must be AL, LA, or MS residents for at least five consecutive years at the time of both application and payment and must provide a valid state ID.Projects should demonstrate a civic practice process to: (1) identify specific community challenges or needs, (2) imagine a different future for the community, and (3) practice, test, or design approaches toward that future that center racial justice.While projects may be artist-driven, projects should include at least two community members (individuals, agencies, organizations) as collaborators who share a role in decision-making, shaping the project and project outcomes.Grants may support any phase of a project (research, development, production, etc.), including new initiatives or ongoing work, and a portion of funding should directly support the artist(s).

Ineligibility

Not eligible at this time: Nonprofit organizations. Artist collectives and tribal groups who are organized as a nonprofit organization or other entity, please contact our Program Assistant, Daniel Pruksarnukul at daniel@npnweb.org or 504-595-8008 ext. 703 to determine eligibility.Previous Southern Artists for Social Change Recipients2023, 2024, or 2025 NPN Creation Fund RecipientsArtists who are college or graduate students enrolled in a degree-granting program, at the time of application or during the period of the grantCurrent NPN staff, board of directors, or NPN PartnersCurators and researchers