Regional Touring Grant Program

Regional Touring Grant Program

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Mid-America Arts Alliance
Amount: Up to US $5,000
Last Updated: January 27, 2026

Summary

The Regional Touring Grant Program, funded by the Mid-America Arts Alliance, supports organizations in the M-AAA region to showcase touring artists from outside their state. Grants up to $5,000 are available, with organizations eligible for matching funds and the capacity to submit multiple applications. Projects are designed to enhance arts programming and engage underserved audiences through public-facing events, including performances and outreach activities. This initiative aims to foster cultural exchange and deepen community connections through the arts.

Overview

Bring touring artists to your state The Regional Touring Program (RTP) provides support for projects by organizations showcasing the work of artists from elsewhere in the M-AAA region. Organizations that book an artist listed on a state touring roster may be awarded up to 50 percent of the artist’s fee. Organizations that book an artist that lives in the region, but is not listed on a touring roster, may be awarded up to 25 percent of the artist’s fee. Organizations located in rural communities may receive an additional 10 percent of the artist’s fee. Funding This grant will disburse matching funds of up to $5,000.Organizations may submit a maximum of three (3) applications and receive awards for up to three (3) different projects in a single fiscal year (July 1–June 30). Each applicant is eligible for an aggregate amount of $15,000 in a single fiscal year; and Similarly, an artist, ensemble, or scholar/educator can be the recipient of an aggregate of $15,000 through successful RTP grant applications submitted to M-AAA in a single fiscal year.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Touring artists must come from outside the presenter’s state but within M-AAA’s service region (Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas).Awards are directly presented to in-region organizations and restricted to support the direct costs specified in the artist contracts. Organizations must be a 501(c)3 not-for-profit or a unit of state or local government or a federally recognized tribal entity.Applicant Organizations must: Be incorporated in and currently conducting business in one or more states in the M-AAA region, which includes Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas;Have and provide a valid 9-numbers Employer Identification Numbers (EIN) which will be verified using the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search Tool;Have and provide a valid 12-character alphanumeric (Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) ID which will be verified in the System for Award Management (SAM) at this link.M-AAA’s sub-grantees are required to have a valid UEI ID but not an entity registration via SAM.gov. Apply directly on their own behalf. Applications through a fiscal sponsor/agent are not allowed;Commit to M-AAA’s Grantee Assurance of Compliance and Federal Suspension and Disbarment Policy. Agree to credit acknowledgment of M-AAA and the NEA’s support in all promotional materials. Be in good standing with M-AAA, have no overdue or delinquent documentation and/or reports.Presenters may book any artists of any discipline and grants require two public-facing activities: a feature presentation (a concert, performance, or other); and an outreach engagement (a class, workshop, artist talk, or other) to involve the general public in the work of the featured artist or educate an audience about the art form.The RTP grant is designed for projects to engage and deepen the impact of arts programming for M-AAA regional audiences through exposure, interaction, and outreach engagement that occurs between M-AAA’s fiscal year.Eligible projects must: Include artwork that spans one or more creative disciplines including, but not limited to: Folk/Traditional Arts (Crafts, Visual Arts, Dance) Dance/movement (Ballet, Ethnic, Jazz, Tribal, Modern) Literature (Fiction, Memoirs, Non-Fiction, Playwriting, Poetry) Visual Arts (Collage, Experimental, Graphics, Multimedia, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture)Exclusively feature an in-region artist from outside the applicant’s home state in at least one feature presentation a minimum of 30 to 60-minutes in length that is open to the general public.  Have public-facing events that occur within the Fiscal Year in M-AAA’s six-state region.Funded project activities are not required to be free but must be open to the general public. Carry out at least two public-facing events with a minimum of 30 to 60-minutes in length: A feature or premier presentation event of the work by the touring artist can include, but is not limited to:Concert Performance Other creative approachesAn outreach or educational event can be presented either by the touring artist, scholar/educator(s), or another artist who works with similar themes or the same art form as that involved in the feature presentation. All activities must educate the community about the art form(s) and provide direct interaction between the artist(s) and audience. Activities can include, but is not limited to:Artist Talk Exhibitions Lecture/demonstrations Master classes Residencies Workshops Other creative approachesTakes place in an accessible facility or on an accessible online streaming platform that allows for artist and audience interaction before, during and/or after the feature presentation and/or outreach engagement; and Attempt to engage underserved audiences who lack access to the arts due to geography, economic conditions, ethnicity, disability, or age, including but not limited to underrepresented cultural groups, immigrants, veterans and active military, persons in institutions, those living below the poverty line and youth at risk.Have a grant request of no more than $5,000. Applicants are encouraged to request an amount that is reflective of the artist’s fee and their capacity to manage the grant; Have a budget that reflects a 1:1 dollar-for-dollar match for the grant amount requested. Applicant organizations must show evidence of a cash match. Applicants are encouraged to reflect all expenses and income expected for this project in the application budget in order to clarify the project scope for review. For expenses related to the project activities applicant must:In-person activities: The artist’s fees can include their payment for services (performance, workshops, etc.), transportation, accommodations, and per diem costs in the contract. Online activities: The artist’s fee can include payment for services and online streaming fees associated with the project described in the contract. Indirect costs like remaining artist fees, staff time, marketing, materials are not allowable expenses and must be covered by the applicant organization. Identify income sources which can include, but is not limited to, ticket sales, entry fees, cash contributions, grants and/or organizational funding. Other funding sources such as, in-kind goods/services; Federal and other federal funded M-AAA grants for the project should be noted in the budget but cannot be used to fulfill payment of the artist’s contract fee nor meet the 1:1 match requirement.

Ineligibility

M-AAA does not accept applications from fiscal agents (e.g., bank, trust company).Those that are not eligible to apply include:For-profit organizations; Organizations whose primary focus, programming, and mission is not specifically arts related; State Arts Agencies; Fiscal sponsors; and Public television and other public media organizations.Any events available only to subscription ticket holders are not considered open to the general public.Grant funding may not be used for indirect project costs. Funds must be used exclusively for direct project expenses incurred in the artist’s fee and production of public-facing events.M-AAA grant funding cannot be used for:Contracts with artists/personnel who reside outside M-AAA’s region; Compensation for applicant organization’s board of directors; Sub-granting, regranting, or cash awards; Indirect costs; Expenses associated with the project’s opening or closing (e.g., receptions); and Expenses associated with benefits or fundraiser events.Projects not eligible for consideration include but are not limited to: Artists from the same state in which the applicant organization is incorporated; Artists who reside outside the M-AAA region; Activities that are already funded by M-AAA through another grant program; Activities that are not arts focused (e.g., conference keynote speeches, sidewalk sales, food festivals, fireworks displays, etc.); Activities that is part of a benefit or fundraiser; Activities through which students will receive academic credit for attendance or participation; Activities taking place exclusively in schools during school hours; and Activities that are not open or available in part to the general public.