S.C. Arts Commission: Folklife & Traditional Arts Project Grants

S.C. Arts Commission: Folklife & Traditional Arts Project Grants

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: South Carolina Arts Commission
Amount: Up to US $6,000
Last Updated: February 04, 2026

Summary

The S.C. Arts Commission's Folklife & Traditional Arts Project Grants support non-profit organizations and government units in preserving and promoting South Carolina's traditional arts. This program aims to keep living cultural traditions vibrant through various projects, including workshops, festivals, and documentation efforts. Eligible applicants must be non-profit organizations with a valid DUNS number or government units. The grant encourages community engagement and the celebration of cultural heritage across the state.

Overview

NOTE: S.C. Arts Commission: Folklife & Traditional Arts program will re-open Spring 2026 About This Grant Traditional arts are expressions of shared identity that are learned as a part of the cultural life of a particular group. This shared identity may be rooted in family, geographic, tribal, occupational, religious or ethnic connections, among others. As expressions of a living culture, traditional arts have been handed down from one generation to the next and reflect the shared experience, aesthetics and values of a group. The purpose of the South Carolina Arts Commission (SCAC)’s Folklife & Traditional Arts grant program is to ensure that South Carolina’s living traditions remain vibrant and visible parts of community life. The Folklife & Traditional Arts grant supports non-profit organizations and units of governments that seek to promote and sustain the traditional arts practiced across the state. Use of Funds The Folklife & Traditional Arts grant funds projects that may include (but are not limited to): Presentation of Traditional Artists through workshops, concerts, festivals, exhibitions, radio programs, recordings, etc.Documentation of Traditional Arts and/or Folklife of South Carolina (Note: Such a project must result in some form of public presentation, whether through programming or access to archived materials.)Cultural Survey: Fieldwork done to identify traditions and traditional artistsProduction, Documentation and/or Distribution of a traditional artist’s work (for example, the production of publicity materials)Acquisition of difficult-to-obtain materials or equipment needed to create traditional artConservation: Projects, such as apprenticeships, that serve to keep a traditional art form vibrant and visible

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Applicants must be: A nonprofit organizationcurrently registered with the S.C. Secretary of State’s Officereflecting S.C. as the primary address on all current official organizational documentswith federal tax exempt status with the Internal Revenue ServiceOR applying through a tax exempt Fiscal Agent/Receiver organizationOR A unit of governmentIn accordance with federal government policy, all organizations – including (but not limited to) private schools, government entities, public school districts, and nonprofit organizations – must provide a valid DUNS number to receive an S.C. Arts Commission grant award.If a grantee is using a fiscal agent/receiver, separate DUNS numbers must be provided for both the applicant organization and the fiscal agent/receiver.Matching Requirement1:1 (applicant:SCAC)At least 50% of the grantee’s match must be cash.

Ineligibility

The Folklife & Traditional Arts grant does not fund:Modern interpretations of traditional artRevivals of traditions that have ceased to exist within the originating cultureGeneral oral history projectsProjects that are limited to an historical focusProjects that present historical re-creations of past lifestyles