TCA Texas Arts Respond Performance Support Grant

The TCA Texas Arts Respond Performance Support grant aims to enhance Texas's creative economy by investing in arts activities. It provides funding for Texas-based artists and organizations to present performances and workshops in local communities. Eligible applicants include nonprofits, schools, and government units. The grant supports artistic fees for approved companies from the Texas Touring Roster, ensuring that all Texans can enjoy diverse artistic experiences. Applications must be submitted quarterly before the performance date.

NOTE: TCA staff will accept draft applications for review and comment up to two weeks before the deadline.
Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA)
The mission of the Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA) is to advance our state economically and culturally by investing in a creative Texas. TCA supports a diverse and innovative arts community in Texas, throughout the nation and internationally by providing resources to enhance economic development, arts education, cultural tourism and artist sustainability initiatives.
Intent: To advance the creative economy of Texas by investing in arts activities.
The Texas Touring Arts Program is designed to ensure that all Texans have the ability to enjoy performances by outstanding Texas-based companies and artists in their own communities. This program provides professional artist fees to schools, libraries, and nonprofit organizations for hiring an artist from TCA's Texas Touring Roster to do a performance or workshop. These non-competitive applications are funded based on a percentage of contracted fees.
Arts Respond Performance Support is the companion grant program that allows performing arts presenters in Texas to apply for a portion of the artistic fees for one or more approved companies or artists from the Texas Touring Roster. This is a quarterly program that can provide a grant to help with these costs. These applications must be submitted in advance of the performance and by the appropriate quarterly deadline.

Eligibility

All Texas nonprofits, schools, colleges, and units of government are eligible for this grant.To be eligible for TCA grants, an organization must:be a tax-exempt nonprofit organization as designated by the Internal Revenue Service and/or must be an entity of governmenthave their eligibility status established with the TCA prior to the deadline day; know that it can take two weeks or more to get confirmation from the IRS of nonprofit status and 990 financial information which may be required for categorizationinform TCA if they believe their eligibility status has changedbe incorporated in Texashave fulfilled all its outstanding contractual obligations to the State of Texas (i.e. taxes, etc.)provide their unique entity identifier (UEI) from the federal System of Awards Managementcomply with regulations pertaining to federal grant recipients including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, the Education Amendments of 1972, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and the Drug Free Workplace Act of 1988.provide assurance that they are not debarred or suspended prior to the payment of an awardMatch Requirement: dollar for dollar (1:1) TCA funds cannot be matched by other awards from TCA or the National Endowment for the Arts. Multiple applications can be submitted, but only $12,000 cumulatively will be awarded to an organization per fiscal year (Sept.-Aug.)

Ineligibility

The Commission will not fund the following:Competitive grants that exceed 25% of the organization's previous year's cash operating revenues
Social functions, parties, receptions, fundraisers, or galas
Operating expenses for home offices
Operating expenses for state operated facilities including, but not limited to, salary support and facility costs
Activities for which college or university students receive academic credit
Projects at colleges and universities that serve mostly students and faculty, with minimal or no community involvement
Debt reduction
Projects, productions, workshops and/or programs that include obscene material as defined in Section 43.21, Penal Code of Texas.The Commission will only fund capital improvements, bricks and mortar, and permanent (depreciable) equipment through the Cultural District Project or Designated Funding/Commission Initiatives grant programs.TCA cannot help with the cost of food, alcohol, marketing, venue rental, equipment rental, or personnel.