Expansion Arts Grant Program

Grants of up to $15,000 to Arkansas small- and mid-sized nonprofit arts organizations that provide community cultural programming, for salary assistance for directors and technical support for staff and board. Funding will help strengthen arts organizations and increase programming in underserved geographic areas, for underserved populations, or in underserved artistic disciplines.

Positions to be funded with this program will be equivalent to part-time employment. For example, an all-volunteer applicant organization could use the grant to hire its first half-time executive director, or an applicant organization with a new, part-time executive director could use the grant amount to make that position full-time.

The Expansion Arts program entails a maximum three-year commitment by the Arkansas Arts Council to fund selected emerging organizations. During the three-year period, the grantee is expected to be able to develop sufficient financial support to assume the full cost of maintaining the position by the fourth year.

Expansion Arts participants must commit to attending workshops and conferences, submit to organizational reviews, and meet predetermined standards for board management. By the close of this cycle, organizations can expect to have a strategic plan, grant writing skills, and fundraising and marketing objectives. Failure to attend workshops, conferences, or complete required plans may result in loss of funding.