Grants are available for local artists, thanks to the North Carolina Arts Council and the North Carolina legislature. The Haywood County Arts Council and regional partners, including Transylvania Community Arts Council, the Asheville Area Arts Council, the Tryon Fine Arts Center, the Arts Council of Henderson County, and the Rutherford County Arts Council, call upon artists served by their organizations to apply to the Artist Support Grant, which closes on October 30, 2022. Counties served by this regional consortium are Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, Polk, Rutherford, and Transylvania, also called Region 17. 

The Artist Support Grant was created in 2020 to support individual artists during the pandemic and is quickly becoming a staple for local artists. Region 17 reviewed 67 applications in 2021 and awarded over $44,000 in grant funds to 25 individuals. Artist mediums spanned the gamut, and each project was different. Grants were awarded for different purposes, including to fund the purchase of materials and tools.  Stephen Hernandez, Brevard fused glass artist, was the recipient of a 2021 Artist Support Grant which enabled him to purchase a new kiln for the creation of his artwork. “We were thrilled that Stephen was an ASG recipient last year and that he was able to use the grant funds for such an important purpose,” notes Kathy King, executive director of Transylvania Community Arts Council.  

Region 17 will continue to use N.C. Arts Council’s GoSmart! System, an online application portal. “We learned a lot last year using this system and expect this year to be even easier for applicants and jurors,” says Morgan Beryl, executive director of Haywood County Arts Council. This year, the most significant change is the increase of the funding range to a maximum of $3,000, instead of 2021’s $2,000 cap. Because this year’s grant guidelines do not require an artist match, Region 17 partners hope that this increased range will help artists bring a project to fruition without burdening them with needing to match a higher amount.   

The Region 17 partners are excited to see the applications for 2022 season.

 

Grant Range: $500 – $3,000 
Deadline: October 30, 2022
Award: December 2022/ January 2023
Application: Applications must be submitted through the NC Arts Council GoSmart! system, https://ncarts.gosmart.org/ (No hard copies will be accepted.) 
 
Learn More about how to apply, eligibility, and scope of work by visiting the N.C. Arts Council Artist Support Grant website.