Resource Bulletin

The Maryland State Arts Council is seeking panelists to review grant applications for the 2020 Fiscal year.

Each year, the Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC) relies on a diverse array of art experts from the field to do the important work of evaluating grant applications submitted by Maryland arts organizations and arts programs. Panelists review grant applications, conduct on-site interviews, and artistic evaluations, and submit written reports on assigned applicant organizations prior to a mandatory spring Grants Review Panel Meeting.

Serving as a panelist is a great opportunity to learn about Maryland arts organizations and the granting processes of the Maryland State Arts Council. National arts organizations (National Endowment for the Arts, National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, Americans for the Arts) have clarified approaches to uncover cultural bias in the procedures and policies of state arts organizations. In response, the Maryland State Arts Council has committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion in grantmaking as all funding mechanisms continue to be examined and updated.

The design of the Grants for Organizations FY2020 application is meant to inspire authentic reflection and internal analysis for each applying organization, with the knowledge that the Maryland State Arts Council is to be seen and utilized as a collaborative partner in the process.

The driving goals of this new vision for the granting processes are:

• To acknowledge positions of privilege while questioning practices, shifting paradigms of status quo arts activities, and taking more risks.
• To yield a greater variety of funded projects.
• To eliminate biases that may be found in any part of the granting process (i.e. - applications, panelist procedures, adjudication systems).
• To expand the deliberations about rigor beyond current conventions or Western traditions.
• To aspire to make investments that contribute to social change and demonstrate aesthetic excellence in terms relevant to context and intent.

After applications have been reviewed, panelists are appointed by the Maryland State Arts Council for a one-year term, which may be renewed, and receive a modest honorarium and travel reimbursement for serving.

Deadline: Ongoing

For more application information, click here.

The Maryland Touring Grant, a grant program of the Maryland State Arts Council, provides matching funding (up to $5,000) to eligible Maryland-based non-profit organizations to support artist presentations on the Maryland Performing Artists Touring Roster. The grant increases opportunities for residents of Maryland to experience high-quality and engaging performances in their own communities and neighborhoods.

The Maryland Touring Grant and the Maryland Performing Artists Touring Roster work together to promote the artistic collaboration between local artists and presenters. View the Maryland Performing Artists Touring Roster to find a list of Maryland-based performing artists who have been selected through a peer review process, in which they are rated on artistic merit and a demonstrated history of successful touring engagements. 

Who can apply for this grant?

Non-profit organizations (including but not limited to libraries, festivals, places of worship, museums, etc.) who are seeking funding to host and present dynamic performances to the public.  

Before you apply: 

Contact and negotiate the details of the event/activity with the performing artists from the Maryland Performing Artist Touring Roster.

How do I apply?

Step #1

Ensure your event takes place 90 days after the submission of your event/activity you’re applying for, and proposed artistic presentations/projects are open to the public and take place within 18-months of application submission.

Step #2

Register your organization in SmartSimple (if not done already) and access the application. (Reach out to a Program Director with any questions you may have!) 

Step #3

Submit your Maryland Touring Grant application in SmartSimple 

Deadline for quarterly review: January 1, 2020

In order to ensure that payment is received prior to the funded activity, applications must be received 3 months prior to the first day of the review month, in order to be evaluated during that quarter. July 1 (for activities occurring after October 1), October 1 (for activities occurring after January 1), January 1 (for activities occurring after April 1), and April 1 (for activities occurring after July 1).

Questions? Contact Program Directors Emily Sollenberger or Laura Weiss for assistance.

Grant Opportunity: Spanish Film Club:4/15 (Ongoing)

Spanish Film Club, an initiative by PRAGDA, offers grants twice a year to help high schools and universities bring the very best in contemporary Spanish and Latin American cinema to campuses with the aim of introducing students to the language and cultures of these territories. More than 150 schools have participated in the program so far.

HOW IT WORKS

• Grants cover up to 50% of the festival costs

• Universities screen 5 films or more in 8 weeks

• Two grant deadlines: April 15 and October 15, 2019

• More than 80 Award-winning titles from +25 countries

• Virtual Q&As with filmmakers

• Study Guides available

• 150+ universities participating so far

Submit the applications: click here.

OTHER DETAILS, click here.

For any question, you may contact Daniela Bajar at filmclub@pragda.com.

The Awesome Foundation is an ever-growing worldwide community devoted to forwarding the interest of awesome in the universe. Created in the long hot summer days of 2009 in Boston, the Foundation distributes $1,000 grants each month, no strings attached, to projects and their creators. At each fully autonomous chapter, the money is pooled together from the coffers of ten or so self-organizing “micro-trustees” and given up front in cash, check, or gold doubloons. 

Anyone is eligible for a grant — individuals, groups, and organizations alike.

No Entry Fee

For more information, click here.

The Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation Emergency Grant program is intended to provide interim financial assistance to qualified painters, printmakers, and sculptors whose needs are the result of an unforeseen, catastrophic incident, and who lack the resources to meet that situation. Each grant is given as one-time assistance for a specific emergency, examples of which are fire, flood, or emergency medical need.

The maximum amount of this grant is $15,000; an award of $5,000 is typical.

To be eligible for this program, an artist must be able to demonstrate a minimum involvement of ten years in a mature phase of his or her work. Artists must work in the disciplines of painting, sculpture or printmaking. Each application will be reviewed by the Directors, who will exercise their discretion in considering it, and will determine the amount of each award. Applicants should note there is a set amount appropriated for these grants each fiscal year; once this budgetary limit has been reached, the Foundation will not be able to judge any additional requests on their merits. 

Second-party requests are honored only when the applicant is physically unable to communicate with the Foundation. Review procedures for completed applications begin as soon as they are received. Full review generally takes about four weeks from the time an application is complete. Situations with imminent deadlines will receive priority.

For more information, click here.