• All applicants must be legal residents of the US and SC with a permanent residence in the state for at least one year prior to the application date and throughout the grant period.
• The Mentor Artist and the Apprentice must belong to the same community/folk group.
• A Mentor Artist
  • Should be held in high regard for their skill, knowledge and cultural practice by their community through formal or informal recognition.
  • Should have attained excellence within their artistic tradition as defined by their cultural community.
  • Should be able to express in the application a sincere interest and commitment to teaching the tradition to the proposed apprentice.
  • Must be 18 years of age or older at the time of application.
  • Must not be a degree-seeking, full-time student during the grant period.
• An Apprentice Artist
  • Should demonstrate interest and basic competency in the art form prior to the apprenticeship (generally at least one year of relevant experience).
  • Should be able to express in the application a sincere interest and commitment to sharing with others the knowledge learned after the completion of the Apprenticeship.
  • Must be at least 12 years old and have parental approval to apply if younger than 18. (If an Apprentice is under 18 years of age, the contract will be made on the behalf of the apprentice through a parent or legal guardian).

• Interpretations of traditional art forms (i.e. artistic expressions other than the art forms themselves) and revivals of traditions that have ceased to exist within the originating culture will not be funded.
• This program does not support beginning-level students.

Priority for funding is given to

• Projects focusing on traditional arts considered to be endangered.
• Applicants who have not been previously funded through the Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Initiative. (However, previously-funded Mentor Artists and Apprentices are eligible to re-apply.)

The Mentor Artist and the Apprentice are required to:

• work with the program director to ensure that deadlines for all paperwork are met;
• work with the program director to establish and adhere to a lesson schedule;
• notify the program director of any significant changes to the lesson schedule; and
• make themselves available to the program director for interviews and documentation of the project.

Documentation from the Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Initiative will be deposited in the Folklife Resource Center at McKissick Museum, University of South Carolina. It will be made available for historical and other academic research and public distribution. Public use of documentation extends only to educational and non-profit uses. The SC Arts Commission will seek your permission before using your image for any commercial/for profit purpose.

Deadlines

• February 18: Intent to Apply Notification deadline, by which potential applicants must contact the program director to discuss their intent to apply for the grant.
• April 1: Full application deadline, by which applicants must have completed the full application process by working with the program director.

Applications may be submitted until 11:59pm (Eastern Time) on the deadline date. However, please be aware that staff members will not be available to assist you with questions or technical difficulties after the Arts Commission closes at 5:00 p.m. that day.

Grant Period

July 1-May 1

Apprenticeships may last a maximum of 10 months. All activities must occur between July 1 of the year the application is submitted and May 1 of the following year, leaving time for completion, submission and approval of the final report.

Funding

• $2,000 to the Mentor Artist as compensation for their time
• $500 to the Apprentice to assist with travel and supplies

75% of the award will be paid at the beginning of the project; the remaining 25% will be paid upon completion of all grant award responsibilities.

SCAC artist grant awards are considered taxable income.

Matching Requirements

None

The program director will ask the following questions when meeting with the potential Mentor and Apprentice team. It is important that you review these questions in preparation for the interview.

Mentor Artist

• How, where, when, and from whom did you learn the traditional art form you wish to teach?
• How long have you been a practitioner of this art form?
• What role does this art form play in your life?
• Are you a member of the community/folk group within which the traditional art is practiced?
• Describe the current significance of the traditional art form in your folk group or cultural community and any threats to its continued practice.
• Since learning the traditional art, have you continually practiced it? Please explain if there have been interruptions in your practice.
• When and for whom do you perform or practice this tradition?
• Have you previously taught the art form? To whom? When? For how long?
• What do you hope to achieve by teaching your traditional art?
• Why do you believe the person whom you plan to teach will make a good Apprentice?

Apprentice

• What evidence is there to demonstrate you possess the knowledge and experience needed to learn this traditional art form? (e.g., I am already learning, I assist the Mentor Artist, members of my family practice/have practiced the art form)
• What is the relationship between you and the Mentor Artist?
• What is the relationship between you and the community/folk group within which the traditional art is practiced?
• What do you hope to achieve through this project?
• The Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Initiative is intended to help the Apprentice build a solid foundation so that you may continue the study of the art form beyond the life of the apprenticeship. How do you plan to pursue the study and practice of the art form once the apprenticeship is completed?

1. Skills – What skills and techniques will be taught over the course of the apprenticeship (e.g., what styles will the Apprentice learn, what objects will you make)?
2. Goals – What goals have the Mentor Artist and Apprentice agreed to achieve?
3. Schedule – Provide the schedule you intend to follow for the length of the apprenticeship (e.g., how many days a month, length of each lesson).

The Mentor Artist and Apprentice are encouraged, but not required, to participate in or present an event to which the general public is invited. The purpose of the public component is to introduce the traditional art form to the larger community. Funds awarded by the SC Arts Commission may be used to help create the public event. While the public component is not required, inclusion may result in a stronger application.

The public component does not have to be elaborate. For example,

• A Mentor Artist teaching the Apprentice blues guitar may perform at a local venue or festival.
• Basket makers may display the work created during the apprenticeship at a local museum or festival.

Applicants should consider what type of public program might be appropriate, and provide a brief description of any public component planned.

Work Samples & Support Materials reinforce the information you have provided for your Narrative and help the review panel to assess your skills, commitment to the art form, and community involvement. They are a vital part of the application; panelists will not be able to evaluate your application without them.

Your Work Samples & Support Materials will be collected during the first interview by the program director, who can also help create these materials if they are not available.

Be selective when choosing these items, prioritizing quality over quantity – less can be more!

Work Samples

Content

Work samples may include, but are not limited to

• Recordings (audio and/or video) of the artists at work
• Photographs of the artists’ work or of the artists performing

Work samples should

• demonstrate artistic quality, cultural relevance, and/or technical ability as appropriate to your project, and
• best represent the type of work that will be done related to your project.

For each work sample, you will be asked to provide:

• Name of artist(s) or key individuals involved
• Title of work/image/activity
• Date of work/image/activity (Note: All work samples should be less than five years old.)
• Location (if known)
• A sentence describing the work and its relationship to the apprenticeship
• For audio and video, the length of the sample

Type, Duration, & Quantity

You may upload a maximum of 10 work samples, total, for the Mentor Artist and Apprentice, combined.

Panelists will review no more than 20 minutes, total, of audio and/or video work.

Within that limit, you may upload no more than the listed maximum of each type of item:

• Video: 2 samples
  • Maximum length of each sample: 3 minutes
  • Accepted file types: flv, mov, mp4, mpg, wmv, webm
• Audio: 3 samples
  • Maximum length of each sample: 3 minutes
  • Accepted file types: mp3, wav
• Images: 10
  • Accepted file types: jpg, gif, png, tiff, svg, PDF with images
• Documents: 3
  • Accepted file types: PDF, Docx, RTF, Doc, Txt
• Websites: 3
  • Links to websites where work samples can be viewed are also permitted, including social media sites or YouTube videos. Create and upload a PDF file with the URL(s) (up to 3) of your work sample(s).
    • Be sure the work sample(s) can be accessed without login credentials for that platform (e.g., If you link to a Facebook video, make sure it’s a public link, as panelists may not have a Facebook account.)

Support Materials

You may submit up to five items of support material, to assist the panel in understanding

• the artists’ skill levels,
• their involvement in the community, and
• the likelihood that they will be a successful teacher (Mentor Artist) or student (Apprentice).

Support materials may include, but are not limited to

• Letters of support
• Samples of media coverage (e.g., newspaper or magazine articles)

Accepted file types: PDF, Docx, RTF, Doc, Txt, PPT, PPTX

Grants Office staff will review applications for completeness of submission and compliance with guideline and application requirements.

Applications will then be evaluated by a panel composed of professionals representing the field of folk and traditional arts will review and rate the apprenticeship applications based on the following:

Review Criteria

Mentor Artist

1. Artistry Indicators (40% of Total Score)

• The artist is truly a master, recognized as highly skilled within the identified community/folk group and among their peers.
• The artist’s work is of high quality, as demonstrated by work samples and support materials, and as defined by the cultural community.
• The Mentor Artist has gained their knowledge, skills, and abilities in a traditional manner.
• The Mentor Artist is appropriately matched with the Apprentice.

2. Managerial Capacity Indicators (10% of Total Score)

• There is evidence that the Mentor Artist is capable of effectively teaching their art form.

Apprentice

1. Artistry Indicators (20% of Total Score)

• The Apprentice has the skills that will allow them to benefit from the proposed apprenticeship.
• The Apprentice has shown that they are interested in and capable of continuing the practice of the traditional art beyond the period of this apprenticeship.

Overall Project

1. Managerial Capacity Indicators (20% of Total Score)

• Both applicants have shown a commitment to working together to successfully complete this project.
• The lesson schedule is feasible and will ensure that the Apprentice will have a significant amount of time with the Mentor Artist.
• The art form being featured in this application is an acknowledged traditional art form authentic to a particular cultural community/folk group.

2. Impact Indicators (10% of Total Score)

• The project involves and impacts members of the identified community/folk group.
• There is a demonstrated need for the project; the traditional art may be considered endangered.

Funding Decisions

Based on results of the panel review, staff will develop funding recommendations for the Board of Commissioners, which makes final award decisions.

Once awarded, APR grant contracts, payments, final reports, and any other requirements will be managed in our online system, using the Foundant platform. Both the Mentor Artist and the Apprentice will need to have active accounts in this system. Our Grants and APR program staff will provide assistance with your online grants management as needed, but we also highly recommend visiting the Foundant FAQ on our website for frequently asked questions and other helpful information.

If your application is funded, you (and your fiscal agent/receiver, if applicable) will enter into a contractual agreement with the SC Arts Commission, and you must comply with all requirements stated in that contract. You will receive notification and instructions when your contract is available in our online grants management system. You must submit your completed Contract Packet, including signatures and other documentation as instructed, by the date indicated in the system. You must also complete all other assigned Follow Ups by the due date given.

Please note: Any significant revisions to grant-funded activities must be approved in writing, in advance, by the SC Arts Commission.

Additional details about managing an SCAC grant are available on our agency website.

Grant Payments

Payment of 75% of each grantee’s award will be released upon receipt and approval of their completed Contract Packet. Final grant payments (the remaining 25% of each grantee’s award) will be released upon receipt and approval of their Final Report.

Final Report

ALL GRANTEES are required to file a Final Report at the end of the grant period. The Final Report Due Date is printed on your contract. Failure to submit an accurate and complete Final Report by the due date will result in cancellation of the award and repayment of any funds received. The S.C. Arts Commission will not fund applicants who have outstanding Final Reports.

At the end of the apprenticeship period, the program director will again meet with both the Mentor and the Apprentice to review what has been accomplished. Each grantee’s Final Report will be created based on the discussion and documentation (e.g., photos, audio, and video) of the work completed. The program director will work with grantees to complete the report approximately one month prior to the report due date.