Purpose
To support the passing of traditional artistic and cultural knowledge from mentors to apprentices
Who's Eligible
Traditional artists who meet the requirements of mentors or apprentices.
Funding
$3,000 to the mentor and $750 to the apprentice
Matching Requirement
None
Traditional arts are expressions of shared identity that are learned as a part of the cultural life of a particular group. This shared identity may be rooted in family, geographic, tribal, occupational, religious, ethnic, or other connections. As expressions of a living culture, traditional arts are generally handed down from one generation to the next and reflect the shared experience, aesthetics, and values of a group. Traditional arts are dynamic, reflecting change over time and individual innovation over generations of practitioners. South Carolina’s cultural landscape encompasses diverse artistic traditions and practitioners, including indigenous, longstanding, and more recently arrived art forms and communities.
The purpose of this grant is twofold:
Please Note
Grant guidelines are subject to change until the application opens.
For your burning questions about the FY25 version of this grant, please register for our applicant coaching call on Wednesday, March 6, 2024 at 3 p.m.
The Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Initiative supports the communication and strengthening of cultural skills and knowledge by providing funds for a mentor to work with an apprentice, and assists with the cost of travel, necessary materials, or other expenses relating to the apprenticeship.
Priority for funding is given to
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 SCAC will seek your permission before using your media for any commercial/for-profit purpose.
March 15, 2024: Intent to Apply notification deadline, by which potential applicants must contact the program director to discuss their intent to apply for the grant. Notification of intent to apply may be submitted via email or phone.
The application process must be completed by April 23, 2024.
July 1, 2024–May 1, 2025
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.
None
Are you wondering what makes for a strong application?
The SCAC recommends using the FY25 Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Initiative Grant Evaluation Rubric as a guide when preparing for your application interview. Panelists will score your application based on the criteria within that rubric.
Mentor Experience and Skills – 35% | |||||
0-2 | 3-5 | 6-9 | 10-11 | ||
Cultural and Artistic Proficiency | The artist is not skilled and knowledgeable, as defined by their cultural community or group. | The artist is somewhat skilled and knowledgeable, as defined by their cultural community or group. | The artist is skilled and knowledgeable, as defined by their cultural community or group. | The artist is highly skilled and knowledgeable, as defined by their cultural community or group. | |
0-1 | 2-3 | 4-6 | 7-8 | ||
Artist’s Engagement with the Art Form | The artist is not meaningfully engaged with the art form they want to teach. | The artist is somewhat engaged with the art form they want to teach. | The artist is clearly engaged with the art form they want to teach. | The artist is very meaningfully engaged with the art form they want to teach. | |
0-2 | 3-4 | 5-8 | 9-10 | ||
Teaching Effectiveness | The artist does not have the experience or commitment to teach this art form. | The artist has some experience and commitment to teach this art form. | The artist has the experience and commitment to teach this art form. | The artist has exceptional experience and commitment to teach this art form. | |
0-1 | 2-3 | 4-5 | 6 | ||
Cultural and Artistic Lineage | The mentor has not gained their knowledge and skills in a traditional manner, within the relevant cultural context. | The mentor has gained their knowledge and skills in a somewhat traditional manner, within the relevant cultural context. | The mentor has gained their knowledge and skills in a traditional manner, within the relevant cultural context. | The mentor has gained their knowledge and skills in a compellingly traditional manner, within the relevant cultural context . | |
Apprentice Experience and Skills – 30% | |||||
0-3 | 4-7 | 8-12 | 13-15 | ||
Apprentice Readiness | The apprentice does not have the skills and experience that will allow them to benefit from the proposed apprenticeship. | The apprentice has some skills and experience that will allow them to benefit from the proposed apprenticeship. | The apprentice has the skills and experience that will allow them to benefit from the proposed apprenticeship. | The apprentice has exceptional skills and experience that will allow them to benefit from the proposed apprenticeship. | |
0-3 | 4-7 | 8-12 | 13-15 | ||
Commitment and Sustainability | The apprentice has not shown that they are committed to continuing and sustaining the practice of the traditional art beyond this apprenticeship. | The apprentice has shown that they are somewhat committed to continuing and sustaining the practice of the traditional art beyond this apprenticeship. | The apprentice has shown that they are committed to continuing and sustaining the practice of the traditional art beyond this apprenticeship. | The apprentice has shown that they are extremely committed to continuing and sustaining the practice of the traditional art beyond this apprenticeship. | |
Apprenticeship Viability and Overall Impact – 35% | |||||
0 | 1 | 2-3 | 4 | ||
Work Plan | The work plan does not support the identified goals of the apprenticeship. | The work plan somewhat supports the identified goals of the apprenticeship. | The work plan supports the identified goals of the apprenticeship. | The work plan strongly supports the identified goals of the apprenticeship. | |
0 | 1 | 2-3 | 4 | ||
Schedule | The lesson schedule is not feasible. | The lesson schedule is somewhat feasible. | The lesson schedule is feasible. | The lesson schedule is highly feasible. | |
0-1 | 2-3 | 4-6 | 7 | ||
Mentor - Apprentice Match | The mentor’s and apprentice’s goals, skill levels, and commitment to the art form are not aligned. | The mentor’s and apprentice’s goals, skill levels, and commitment to the art form are somewhat aligned. | The mentor’s and apprentice’s goals, skill levels, and commitment to the art form are clearly aligned. | The mentor’s and apprentice’s goals, skill levels, and commitment to the art form are compellingly aligned. | |
0-2 | 3-4 | 5-8 | 9-10 | ||
Cultural Significance | The artists and art form are not significant and valued in their cultural community or group. | The artists and art form are somewhat significant and valued in their cultural community or group. | The artists and art form are clearly significant and valued in their cultural community or group. | The artists and art form are extremely significant and valued in their cultural community or group. | |
0-2 | 3-4 | 5-8 | 9-10 | ||
Cultural and Artistic Sustainability | The apprenticeship does not support the passing and sustainability of traditional artistic and cultural knowledge from the mentor to the apprentice. | The apprenticeship somewhat supports the passing and sustainability of traditional artistic and cultural knowledge from the mentor to the apprentice. | The apprenticeship clearly supports the passing and sustainability of traditional artistic and cultural knowledge from the mentor to the apprentice. | The apprenticeship strongly supports the passing and sustainability of traditional artistic and cultural knowledge from the mentor to the apprentice. |
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.
The mentor and apprentice are encouraged, but not required, to participate in or present a public event. The purpose of the public component is to introduce the traditional art form to the larger community. Funds awarded by SCAC 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 and can be featured as part of an existing activity in the mentor’s and/or apprentice’s community. For example,
Applicants should consider what type of public program might be appropriate and provide a brief description of any potential public component planned.
If awarded an apprenticeship, you will be invited to participate in an optional series of virtual gatherings with other apprenticeship teams in your cohort. The goal of these sessions will be to learn about each other and your mutual art forms, share in the learning process, and provide mutual support and awareness.
Work samples & support materials from both the mentor and apprentice are required. They 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. Your work samples & support materials will be collected during the first interview. The program director can provide assistance with your work samples as needed.
Be selective when choosing these items, prioritizing quality over quantity-less can be more!
Content
Work samples may include, but are not limited to:
Work samples should
For each work sample, you are required to provide the following information:
Type, Duration, & Quantity
You may upload a maximum of 10 work samples, total, for the mentor and apprentice, combined.
Panelists will review no more than 20 minutes, total, of audio and/or video work.
In addition to your work samples, you may submit up to five items of support material to assist the panel in understanding
Support materials may include, but are not limited to
Support materials may be uploaded (accepted file types: .doc/.docx, .pdf, .ppt/.pptx, .rtf., .txt) and/or you may provide a link to the support material online.
The Grants Team will review submitted applications for completeness and compliance with guideline and application requirements. A review panel with folk and traditional arts expertise will evaluate the applications based on the published review criteria. An applicant’s panel comments are available to them upon request. Staff will develop funding recommendations, based on the evaluations and the availability of funds. Recommendations will be presented to the board of commissioners, which makes final award decisions. Award notification is expected after the June 2024 board meeting, pending completion of the state budget process.
Once awarded, Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Initiative grant contracts, payments, final reports, and any other requirements will be managed in our Grants Portal, using the Foundant platform. Both the mentor and the apprentice will need to have active accounts in this system. Our grants and folklife program staff will provide assistance with your online grants management as needed, but we also highly recommend visiting the Grants Portal 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 South Carolina 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 the Grants Portal. 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.
Please note: Any significant revisions to grant-funded activities must be approved in writing, in advance, by the SCAC. Significant revisions to grant-funded activities must be emailed to grants@arts.sc.gov to be processed for approval or denial.
Additional details about managing an SCAC grant are available on our agency website.
ALL GRANTEES are required to file a final report at the end of the grant period. The final report due date is stated in the grant 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. SCAC 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.
We also highly recommend a visit to our Grants Coaching webpage, for
Missed a group call or session? Look for the video link to access a recording of that presentation.