Purpose
A leadership- and capacity-building initiative to strengthen and nurture emerging arts leaders and their organizations
Who's Eligible
Organizations with a budget of $500,000 or less whose executive leader has been in any executive role for less than five (5) years
Funding
Up to $2,500 ($1,500 for organization training and $1,000 for leader training)
Matching Requirement
None
To strengthen and nurture emerging arts leaders and their organizations. This leadership- and capacity-building initiative will provide resources, training, and support for emerging leaders and the boards of arts nonprofits to build sustainability, capacity, and partnerships in South Carolina.
Please Note
Grant guidelines are subject to change until the application opens.
The applicant must be a nonprofit arts organization, not an individual artist.
Funds cannot be used for food/beverages, operating support, fundraising projects/events, or endowment/capital campaigns.
Funds can only be used for professional development. Examples include:
Special consideration will be given to arts organizations who have experienced ongoing hardship and have been unable to continue their professional development and to organizations in underserved communities.
Underserved communities include those communities in which people lack arts programs, services, or resources due to geography, economic conditions, cultural background, socio-political circumstances, disability, age or other demonstrable factors. The term “community” can refer to a group of people with a common heritage or characteristics, whether they in the same location or not.
November 7, 2023
Applications may be submitted until 11:59 p.m. (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 SCAC closes at 5 p.m. that day.
All grant-supported activities must be implemented from January 1 through May 31, 2024.
$2,500 ($1,500 for organization training and $1,000 for leader training)
None
Are you wondering what makes for a strong application?
The SCAC recommends using the FY24 Emerging Arts Leader Grant Evaluation Rubric as a guide when writing your application. Grant panelists will score your application responses based on the criteria within this rubric.
The application must include actual leadership-and capacity-building initiative(s) the organization has identified to support the leaders and the board of the arts nonprofit to build sustainability, capacity, and partnerships in South Carolina.
Applications are accepted through our grants portal, which uses the Foundant platform.
New to Foundant? For frequently asked questions, registration instructions, and other helpful information, we highly recommend visiting the Grants Portal FAQ, before you begin working in the system.
The applicant must have an active account in our Grants Portal.
Helpful Hint: To ensure the correct person is listed as the primary contact for your application, that person should be the one to log on and click the “Apply” button to start the application. The primary contact person for this grant should be the person who will:
Not quite ready to apply? You can preview the application before you create an account or start an application.
The Grants Team will review submitted applications for completeness and compliance with guideline and application requirements. A review panel of business professionals will evaluate the applications based on the published review criteria (see “Grant Criteria” section).
An applicant’s panel comments are available to them upon request. Staff will then develop funding recommendations, based on these evaluations and the availability of funds. Final funding decisions are approved by the deputy director. Award notification is expected in four to five weeks after the application deadline.
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.
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.