Individual Artist Fellowships

About the Individual Artist Fellowships

Purpose

These fellowships recognize and reward the artistic achievements of South Carolina’s exceptional individual artists. Fellowship awards are made through a highly competitive process and are based on artistic merit, achievements, and commitment to discipline. The fellowship awards bring recognition that may open doors to other resources and employment opportunities.

• Learn about the FY25 Fellows on The Hub.
• Learn about Past Fellows in the Artist Development section of our website.

Please Note

Grant guidelines are subject to change until the application opens.

• Applicant Coaching

  Please note

  Coaching videos are provided as a guide for applicants in the stated fiscal year and information provided might not apply to subsequent years.

• Eligibility

  1. The applicant must be a practicing individual artist (duos, collaborative works, and other ensembles are not eligible), working in one (1) or more of the disciplines eligible for the application year. Up to five (5) fellowships are awarded each year (maximum of one in each discipline), with artistic disciplines rotating from year to year. The next eligible disciplines will be:
     • FY27: Prose; Spoken word/Slam poetry; Performance: dance, music, or acting (film or theatre); Playwriting/Screenwriting; and Folklife and Traditional Arts (quilting, embroidery, sewing, beading, weaving, pottery, basketmaking, woodcarving, folk music, dance, or oral literature); Media Arts (TV or film production, including experimental film, screenwriting, or animation) (apply early 2026).
     • FY28: Visual Art; Craft; Time-Based Art (installation, sound, film, video art, animation, computer-generated art, or performance art); and Music: Composition (apply fall 2026).
     • FY29: Poetry; Spoken word/Slam poetry; Choreography & Directing (film, theatre, opera); Performance: dance, music, or acting (film or theatre); and Folklife and Traditional Arts (quilting, embroidery, sewing, beading, weaving, pottery, basketmaking, woodcarving, folk music, dance, or oral literature) (apply fall 2027).
  2. The applicant must also be
     • A legal resident of the U.S. and S.C. with a permanent residence in the state for two (2) years prior to the application date and throughout the fellowship period; and
     • 18 years of age or older at the time of application.
  3. The applicant must not be a degree-seeking student during the award period.

• Restrictions

  • There is a limit of two SCAC Fellowships in an artist’s career.
  • There is a period of ineligibility of 10 years after the first fellowship is awarded. Artists who received fellowships prior to FY16 (July 1, 2015 – June 30, 2016) are eligible to apply for the FY26 (July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026) fellowships.
  • Fellows may not receive any other SCAC grant awards during their fellowship year.
  • An artist may apply in more than one category but is only eligible to receive one fellowship. If applying in more than one category, a different body of work must be submitted for each category.
  • Commissioners and staff of the S.C. Arts Commission and members of their immediate families are not eligible to apply for any individual SCAC programs, grants, fellowships, or services that provide financial support or career recognition.

• Additional Requirements of the Fellowship Award

  None

• Priority

  There are no specified priority areas for this grant category.

• Deadline & Grant Period

  Deadline

  February 11, 2025

  
  

  Applications may be submitted until 11:59 p.m. (Eastern Time) on the deadline date. However, staff members are not available to assist you with questions or technical difficulties after SCAC closes at 5 p.m.

  Grant Period

  July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026

• Funding & Match

  Funding

  $10,000 per fellowship.

  There are no restrictions on the use of fellowship funds.

  SCAC artist grant awards are considered taxable income.

  Matching Requirements

  None

• Grant Criteria

  Are you wondering what makes for a strong application?

  The SCAC recommends using the specified FY26 Individual Artist Fellowship Grant Evaluation Rubric as a guide when writing your application. Panelists will score your application responses based on the criteria within that rubric.

  FY26 Individual Artist Fellowship Grant Evaluation Rubric
  Support Materials: Artistic Merit (60%)
  	0-6	7-14	15-22	23-30
  Distinctiveness	Work samples show minimal distinctiveness in theme or concept.	Work samples show marginal distinctiveness in theme or concept.	Work samples show distinctiveness in theme or concept.	Work samples show exemplary distinctiveness in theme or concept.
  	0-6	7-14	15-22	23-30
  Originality	Work samples show minimal originality in execution.	Work samples show marginal originality in execution.	Work samples show originality in execution.	Work samples show exemplary originality in execution.
  Résumé/Bio (40%)
  	0-9	10-19	20-29	30-40
  Achievements and Commitment to Artistic Practice	The résumé shows minimum achievements and commitment to artistic discipline and overall core work.	The résumé demonstrates some achievements and commitment to artistic discipline and overall core work.	The résumé demonstrates achievements and commitment to artistic discipline and overall core work.	The résumé is indicative of significant achievements and commitment to artistic discipline and overall core work.

  Printer-friendly rubric.

How to Apply

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.

To Apply in Another Fellowship Category

You may apply for more than one fellowship in the same year, but you must complete all application steps for each category and submit one application at a time.

• Your Grants Portal Account

  Applicants must have an active account in our grants portal (Foundant).

  If you have previously used Submittable to apply for other SCAC grants or programs, please note that Foundant is a different system. Your Submittable credentials will not work; you will need a Foundant account to apply for this grant.

  If you have used the grants portal as both an artist and for a school or organization, be sure you log on with the correct account to apply for this grant.

• Work Samples and Resume

  As part of your fellowship application, you will be required to upload:

  • Samples of your work in the fellowship discipline for which you are applying.
    • The work represented by these samples should be completed within the last 10 years (2015-2024).
    • All URL work samples must be public-facing or viewable to those who have the link, meaning panelists and staff must be able to view the work sample without needing to create an account.
  • Your resume, as evidence of your achievements and commitment to artistic discipline and overall core work.

  Specific requirements for these uploads are outlined in these guidelines. You may need to create new electronic files (documents, video files, etc.) to submit materials that meet the length, content, formatting, and other specifications.

  Work Samples

  Visual Art

  Applicants must upload five (5) high-res images and may upload up to 10 high-res images.

  • Acceptable file types: .gif, .jpg/.jpeg, .png, .tif/.tiff, .svg, .pdf
  • For each work sample submitted, you must provide its title, medium, dimensions, and year completed.

  Craft

  Applicants must upload five (5) high-res images and may upload up to 10 high-res images.

  • Acceptable file types: .gif, .jpg/.jpeg, .png, .tif/.tiff, .svg, .pdf
  • For each work sample submitted, you must provide its title, medium, dimensions, and year completed.

  Design Arts (architecture, fashion, graphic, industrial, or interior)

  Applicants must upload five (5) high-res images and may upload up to 10 high-res images.

  • Acceptable file types: .gif, .jpg/.jpeg, .png, .tif/.tiff, .svg, .pdf
  • For each work sample submitted, you must provide its title, medium, dimensions, and year completed.

  Media Production

  Applicants must submit two (2) viewing samples (not to exceed 10 minutes each) from two (2) different completed works by providing a link to each work. Panelists will not view more than 10 minutes of footage per application.

  • For each work sample submitted, you must provide the title, the year completed, the length, and beginning and ending time codes.
  • The first work sample must be a non-collaborative work conceived solely by the applicant. The second sample may be a collaborative piece.

  If a work sample is not available on the web via a link, please contact the Grants Team (803.734.8695 | grants@arts.sc.gov).

  Public Art (ephemeral or permanent)

  Applicants must submit five (5) work samples total and may submit up to 10 work samples total, consisting of the following:

  • Up to five (5) high-res images.
    • Acceptable file types: .gif, .jpg/.jpeg, .png, .tif/.tiff, .svg, .pdf
    • For each work sample submitted, you must provide its title, medium, dimensions, and year completed.

  AND

  • Up to five (5) video samples.
    • All samples must not exceed 20 minutes combined. Panelists will not view more than 20 minutes of footage per application.
    • For each work sample submitted, you must provide its title, year completed, length, and beginning and ending time codes.

  If a work sample is not available on the web via a link, please contact the Grants Team (803.734.8695 | grants@arts.sc.gov).

  Resume

  • Your resume may not exceed three (3) pages. Additional pages will not be reviewed.
  • Font size cannot be smaller than 12 point.
  • Font type is limited to Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman.
  • Acceptable file types: .doc/.docx, .pdf, .rtf., .txt

After You Apply

• Review Process

  The Grants Team will review submitted applications for completeness and compliance with guideline and application requirements. Out-of-state panelists will evaluate the applications based on the published review criteria. 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. Recommendations will be presented to the board of commissioners, which makes final award decisions. Award notification is expected after the June 2025 board meeting, pending completion of the state budget process.

  Please note:

  • A minimum of five (5) applications must be received in a fellowship discipline category in order for the category to undergo panel review.
  • The SCAC reserves the right not to award a fellowship in any discipline for which applications have been solicited.

• If You Receive a Fellowship

  Upon notification of the award, fellowship winners will be asked to immediately forward a photograph to be used for promotional purposes.

  As a fellowship recipient, you will enter into a contractual agreement with the SCAC, and you must comply with all requirements stated in those contract materials. You will receive notification and instructions when your contract is available in our 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 given.

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

  Payment

  Payment of the award will be released upon receipt and approval of a completed contract packet. Fellows may choose to receive their full award in one payment, or divided into two payments (one per calendar year).