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 FY23 Fellows on The Hub.
• Learn about Past Fellows in the Artist Development section of our website.

Please Note

Grant guidelines are subject to change.

Applicant Coaching

• Eligibility

  1. The applicant must be a practicing individual artist (duos, collaborative works, and other ensembles are not eligible), working in one or more of the disciplines eligible for the application year. Up to five 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:
     • FY24: Visual Art, Craft, Time-Based Art (installation, sound, experimental film, video art, animation, computer generated art, or performance art), Music: Composition (apply fall 2022)
     • FY25: Poetry, Spoken word/Slam poetry, Choreography & Directing (film theatre, opera), and Performance: dance, music, or acting (film or theatre), (apply fall 2023)
     • FY26: Visual Art, Craft, Design arts (architecture, fashion, graphic, industrial, or interior), Media Production (apply fall 2024)
     • FY27: Prose, Spoken word/Slam poetry, Performance: dance, music, or acting (film or theatre), Playwriting/Screenwriting (apply fall 2025)
  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 three 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 FY14 (July 1, 2013 – June 30, 2014) are eligible to apply for the FY24 (July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024) 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.

• Additional Requirements of the Fellowship Award

  Any activities carried out within this award must align with state guidelines regarding COVID-19.

• Priority

  There are no specified priority areas for this grant category.

• Deadline & Grant Period

  Deadline

  November 15, 2022

  
  

  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.

  Grant Period

  July 2023-June 2024

• 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

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.

PLEASE NOTE: You are urged to consider the Review Criteria (detailed in the “Review Process” section of these guidelines, under “After You Apply”) as you prepare your application materials. These criteria will be used to evaluate your application and determine the funding of your proposal.

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

  The applicant must have an active account in our Grants Portal.

  • If you have previously used Submittable to apply for other SCAC grants or programs, please note that the grants portal is a different system. Your Submittable credentials will not work; you will need a grants portal account to apply for this grant.
  • If you have used the grants portal as both an artist and as a contact 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, and
  • your resume, as evidence of your achievements and commitment to discipline.

  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.

  • The work represented by these samples should be completed within the last five years (2017-2022).
  • 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.

  Work Samples

  Visual Art & Craft

  • Applicants must upload five (5) high-res images and may upload up to ten (10) high-res images.
  • Acceptable file types: .gif, .jpg/.jpeg, .png, .tif/.tiff, .svg
  • For each work sample submitted, you must provide its title, medium, dimensions, and year completed.

  Time-Based Art

  Applicants must submit

  Five (5) work samples and may submit up to ten (10) work samples consisting of the following:

  • May submit up to three (3) images
    • Acceptable file types: .gif, .jpg/.jpeg, .png, .tif/.tiff, .svg
  • For each work sample submitted, you must provide its title, medium, dimensions, and year completed.

  AND

  • May submit up to seven (7) listening/viewing samples.
    • All samples must be added by providing a link to each work
    • 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.

  Music Composition

  • Applicants must submit links for two (2) original compositions with accompanying scores or lead sheets.
    • For improvisational compositions in which the composer is also performing, indicate the instrument played by the composer.
    • For compositions for which scores are not available, a brief description of the composition process must be submitted.
    • Acceptable file types for scores: .doc/.docx, .pdf, .rtf., .txt,
  • Total submitted footage (all samples) must not exceed 10 minutes combined. Panelists will not view more than 10 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 our Grants Team at 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 11 pt.
  • Font type is limited to Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman.
  • Acceptable file types: .doc/.docx, .pdf, .rtf., .txt

After You Apply

• Review Process & Criteria

  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 2023 board meeting, pending completion of the state budget process.

  Please note:

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

  Review Criteria

  Fellowship applicants’ works are reviewed by out-of-state panelists who make their judgments based on artistic merit, achievements and commitment to discipline.

• 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 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.

  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).

I’m Here to Help!

• If you are seeking advisement, please contact Deputy Director Ce Scott-Fitts (803.734.8203 | cscottfitts@arts.sc.gov) before submitting an application.
• If you have submitted an application, and/or you have a current grant, please contact the Grants Team (803.734.8695 | grants@arts.sc.gov).

Grants Coaching

We also highly recommend a visit to our Grants Coaching webpage, for

• open coaching calls for artists,
• category-specific information for grant applicants,
• topic sessions, and
• opportunities for one-on-one assistance.

Missed a group call or session? Look for the video link to access a recording of that presentation.