Festival Grant Program Fall 2024

The ACGG Festival Grant supports a one-to-three-day social event that brings people together, centered around celebrating and honoring the culture and people of the community. The Festival must offer a unique and vibrant experience highlighting the artistic community and enjoying artistic expression, music, food, and traditions. 

Applicant Eligibility:

Applicant may be a Guilford County Non-Profit 501c3, LLC, B Corp, C Corp. Priority will be given to Arts Non-Profits and Festivals that support and promote the arts. 

Applicants must demonstrate experience in planning and execution of a one-to-three-day festival event. Festival experience must have a consistent track record of three consecutive years. 

Festival must take place in Guilford County and benefit residents, encourage visitors, and enhance the local artistic culture and vitality. Guilford County-Gibsonville, High Point, Jamestown, Oak Ridge, Pleasant Garden, Sedalia, Stokesdale, Summerfield, Whitsett and Greensboro. 

Fall Festival Dates: September 1, 2025, and February 28, 2026

Frequency of Requests: The program will not consider more than one funding request from the same organization in a single fiscal year.

Excluded from funding: fundraising events, sporting or athletic events, church, religious organizations, government agencies or offices, businesses or private clubs that exclude minors as patrons, and residential projects. Additionally, events used for political purposes, demonstrations, marches, rallies, or protests, as well as trade shows, trade fairs, business conferences, workshops, employee training, professional development activities, and events involving scholarships, prizes, cash awards, additions to endowment funds, deficit or debt reduction, lobbying, building construction or renovation, equipment or real property purchases, hospitality, and re-granting.

Award Amount

The Festival Grant Program offers awards ranging from $500 to $3,000, ensuring that the financial support complements the event's budget without exceeding 50% of the total projected expenses. 

The Arts Council of Greater Greensboro Primary Goals 

Community engagement, building cultural awareness through artistic measures, with a focus on sustainability of the arts in Guilford County. Encourage economic and social development while providing safe community centric programming. 

Proposed use of funding:

Marketing your festival to the public, hiring artists, and securing necessary permits and fees for a safe festival. 

Evaluation Criteria

Applications are meticulously evaluated by community panelist based on several criteria to ensure that the selected festivals align with the grant criteria. 

· Organization and Festival Information: Organization is clearly established and has a proven track record of producing festivals and working with the community.  (10 Points)

· Audience Fit and Community Support- Has the ability to reach a broad audience and encourages participation and growth. (15 Points)

· Festival Objective: Festival uniquely celebrates Guilford County’s cultural Identity and aligns with the goals of The Arts Council of Greater Greensboro. (15 Points)

· Programming Operations and Logistics: Planning outlines are well established and comprehensive to support a successful festival. (10 Points)

· Viability of Execution: The planning supports a festival that can be easily executed and shows thoughtful consideration for safety and community. (15 Points)

· Marketing Power: Strong marketing plan utilizing promotional partners, website presence, social media campaigns and the potential for increased media coverage and public attention.  (15 Points)

· Funding Sources and Financial Information: Support from additional funding sources, including ticket sales, sponsorships, grants, and organizational contributions. The proper use of grant funds and demonstrated support from the local community, local businesses, and public-sector partners. (10 Points)

· Sustainability of Event; The ability for the festival event to be repeated on an annual basis and the ability to expand through awareness and attract and engage new audience. (10 Points)

 Applicants can receive up to 100 points. Funding will be based on a scale to score basis. Scores of 60 points or below will not qualify for funding. 

The ACGG Festival Partnerships

• NC Association of Festivals and Events
• High Point Arts Council  

 Funding for the Festival Grant program is a partnership with North Carolina Arts Council and Guilford County

About the Program

The North Carolina Arts Council has established the Artist Support Grant as a one-year regional grant program to support individual artists. The program provides direct support to individual artists for professional and artistic development, either to enhance their skills and abilities to create work or to improve their business operations and capacity to bring the work to audiences. The Arts Council of Greater Greensboro and Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County partner to manage the Artist Support Grant Region 11.

Participating Counties in Region 11: 

Davidson County, Davie County, Forsyth County, Guilford County, Randolph County

Guilford and Randolph Counties apply to The Arts Council of Greater Greensboro

Davidson County, Davie County, Forsyth Counties apply to Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County

Grant Guidelines

Applicants must be eligible to apply for the Artist Support Grant Program. Provided below are the grant guidelines for this specific application.

Eligibility and Scope

The Artist Support Grant is intended to support a broad range of talented artists in visual arts, performing arts, literary arts, music composition, choreography, and interdisciplinary arts. Eligible candidates may be either emerging or established artists. Applicants should demonstrate a commitment to spending a significant portion of their time on their work as artists.

Individuals and Artist Collectives

• Individual artists and small unincorporated groups of collaborating artists are eligible to apply.

Residency

• Artists must reside in one of the following counties Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Guilford, or Randolph County.
• Artists have lived in the region (Region 11: Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Guilford, Randolph), where they are applying continuously for at least one year before the consortium’s application deadline (September 30, 2024, to September 5, 2025)
• Applicants must be at least 18 years old and either a U.S citizen or permanent resident immigrant. The consortium may require proof of residence and statute.
• Artists who have lived in more than one region should apply only where they spend most of the year: for example, 183 Days.
• All members of a collaborating team must be North Carolina residents, live in the region where they are applying, and meet the other eligibility requirements.
• Resumés for individuals and all team members documenting residence should be included in the application.

Multiple Awards

• Artists who are sole proprietors of organizations that have already received funding for the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 from the North Carolina Arts Council are ineligible to apply.
• Past awardees must also wait at least two years after the award year to become eligible to reapply.

Conflicts- of- Interest

• Current board and staff members of the participating partner organizations and their family members are not eligible to apply for the award.

Student Status

• The  Artist Support Grant is intended for adults (18 years or older), non-student artists. Artists enrolled full-time in undergraduate or associate degree-granting programs may not apply for the grant.
• Artists in certificate programs are generally eligible.
• Artists pursuing graduate degrees in subjects other than their art form may be eligible if they meet the other eligibility criteria.

Eligible Projects and Costs

• Completion/Presentation of a New Work — Cost of resources necessary to complete or present a      significant new work (e.g., purchasing art supplies or equipment (digital may qualify) or space rental).
• Career Promotion — Projects aimed at advertising artists’ work and demonstrating their skill level (example, websites, portfolios, audio-visual documentation, and online presentation).
• Training— Costs to attend a class or workshop (in-person or virtual) aimed either at enhancing the artist’s skill level or professional development (example, a master class or workshop taught by acknowledged authorities in the applicant artist’s medium).
• Travel — Costs of transportation, lodging, and food for training, professional conferences, or research as allowed or possible while adhering to social distancing guidelines.
• Artist Fee — Costs of labor equals the time that one spends on a project. (Two ways to show a reasonable artist fee are by the hour and by the month). In the project year 2025–2026, applicants may apply for up to 50 percent of the grant to support artist fees.

Ineligible Projects and Costs

• Scholarships for undergraduate or graduate-level education.
• Projects that support or oppose a particular candidate for public office.
• Projects that are exclusive to members of a particular religious faith group.
• Nonprofit initiatives.
• Projects that do not directly affect the applicant’s growth as an artist (e.g. promoting other artists’ work).

Evaluation Criteria

Artistic Merit

• Demonstrated talent in an art form and overall excellence of the artist’s work.
• Clear commitment to a career as a practicing professional artist.

Project Merit

• The benefit of the proposed project to the artist’s professional growth.
• Feasibility of the proposed project.

Evaluation and Panel Process

• Lead arts councils schedules the panel.
• N.C.  Arts Council has developed a list of potential panelists by region.
• Panelists should be chosen based on professional expertise.
• Consortium members may observe the panels but should not serve as panelists.
• All completed applications will be reviewed by a panel of arts professionals  with experience in various disciplines. Panelists will score each application based on the above evaluation criteria.

Timeline Application Launch Monday, June 2nd, 2025

Informational Sessions (via Zoom) - click on link to register:

Monday, June 9, 2025 | 12:00–1:00 PM 

Monday, July 14, 2025 | 5:30-6:30 PM 

Monday, August 11, 2025 | 12:00-1:00 PM 

All applications are to be submitted on the Submittable online grant portal.

• Application  Deadline: Midnight, Friday September 5, 2025
• Award Notification: Recipients will be notified by November 25, 2025
• Project Funds will be distribution by: January 31, 2026
• Project Interim Report Due: March 30, 2026, to May 31, 2026
• Project Final Report Due: 2 weeks after grant completion, no later than December 31, 2026
• Funds must be spent by: June 30, 2026
• Must complete projects by: December 15, 2026

Assistance

Applicants who have any questions, concerns, or require assistance can contact either of the following two Arts Councils:

Guilford and Randolph Counties - The Arts Council of Greater Greensboro

Artist Services and Impact Officer: jmeyer@theacgg.org

Jaymie Meyer (336) 279-7082

https://theacgg.org/artist-support-grant/

Davidson, Davie, and Forsyth Counties - Arts Council of Winston Salem & Forsyth County

Community Grant and Services Manager: cboynton@intothearts.org

Cécile Boynton 336-747-1412

https://www.intothearts.org/funding/artist-support-grant