Presentation Grants are available to organizational applicants only. If you are an individual artist, please visit our Grants and Opportunities section to learn more about individual artist opportunities.
What is a presenter?
For the Presentation Grant program, a presenter is defined as an organization that presents or hosts guest artists for engagements in their community. Presenters can include but are not limited to community cultural organizations, community centers, churches, schools/colleges/universities, libraries, museums, film festivals/series, and performing arts centers.
Are producing organizations or performing arts groups eligible?
Typically, a producing organization or performing arts group is not considered a presenter, even when a guest artist is contracted to perform with its company. Producing organizations and performing arts groups are strongly encouraged to contact South Arts to discuss eligibility.
Do you accept fiscal agents as applicants?
No, applicants must have their own not-for-profit, tax-exempt status or be an official unit of local, county or state government, or a federally recognized tribal community. Applications are accepted from any tribal community with not-for-profit, tax-exempt status.
Can a government agency apply for a Presentation Grant?
Yes, we accept applications from municipalities. If you are a municipality, you must provide proof of government status in your application.
If I received a Presentation Grant from the last cycle but the project has been postponed, can I still apply for a Presentation Grant during this cycle?
Yes, you can apply for an FY25 Presentation Grant as long as it is for a different project.
Can an organization apply for and receive different grants from South Arts within the same year?
Because we have many grant programs, we encourage you to contact the program staff and confirm any restrictions. Typically, you can apply to more than one grant program for a different project. The exception is that an organization can only receive one of the following grants: Presentation Grant, Express Grant, or Traditional Arts Touring Grant.
What expenses do Presentation Grants support?
Presentation Grants can only be used to support the artist fee portion of your project budget. This grant may support travel expenses if the travel costs are included in the artist’s guaranteed fee. This grant does not support indirect and additional project costs.
Can you explain the cash match requirement?
Applicants must match our grant award by 100%. Example: If you receive a $4,000 grant, you must provide a cash match of $4,000. This means that you will pay the artist a minimum of $8,000.
Does the match have to be cash or can it be in-kind?
The grant requires a cash match. Common sources of matching funds are contributions by individual donor or grants from private foundations, local/municipal arts organizations, and/or state arts agencies.
Is it correct that funds are not distributed until project completion?
Typically, grant funds are processed after the completion of the project and receipt of the Final Report Form. However, you can request an advance payment of up to 75% of your total grant amount.
If we don't have a fully executed contract by the due date, can we submit something else instead?
Yes, you can submit a letter of agreement or letter of intent. The letter must be signed by the applicant and the artist. Please include the artist’s activities (e.g., the public presentation, educational/community engagement component, other project activities), activity date(s) and the artist fee.
Can the educational component be virtual?
Yes, the educational component can be virtual, but there must be interaction between the guest artist and your local community. The virtual activity must include local participation.
Does the educational/community engagement component have to be open to the public?
No, these activities can be for a target/invite-only audience or open to the public. We encourage applicants to design activities that will best aid them in engaging with their local community.
Could a Presentation Grant be part of developing a new work with a Southern artist as long as there is a public presentation?
Yes, the project can include the creation of the work as long as the project also includes the public presentation of the artist’s work within the FY25 project period and the artist is involved in an educational/community engagement activity.
Does the public presentation or educational/community engagement activities have to be free of charge?
No, organizations may charge admission to all or select activities as appropriate.
Is the grant for one artist or can it be for multiple artists?
This grant program does not support multiple artists. You can only submit an application for one artist, one collective, one ensemble, or one company. For collectives, ensembles, and companies, at least 50% of the members must reside in the South Arts region.
Does the guest artist, company, or ensemble have to reside in South Arts’ region?
Yes, the artist must currently reside in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, or Tennessee.
Can the guest artist come from the same city or state that the organization serves?
Yes, this grant cycle supports the engagement of local artists.
Can the same artist be submitted in more than one application?
Yes, there is no limit to the number of presenters that can feature an artist in their application.
Can we apply for the same artist to return year after year with a different application?
Yes, you can. However, we encourage you to share in your application why you want to bring the same artist back to your community.
What are the project requirements for the artist?
The artist must participate in a minimum of two separate activities – at least one public presentation (a reading, performance, film screening or exhibition of their work) and at least one educational/community engagement activity (such as a masterclass, lecture, or workshop).
What qualifies as a reading?
Readings are activities conducted by a poet, a fiction writer, or creative non-fiction writer in which they read from their own work. This activity could be part of a larger presentation. Readings by playwrights are ineligible.
For film projects, who is considered the artist?
The filmmaker or film director is the artist that must be engaged in your project activities.
Who qualifies as a professional guest artist or company for my project?
Guest artists or companies are often those who:
Is a readiness plan also called a strategic plan?
No, we see these as different tools. A readiness plan is a combination of documents, processes, and training that formulate how your organization will respond should the unexpected occur. This could include the loss of resources or the ability to function normally, whether brought on by theft, natural disaster, loss of a key individual, technology failure, or any other unexpected event.
What should be the scope of our plan?
A holistic plan for the organization is preferred. If your organization is part of a larger entity, like a municipality or university, also consider including department and facility-specific plans. For more information and resources for readiness planning, read What is a Readiness Plan? and visit dPlan|ArtsReady. The dPlan|ArtsReady online tool guides users through developing a customized readiness plan and provides templates and examples of readiness plan elements. South Arts is offering a free year of access to dPlan|ArtsReady for performing arts organizations. For more information, please visit our website.
How do I upload files into my application?
The South Arts team has prepared a short video walkthrough to assist you in uploading files into our new Salesforce application portal.