Sustainability
General Operating Support for Organizations of All Sizes
The Sustainability program supports ongoing arts and cultural activities in all genres. Awards support the state's arts and cultural ecosystem, providing stable and consistent funding to organizations regardless of budget size. This flexible and reliable funding supports a wide range of the state's arts providers as they make high-quality artistic experiences available to residents and visitors, positioning Ohio as a national leader in creativity, artistry, and cultural wealth.
Application Deadline
February 1 at 5 p.m. of every fourth year only (next deadline 2023)
View and download the Sustainability PDF.
View and download the Sustainability Returning Grantee Application Groups PDF.
Statewide Arts Service Organizations (SASOs)
General Operating and Partnership Support
In place of competitive operating and project support funding, qualifying organizations that provide statewide professional services to arts and cultural organizations are supported via a parallel process that honors their unique and valuable contributions to Ohio’s arts sector.
Application Deadline
February 1 at 5 p.m. of every fourth year (next deadlines 2023, 2027)
View and download the SASOs PDF.
Questions? Please contact us!
View the Organizational Programs Region Map to determine the coordinator for your county.
ArtSTART
General Project Support for Organizations
The ArtSTART program provides flexible, accessible funding to help organizations complete short-term projects addressing a wide variety of goals and objectives. Most awards support the programming of new or emerging organizations, including first-time OAC applicants, as well as new or established organizations in areas not served by other arts providers.
Application Deadline
April 1 (annually) at 5 p.m.
View and download the ArtSTART PDF.
ArtsNEXT
Funding for Bold, Groundbreaking Projects
The ArtsNEXT program provides competitive funding for innovative and experimental projects. Awards support big ideas that push boundaries, engage participants in unexpected ways, pilot new solutions to challenging problems, improve program design with calculated risk-taking, or result in the creation of new work. These forward-looking projects help define Ohio as an exciting, cutting-edge place to make, consume, and experience the arts.
Application Deadline
March 1 (annually) at 5 p.m.
View and download the ArtNEXT PDF.
ArtsRISE
Expanding Access and Inclusion of Historically Underrepresented Populations
The Ohio Arts Council strives to support the arts in all communities and is dedicated to investing in historically underrepresented populations and groups. ArtsRISE is designed to support organizations working to expand access to their activities to more diverse participants, address equity and inclusion in program design, present arts programming of culturally specific* or ethnic organizations, and support meaningful engagement with other constituent groups including (but not limited to) the BIPOC community, people with disabilities, older adults, Appalachian and rural communities, lower income communities, LGBTQ+ communities, veterans, and justice-impacted citizens.
Application Deadline
Opens spring 2023; applications reviewed and awarded on a first-come, first-served basis until November 30, 2023, or 2024 or until funds are exhausted; applications must be submitted at least 90 days prior to all planned activities.
View and download the ArtsRISE PDF.
Capacity Building
Engaging Outside Expertise to Strengthen Internal Organizational Knowledge
The Capacity Building program supports organizations’ efforts to engage outside expertise to improve business practices or add new knowledge and skills that forward organizations’ missions. Awards may fund outside fees associated with technical assistance projects, planning or evaluation work, staff professional development opportunities, or other initiatives that upgrade an organization’s ability to do what they do. Registration costs for in-person professional development conferences or virtual learning opportunities may also qualify. These internal projects help Ohio arts providers address new challenges, modernize practices and procedures, and strengthen their ability to serve their constituents.
Application Deadline
- May 1 annually (for activities taking place July 1-next June 30) at 5 p.m.
- November 1 annually (for activities taking place January 1- June 30) at 5 p.m.
View and download the Capacity Building PDF.
Ohio Artists on Tour
Artist Fee Support for Presenters
Ohio is home to a remarkable variety of talented performing artists and ensembles that contribute to the quality of life and creative economy of the state. The Ohio Artists on Tour program enables Ohio organizations to tap into the creative potential of these artists to enrich their programming and the vitality of their communities.
Application Deadline
May 15 for fully-executed contracts
View and download the Ohio Artists on Tour PDF.
Questions? Please contact us!
View the Organizational Programs Region Map to determine the coordinator for your county.
Arts Partnership
Support for Arts Education Projects
The Arts Partnership program supports arts education projects that address the needs of individual learners and their communities. Grant recipients engage in collaborative planning with partners, emphasize in-depth study of the arts, and use arts learning outcomes and standards-based arts education practices. The program supports organizations seeking to both maximize community strengths and shed light on community challenges, especially those in historically under-resourced areas. By supporting these projects and programs, the OAC strengthens arts education locally, regionally, and statewide.
Application Deadline
March 1 of odd-numbered years (e.g. 2023, 2025) at 5 p.m.
View and download the Arts Partnership PDF.
Questions? Please contact us!
Email Chiquita Mullins Lee
TeachArtsOhio
Customizable Artist Residencies for PK-12 Students in Ohio's Schools
The TeachArtsOhio (TAO) program brings schools and community organizations together with teaching artists to share engaging, personal, high-quality arts learning experiences. Engagements can vary from short introductory exposures lasting as few as 10 days to in-depth immersive experiences spanning a full school year. Creative and experienced teaching artists, through TAO grant awards, offer learners the opportunity to participate in a unique creative process, bridge cultural differences, develop fresh ways of learning through the arts, and realize lasting benefits from personal contact and collaboration with professional artists who are experienced in working with school age children and youth. TAO is a school’s opportunity to work with a professional teaching artist into a school to supplement arts instruction. Through a collaborative effort between teachers, artists, and administrators, the program supports in-depth, sustained arts instruction and does not reduce a school's commitment to the arts.
Application Deadline
February 1 (annually) at 5 p.m.
View and download the TeachArtsOhio PDF.
Questions? Please contact us!
Email Jarred Small
Big Yellow School Bus
Supporting School Visits to Arts and Cultural Activities
School field trips play an important role in arts education efforts, providing exposure to arts events otherwise inaccessible to many students. The Big Yellow School Bus program helps schools and other educational groups defray student transportation costs to professional arts and diverse cultural activities. These early arts experiences create new relationships between Ohio's youth and the state’s creative sector, and support in-school arts learning activities that are critical to overall academic development.
Application Deadline
Applications accepted year-round, at least eight weeks prior to planned travel
View and download the Big Yellow School Bus PDF.
Questions? Please contact us!
Email Chiquita Mullins Lee
I
ndividual Excellence Awards
Recognizing Individual Artistic Achievement
The Individual Excellence Awards (IEA) program recognizes outstanding accomplishments by artists in a variety of disciplines. Awards give artists the resources to experiment and explore their art forms, develop skills and advance their careers, and receive affirmation and acknowledgment for outstanding work. Competitive applications focus on the merit of past artistic work.
Application Deadline
- September 1 (annually) at 5 p.m.
- In odd-numbered calendar years (e.g., 2023, 2025), applications are accepted in choreography; criticism; fiction; non-fiction; music composition; playwriting/screenplays; and poetry.
- In even-numbered calendar years (e.g., 2024, 2026), applications are accepted in crafts; design arts/illustration; interdisciplinary/performance art; media arts; photography; visual arts 2D; and visual arts 3D.
View and download the IEA PDF.
Artists with Disabilities Access Program
Professional Development Support for Artists with Disabilities
The Artists with Disabilities Access Program (ADAP) provides funding that gives individual artists with disabilities the resources they need to further their artistic development. Creative expression by artists of all abilities is essential to building dynamic and diverse communities throughout Ohio. ADAP awards help artists with disabilities advance their artistic practices, making Ohio a more accessible and inclusive place to build an artistic career.
Application Deadlines
May 1 annually (for up to 12 months of activities taking place July 1 – next June 30) and, if program funds are not exhausted, November 1 annually (for up to six months of activities taking place January 1 – June 30)
View and download the ADAP PDF.
Traditional Arts Apprenticeship
Sustaining Cultural Heritage through Collaboration
The Traditional Arts Apprenticeship (TAA) program provides support for mentor artists to work with apprentices to build understanding and proficiency in folk and traditional art forms. By supporting exemplary practitioners working with dedicated apprentices, this program allows for concentrated study and cultural transmission. Traditional Arts Apprenticeship awards support the teaching and sharing of important cultural traditions and enrich the lives of people throughout the state.
Application Deadline
April 1 (annually) at 5 p.m.
View and download the TAA PDF.
Artist Opportunities
Professional Development and Project Support for Individual Artists
The Artist Opportunities grant supports Ohio artists who have opportunities that will significantly impact their professional growth or have projects that will contribute to the vitality of their community. This grant is open to artists of all disciplines, at any stage of their career, and includes all types of artistic practice.
Application Deadline
May 1 annually (for up to 12 months of activities taking place July 1—next June 30) at 5 p.m.
View and download the Artist Opportunities PDF.
Questions? Please contact us!
Email Chaz O'Neil (artist programs and percent for art coordinator)