South Arts Empowers Artist Communities Through Spring 2026 Grants
South Arts Empowers Artist Communities Through Spring 2026 Grants
Building Arts Access and Organizational Growth Across Rural and Small Communities
April 15 – Atlanta, GA — South Arts is pleased to announce an open call for applications in its Spring 2026 grant cycle, which includes the Southern Artist Spotlight Grants, Arts in Rural Places Grants, and the Professional Development Grants for Arts Organizations programs.
Applications for all programs are now open and will be accepted on a rolling basis.
The regional arts organization is dedicated to supporting and enriching the South’s landscape of artistic excellence. This season’s grant programs are designed to connect artists with new audiences, including those in rural areas — building on South Arts’ broader mission to strengthen the arts ecosystem while expanding access for communities of all sizes.
As one of South Arts’ newest grant programs, Southern Artist Spotlight Grant is designed to expand access to high-quality arts experiences across the Southern region by supporting nonprofits and governmental presenters featuring artists from South Arts artist roster of past grant recipients. Awards of up to $8,000 are provided for dance presentations, and up to $5,000 for disciplines including film, music, literary arts, traditional arts, and visual arts. Grants are used to support public presentations, performances, exhibitions, readings, screenings, workshops, or demonstrations for the community.
By supporting presenters directly, the program strengthens public engagement in venues such as libraries, museums, film festivals, performing arts centers and schools, while giving communities greater access to artists and offering artists new audiences. To participate, organizations must present an artist from the South Arts roster who has worked in documentary film, music, performing arts, literary arts, visual arts, or traditional and folk arts.
In keeping with South Arts’ commitment to expand arts access for rural, small communities, the Arts in Rural Places (formerly Express Grant) program provides specialized support to make that vision possible. Distributed on a first-come first-serve basis, the Arts in Rural Places program provides expedited grants of up to $3,000 in artist fee support, for arts organizations across South Arts’ nine-state region—Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
Recognizing that communities that are isolated due to geography, socioeconomic factors, outmigration, education gaps, or lack of infrastructure, and often fall short of the necessary funding to sustain access to the arts, South Arts has created this program to provide support in municipalities with populations of 50,000 people or less. Eligible programs must feature Southern film directors, traditional, visual, and performing artists, or writers from within or outside of the presenter’s state, and require at least two public-facing activities that bring Southern artists’ work to the community.
With a focus on strengthening arts organizations across the region, the Professional Development Grants offer up to $5,000 to support staff training, strategic planning, and organizational growth, helping organizations adapt, innovate, and thrive in a changing arts landscape. Open to arts nonprofits in South Arts’ nine-state region, these grants enable organizations to build capacity, empower their teams, and expand their impact. By investing in the professional growth of arts leaders, South Arts ensures a vibrant, resilient arts ecosystem across the South.
Doug Shipman, president and CEO of South Arts underscored these opportunities stating that “All communities deserve opportunities to participate in the arts. Artistic events and gatherings provide moments to connect, express, and thrive and these programs help make that possible across the South.”
Applications for both of these programs will be open on a rolling basis. For more information on eligibility and additional opportunities from South Arts, please visit southarts.org.
About South Arts
South Arts advances Southern vitality through the arts. The nonprofit regional arts organization was founded in 1975 to build on the South’s unique heritage and enhance the public value of the arts. South Arts’ work responds to the arts environment and cultural trends with a regional perspective. South Arts offers an annual portfolio of activities designed to support the success of artists and arts providers in the South, address the needs of Southern communities through impactful arts-based programs, and celebrate the excellence, innovation, value and power of the arts of the South. For more information, visit www.southarts.org.
