Grants
Welcome to the Alaska State Council on the Arts Grants Resource Page
(Updated January 2020)
Grant programs reflect and support the mission and goals of the Alaska State Council on the Arts (ASCA), as set by the Council. Guidelines and eligibility information are specific to each program. All grants are contingent upon availability of funds. ASCA operates on a July 1-June 30 fiscal year, and application deadlines shown are aligned with that fiscal year.
Information about specific grant programs as well as links to guidelines and applications for currently available grants is included below. To access applications available through the online grants system (GOSmart) you must create a profile, as an individual or an organization.
The Alaska State Council on the Arts will continue to update this page, and this website, as additional grant programs come online. If you are unable to access grant materials or application processes as cited on this webpage, please contact the Alaska State Council on the Arts for technical assistance.
Grants to Organizations
Operating Support Grants
Annual Grant Deadline: March 1
Operating Support grants are annual or biennial grants available to eligible organizational applicants to support a portion of ongoing artistic and administrative functions. These may include, but are not limited to salaries, travel, promotion and production costs of an entire program, or a majority of the organization's yearly activities.
For complete information and application, visit the online grant system. For technical assistance, contact Andrea Noble at andrea.noble@alaska.gov.
Community Arts Development
Quarterly Grant Deadlines: June 1, September 1, December 1, March 1
Community Arts Development Grants assist small nonprofit Alaskan organizations in developing art programs in underserved areas of the state and/or underserved disciplines. Exhibits, concerts, dance performances and festivals, workshops, readings, theater productions are examples of the kinds of arts projects funded through this grant category. Grants will also be given to assist developing organizations in the area of arts administration such as board development, accounting systems and budget development. Priority will be given to those organizations that operate on a volunteer basis with no paid staff. Grant awards will not exceed $5000.
For complete information and application, visit the online grant system. For technical assistance, contact Andrea Noble at andrea.noble@alaska.gov.
Workshop Grants
Quarterly Grant Deadlines: June 1, September 1, December 1, March 1
Workshop Grants support unique, arts-related activities of limited duration that offer Alaskans the opportunity to participate in an arts activity not regularly available in their community. All areas of the visual, performing, traditional, craft, media, and literary arts, as well as arts administration, are eligible disciplines for this grant category.
For complete information and application, visit the online grant system. For technical assistance, contact Andrea Noble at (907) 269-6605 or andrea.noble@alaska.gov.
Helen Walker Performing Arts Grants
Quarterly Grant Deadlines: June 1, September 1, December 1, March 1
The Helen Walker Performing Arts Fund Grant is named for Helen A. Walker, a major arts advocate in the state until her death in 1996. Ms. Walker was a recipient of the Governor's Award for the Arts in 1984, a founder of the Fairbanks Arts Association and the Sitka Summer Music Festival, as well as Arts Alaska. She served as a board member for numerous cultural groups, including the Alaska Repertory Theater, the Fairbanks Library Foundation, the University of Alaska's KUAC Advisory Board, and Fairbanks Commissions for Urban Beautification, Parks and Recreation, and the Library.
Arts Alaska provided professional management services for the state's performing arts tours and other programs from 1975 to 1988. Since that time, the Arts Alaska Endowment Fund awarded over $100,000 to qualifying sponsors/presenters for performing arts projects in small Alaskan communities.
In 2006, the Arts Alaska Board of Directors voted to dissolve the organization and invest the funds through the Alaska Arts and Culture Foundation. Each year, interest from this fund will provide grants to support the performing arts in Alaska.
For complete information and application, visit the online grant system. For technical assistance, contact Laura Forbes at (907) 269-6682 or laura.forbes@alaska.gov.
Harper Arts Touring Fund
Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis; deadlines are rolling, at least 90 days prior to the planned activity.
The Harper Arts Touring Fund was established by the Rasmuson Foundation in 2002 to increase access to high quality performing arts, visual arts and culture exhibitions in communities throughout Alaska, and is named for Alaskan arts leader, Jerry Harper. The Harper Arts Touring Fund now continues as a program of the Alaska State Council on the Arts, supported by Rasmuson Foundation. The program is designed to encourage tours of Alaska’s arts presentations and exhibitions; build the capacity of organizations in small communities to present and exhibit; and to build audiences for cultural events and exhibitions. The Fund provides grants to subsidize travel and freight expenses associated with the presentation of touring performances, or visual arts and material culture exhibitions in communities without regular access to these types of programs. Through a partnership with the Alaska State Council on the Arts, training and technical assistance are provided to help communities strengthen their ability to successfully present performing arts activities and visual arts and material culture exhibitions.
Please carefully read through the Harper Arts Touring Fund Grant Guidelines before beginning an application. Contact Laura Forbes at (907) 269-6682 or laura.forbes@alaska.gov for technical assistance.
Harper Arts Touring Fund Grant Guidelines
Harper Arts Touring Fund Grant Application
Grants to Individuals
Career Opportunity Grants
Quarterly Grant Deadlines: June 1, September 1, December 1, March 1
Career Opportunity Grants are designed to provide financial assistance to professional artists for travel to in-state, national, or international events, programs or seminars and for other activities that will contribute to the strength of the artist's professional standing or skill. These cash awards help professional artists take advantage of impending, concrete opportunities that will significantly advance their work or careers. The awards are for unique, short-term opportunities that do not constitute routine completion of work in progress. Applicants may request grants in variable amounts from $100 to $1,000 rounded to the nearest $100. Career Opportunity Grants will not exceed $1,000. First time applicant must contact ASCA first.
For complete information and application, visit the online grant system. For technical assistance, contact Andrea Noble at (907) 269-6605 or andrea.noble@alaska.gov.
Arts Education
Artists in Schools
Deadlines: April 15, for residency projects beginning in the following school year; November 1 for residency projects starting no earlier than January 15.
The Artists in Schools grant program is supported by the State of Alaska and the National Endowment for the Arts with additional funding from the Rasmuson Foundation, and is intended to support residencies of two weeks or more in Alaska schools. Artists in Schools (AIS) residencies should provide arts experiences and training for students, teachers, and the greater community. Successful applicants will demonstrate how a residency will augment the arts curriculum and the Alaska State Arts Standards, connect to other core curricula, include a professional development opportunity for teachers in integrating the residency discipline into future teaching, and create engagement between the school and community.
Successful applicants serve as chief sponsor, designer and coordinator of the program. Technical assistance in the form of artist contract templates and procedure guidelines are available from the Alaska State Council on the Arts. For technical assistance, and access to additional materials, contact the program administrator, Laura Forbes, at (907) 269-6682 or laura.forbes@alaska.gov. Note: if you have not applied for an AIS grant in the past, you must contact the program administrator prior to submitting an application.
The Alaska Statewide Teaching Artist Roster (STAR) is provided as a guide to contacting a teaching artist(s) in planning for an AIS residency project, and can be accessed here:
For complete Artists in Schools grant information, guidelines and application, visit the online grant system.
Cultural Collaborations Project Grants
Deadlines: June 1, for residency projects beginning no earlier than July 1; December 1 for residency projects starting no earlier than January 1.
Cultural Collaborations Project Grants are matching awards of up to $6,000 in support of high-quality arts and cultural programs for youth that emphasize skill acquisition and direct participation in settings outside of the school day/year. Cultural Collaborations Project Grants are a program of the Alaska State Council on the Arts, with support from Rasmuson Foundation. Eligible projects/programs provide regularly scheduled sessions over an extended period of time. Nonprofit organizations, schools or school districts are eligible to apply. Partnerships in support of Cultural Collaborations Project Grants are encouraged.
Contact Laura Forbes at (907) 269-6682 or laura.forbes@alaska.gov with questions and for technical assistance.
Cultural Collaborations Project Grant Guidelines and Application
Cultural Collaborations Excursion Grants
Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis; deadlines are rolling, at least 30 days prior to the planned activity.
Excursion Grants, bringing Kids to Arts, are awards of up to $600 ($1,000 for eligible Title I schools,) to support transportation and admission costs incurred in attending arts and cultural events, and/or visiting recognized arts and cultural venues in Alaska. Cultural Collaborations Excursions Grants are a program of the Alaska State Council on the Arts, with support from Rasmuson Foundation. Only public or nonprofit schools in Alaska may apply. A school may only receive one Excursion grant per school year, but may apply for multiple Excursion activities in one grant application.
Contact Laura Forbes at (907) 269-6682 or laura.forbes@alaska.gov with questions and for technical assistance.
Cultural Collaborations Excursion Grant Guidelines and Application
Cultural Collaborations Excursion Grant Final Report Form
Cultural Collaborations Access Grants
Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis; deadlines are rolling, at least 30 days prior to the planned activity.
Access Grants, bringing Arts to Kids, are awards of up to $1,000 to support high-quality, short term (generally, of a week or less) arts and cultural activities for grades K-12 at a school site, during the school day. Cultural Collaborations Excursions Grants are a program of the Alaska State Council on the Arts, with support from Rasmuson Foundation. Alaska 501(c)3 nonprofit arts organizations, private nonprofit schools, and public schools or school districts are eligible to apply.
Contact Laura Forbes at (907) 269-6682 or laura.forbes@alaska.gov with questions and for technical assistance.
