SALISBURY — April 1 is the deadline for organizations and individuals interested in The Rowan Arts & Cultural Development Grant provided by the Rowan Arts Council.

A total of $7,500 is available each grant cycle. A panel will review all applicants after the deadline and a decision on who will receive the grant will be made and announced in May. Applicants must be based in Rowan County.

The grant is “designed to support the vision and mission of the Rowan Arts Council by providing direct support to arts and cultural partners,” according to the council’s website.

Lesley Pullium, the director of operations for Rowan County Tourism, said there is usually anywhere between five to 10 applicants per grant cycle. Last fall, four applicants were awarded grant funds.

This is the first cycle of The Rowan Arts & Cultural Development grant, with another occurring in the fall. The deadline for that grant is Nov. 1.

The Grassroots Grant

The council also receives state funding for the Grassroots Arts Grants to non-profits conducting art programs each year. The goal of this grant is “to enhance and strengthen the cultural community and broaden the artistic services offered to Rowan County citizens.”

Anywhere between $30,000 to $40,000 in funds is provided to individuals or organizations who apply.

Ten-15 percent of the funds are required to go to multicultural organizations.

“The 2022-2023 Grassroots grants funded seven grants for a total of 43,500, so they went a little over,” Pullium said.

This year applications will be accepted until Aug. 18.

The ARPA Grassroots Grant

In addition, the arts council has also received almost $140,000 for both 2023 and 2024 from the American Rescue Act Plan, which provided funding to states and counties in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a different grant than the annual Grassroots Arts Grants received annually from the state.

With these funds, the council is giving out the ARPA Grassroots Grants for this year and next year.

The first deadline for the ARPA grants was Feb. 28 and 10 organizations were awarded funds on March 14. Those organizations and the amount they received were:

• Center for Faith & the Arts — $4,792
• Downtown Salisbury, Inc. — $7,625
• NC Museum of Dolls & Toys & Miniatures — $4,791
• Happy Roots — $5,500
• Right Brain 2 — $4,792
• Town of Spencer — $4,426
• Lee Street Theatre — $7,000
• Piedmont Players, Inc — $7,000
• Salisbury Symphony Orchestra — $7,000
• Waterworks Visual Arts Center — $7,000

For next year, the deadline to apply for this grant is Sept 1. 

Grant award announcements are typically sent out to recipients the week following approval by the council’s board. This is announced through the Rowan Arts Council e-newsletter, as well as on the RAC Facebook page.

All grant applications and criteria can be found on the Rowan Arts Council website at https://www.visitrowancountync.com/arts-council/grants/