Grants for Organizations
Learn about they types of funding available for organizations by watching the above video.
Following are the grant programs available to Mississippi-based nonprofits or units of government (organizations may apply to MAC for two grants per fiscal year: an Operating OR Project Grant and a Mini grant)
Apply online using MAC’s e-grant system. Please, refer to the guidelines and criteria provided below prior to applying.
In 2022, the federal government transitioned from the use of the DUNS Number to a new SAM.gov Unique Entity ID (UEI) as the primary means of identification required to apply for and receive federal funding. Due to federal regulations, MAC will be unable to award any funding to organizations that fail to provide this information. It is 100% free for an organization to request a UEI, and you need not complete the full SAM.gov registration in order to obtain your ID. Follow the steps outlined in this guide to obtain your organization’s UEI. For further assistance in obtaining a SAM.gov UEI, you can reach the help desk by calling 866-606-8220 to speak to a registration specialist.
Mini-grants
Mini-grants for organizations are designed to meet a wide variety of needs in Mississippi communities. The program may be used to present an artist from MAC’s Artist Roster, support a consultancy with an arts organization, or to assist in adapting an organization’s work in a virtual setting. Mini Grant awards range from $200 to $1,000 and require a dollar-for-dollar cash match.
Project Grants
Project Grants are utilized in funding a broad range of arts projects (and arts components of larger projects) in Mississippi communities. The awards range from $250 to $5,000 and require a dollar-for-dollar cash match.
Operating Grants
Operating Grants aim to help nonprofit arts organizations maintain financial stability, build organizational capacity, improve artist programs, and distribute their programs throughout the community. Applicants must have the arts as a primary component of their organizational mission and have been operating as a 501(c)3 nonprofit for at least two years. Organizations may apply for a percentage of the actual cash revenue of their last year’s income. Applicants can request between $7,500 and $30,000.
Building Fund for the Arts
Building Fund for the Arts (BFA) grants are focused on supporting the repair, renovation, or expansion of public facilities that are used for year-round arts programming. MAC is focused on maximizing the impact of existing facilities through repair and expansion projects as well as increasing number of facilities that can serve as points of public access to the arts for Mississippi residents. Organizations may apply for between $25,000-$500,000 in BFA funds. This does require a cash match the comprises at a minimum 40% of the total project budget.
Special Initiatives
In addition to standard grants programs, MAC CARES, Mississippi Whole Schools, the Dille Fund for Visual Art Acquisition, and the Underserved Initiative are special initiatives of MAC.
Mississippi Whole Schools
Mississippi Whole Schools is a program open to K-12 schools that uses the arts as a vehicle for promoting high-quality instruction and learning for students. Schools can apply for the program, which offers professional development for faculty and administrators, workshops, arts experiences and technical assistance.
Mississippi Whole Schools Capacity Building Project Grant
Starting in Fall 2022, this grant is available exclusively for MWS schools to fund projects that strengthen capacity for education in the arts.
Former: MAC CARES
The MAC CARES Emergency Grants program was established by the Mississippi Arts Commission in April 2020 as a response to the economic devastation of COVID-19 on the arts sector.
Underserved Initiative
To ensure more equitable access to the arts throughout the state, the Mississippi Arts Commission identifies counties that have not recently received grants or services from MAC and provides direct outreach to locations in those counties to help facilitate arts programming and/or funding. MAC considers these counties “underserved.” The purpose of this special initiative is to provide access to quality arts programming in all 82 Mississippi counties and encourage potential grantees in underserved counties to take advantage of opportunities offered through the agency.
Former Programs: Dille Fund for Visual Art Acquisition
The purpose of the Dille Fund is to enhance collections at Mississippi museums, arts organizations, and cultural institutions in the form of purchasing a visual art piece. This periodically offered initiative supports the creation and collecting of the highest standards of excellence, public engagement with high quality art, lifelong learning in the arts, and the strengthening of communities through arts engagement.
Former Programs: Link Up – Symphonic Music Education Initiative
Link Up, a Carnegie Hall Weill Music Institute music education program that lasted at MAC for nine seasons, paired orchestras with students in grades three through five to explore orchestral repertoire through a hands-on music curriculum. Students explored core musical concepts in specific symphonic works through listening, singing, playing the recorder, and composing. The year-long program culminated with an interactive orchestra concert in which students performed prepared vocal and instrumental repertoire selections and share some of their creative work.