Financial Support for Arts Careers
Indiana Funding Sources
Directories of Funding Sources
Scholarship and Financial Aid Resources
Note: These funds are mostly, but not all, for individuals. They apply to all arts disciplines. For financial support targeted to a particular field of the arts, see Information Sources By Arts Specialty.
Indiana Sources for Arts Career Support
Indiana Arts Commission (IAC)Click on Grants, Programs. This state agency awards Individual Artist Program grants for artists' career development in all disciplines. Applicants must be at least 18 years old and reside in Indiana for one year preceding the application date. The application deadline for fiscal year 2009 grants was February 1st, 2008.
ArtsEye, the free monthly electronic gazette from the IAC, includes their grant program updates. Sign Up for IAC publications.
IAC grant monies are also distributed through regional arts agencies:
Find Your Regional Arts Partner.
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Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation Services
Eligible persons may receive services and assistance for employment-related needs, including support for vocationally-related education. Look under State Government in the blue government pages of the telephone book for the number of your local office, or click on the link above for a listing of regional offices.
Indiana Coalition for the Arts Arts Development Scholarship Program
Click on Services/Programs: Scholarships. The goal of the program is to increase the knowledge and skills of arts providers and supporters in the areas of nonprofit governance and management, arts program administration, or arts-related technical skills. Individuals or groups who are members of the ICA may apply.
Arts Council of Indianapolis
Click on Grants for Individuals. The Creative Renewal Arts Fellowship program "offers artists and arts administrators the opportunity to renew and refresh their creativity."
Indiana Arts Organizations
Check this list from the Indiana Humanities Council for local arts councils and other cultural organizations that may offer financial support.
Mary Anderson Center for the Arts
Click on Residencies and Fellowships. Fellowships are awarded for residencies at the Center by writers, musicians, visual artists, and art educators. Located in Floyds Knobs, Indiana.
National Parks Service Artist in Residence Program
2 to 4-week residencies (no stipend) for two-dimensional visual artists, photographers, sculptors, performers, writers, composers, and craft artists to live and work at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.
Robert J. Beckmann Jr. Emerging Artist Fellowship
Click on Grants for Individuals. Each year the Arts Council of Indianapolis awards two fellowships of $3,500 and hands-on mentoring opportunities to qualified and talented Central Indiana artists. Eligible arts disciplines are music, dance, theatre, literature, media and/or the visual arts. See the website for more information, the complete guidelines, and application. The 2007 application deadline was in July.
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Directories of Arts Funding Sources
Alliance of Artists CommunitiesAn advocacy and service organization for artists’ communities and residencies (also known as artists’ colonies or retreats.) Click on Residencies to search for programs by discipline or geographic location. Each listing is linked to a detailed profile page. Identifies which programs have accessibility features, and whether they allow pets, children, or spouses/partners.
Art Deadlines
Listings for arts-related scholarships, grants, fellowships, and other funding on the Art Deadlines website and by free monthly newsletter. All art forms are included, although the listings appear to be mostly visual arts with some writing opportunities. Other listings include competitions, residencies, juried exhibitions, jobs, internships, calls for entries, auditions, and casting calls. There is a fee for the “premium” version of the newsletter.
Foundation Grants to Individuals Online
The Foundation Center's site for information about foundations that fund scholarships, fellowships, loans, internships and professional support. Opportunities for awards and prizes are listed. The categories available to search include Special Needs and Arts. A subscription is necessary to search for these grants, although they are not expensive. You can subscribe for only one month, adding additional months if needed.
Funding Lists from The Fund for Women Artists
An extensive list of funding sources (many for men as well as women) in the fields of Theater, Film/Video, Literary Arts and Visual Arts. Sources of emergency funds are also listed.
National Arts and Disability Center
List of funders for artists and arts organizations.
NYFA Source
A national directory of awards, services, and publications for artists of all disciplines, from the New York Foundation for the Arts. Search this large (and growing), free database for arts funders and arts opportunities, by genre, type of assistance, and geographic area. NYFA Source. The list of awards includes over 2,800 programs.
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National Arts or Disability-Related Funding Sources
The Abilities FundOffers services for individuals with disabilities interested in business ownership and the organizations that serve them. The website states: “Periodically, The Abilities Fund offers grant programs. Potential grant recipients are identified by Abilities Fund staff after reviewing Informed Choices applications.” The program was suspended temporarily at last visit to the site.
Creative Capital Foundation
Click on Programs. Grants for individuals: innovative artists, writers and performers.
Ethel Louise Armstrong Foundation
Funds programs that support professional artists with disabilities or encourage a professional environment while enhancing creativity among people with disabilities who are not professional artists themselves.” Deadlines in March and September.
Fractured Atlas
Click on The Emerging Artist Fund. The Fund makes Creative Development grants for specific expenses relating to artistic exploration or training (not project-based.) The grants are aimed at supporting artists (multi-discipline) "who fall below the radar of most large foundations." Fractured Atlas members are eligible to apply. There is a fee for membership.
Kennedy Center Arts Management Fellowship Program
A ten-month, comprehensive arts management fellowship program at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (Washington, DC). A minimum of a bachelor's degree in the arts or a related discipline, and at least four years of experience as an administrator for or a professional artist of a performing arts organization are required. See website for details, applications, and deadlines.
National Association of Latino Arts and Culture
Click on Current Services. NALAC's Fund for the Arts provides grants to Latino artists, ensembles and small and mid-size Latino arts and cultural organizations across the country.
What is a Fiscal Sponsorship? If you have a project that fits a foundation's guidelines, but you do not have your own non-profit corporation, you may still be able to apply for these restricted grants if you can find a non-profit organization that is willing to serve as a fiscal sponsor for your project. Read more about fiscal sponsorship on the Fund for Women Artists website. |
National Endowment for the Arts
Awards a limited number of grants and fellowships to individual artists.
Orchestra Management Fellowship Program
The American Symphony Orchestra League’s year-long leadership training program “designed to launch executive careers in orchestra management.”
Society for the Arts in Healthcare
Johnson & Johnson, working in partnership with the Society, provides grants of $60,000 over three years to collaborations of healthcare organizations and arts agencies in the U.S. and Canada that have established models of high quality healthcare through the use of arts.
VSA arts Teaching Artist Fellowship
Recently launched for the purpose of engaging and supporting teaching artists with disabilities in the visual and theater arts.
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SCHOLARSHIP and FINANCIAL AID RESOURCES
| Scholarship Scams The Federal Trade Commission tells you how to avoid being taken for a ride. |
Directories of Scholarships for
Students with Disabilities
Kennedy Center Accessibility TipSheet
Educational scholarships, listed by disability type.
(Some are not arts-specific.)
Creating Options 2006: Financial Aid for Individuals with Disabilities
Free, online document from the George Washington University HEATH Resource Center, 20 pages. Includes listings of scholarships targeted for students with disabilities.
Disability and Minority-Related Scholarships
Ethel Louise Armstrong Foundation
American Council of the Blind Scholarships Click on "ACB Scholarships"
National Association of Hispanic Journalists
Offers several scholarships designed to encourage and assist Latino students pursue careers in journalism. College undergraduates and graduate students pursuing careers as print, photo, broadcast or online journalism are eligible.
Through the Looking Glass National Resource Center for Parents with Disabilities
College scholarships are awarded to high school seniors or graduates who have at least one parent with a disability.
World Studio Foundation AIGA Scholarships
Click on Scholarships. For students "from minority and economically disadvantaged backgrounds" who are pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree in the fine or commercial arts, design or architecture, and plan to enter a career in the creative professions.
Indiana Arts-Related Scholarships
Indiana Broadcasters Foundation
Click on Student Page. Awards academic scholarships annually to high school and college students pursuing an education in broadcasting. Online scholarship applications are available annually, after January 1.
Start Something Scholarships for Youth
Click on "Teacher" or "Student", then "Scholarships" Target Stores and Tiger Woods Foundation awards scholarships of $100 to $5000 to young people age 8 – 17 years. "Students can use their scholarship money on almost any activity they choose to continue to pursue their goal or dream. Examples include music lessons, sports camps, special educational programs, travel and equipment."
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Directories of Scholarships for Students (General)
Learn More Indiana
Click on Students. Information on paying for college, including State of Indiana Sources of Financial Aid, Federal Sources of Financial Aid, Federal Student Aid Scholarship search tool.
Indiana Dollars for Scholars
A network of community-based, volunteer-managed scholarship foundations in Indiana cities, towns and neighborhoods.
CollegeBoard.com
Scholarships.com
Scholarship Resource Network Express
Search a database of over 8,000 programs.
Funding Assistance to Attend Conferences
Indiana Governor's Council for People with Disabilities
Click on Consumer Investment Fund. Funding for people with disabilities and family members to attend and participate in events that will contribute to the independence, productivity, integration and inclusion of people with disabilities.
Related Pages on This Site
Internships and ApprenticeshipsBenefits and Entitlements
Search the ArtsWORK database of Opportunities