Applicant Portal
The South Dakota Arts Council (SDAC) helps make quality arts accessible throughout the state by providing grants to South Dakota nonprofit organizations and artists. These grants are funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and the State of South Dakota.
Grant Application Cycle
- Funding Period: July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026
- Application Deadline: March 1, 2025, at 11:59 pm Central
- Apply Online: https://sdac.gosmart.org
"Ask the Arts Council" Chats
Description: Bi-weekly conversations hosted by SDAC staff to answer questions and provide tips on grant applications.
First Session: Jan 16, 2025 03:00 PM Central Time at 3 pm Central via ZOOM
Webinars
Description: Arts South Dakota hosted SDAC staff to discuss grants available to individual artists and organizations. Schedule and registration available from Arts South Dakota [linked here].
Webinar Schedule:
- Application Changes, Tuesday, January 14 at 2 p.m. central
- Project Grant Info Session, , Wednesday, January 15 at 11 a.m. central
- Artist Grant Info Session,
Wednesday, January 15 at 12:30 p.m. central
Recordings: Available online at https://artssouthdakota.org/webinars/
Applicant Resources
General Requirements
- All Applicants: Submit the South Dakota Substitute Form with your application. Instructions and form [linked here]
- All Organizations: Must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) from the System for Award Management (SAM) to apply. Keep an active SAM registration throughout the grant period. [https://sam.gov/content/duns-uei] (instructions linked here) (PDF Instructions).
Grant Guidelines
- Read Guidelines: All applicants must read the guidelines before applying. Ineligible applications will not be reviewed. [PDF linked here]
- Traditional Arts Apprentice Grants:Guidelines [PDF linked here]. Copy of full application [PDF linked here].
Application Process
- Submit Online: All applications must be submitted https://sdac.gosmart.org. You need a GoSmart account.
- GoSmart Artist Guide [PDF linked here]
- GoSmart Organizations Guide [PDF linked here]
Copies of Full Applications
- Build & Upload: Documents provide all required narrative questions. Build your narrative and upload it into the application.
- Artist Career Development PDF Copy | Narrative Questions (download)
- Artist Fellowship PDF Copy | Narrative Questions (download)
- Artist Collaboration PDF Copy | Narrative Questions (download)
- Project Grants: Respond to narrative questions. Use the narrative template to compose offline and paste responses online.
- Project Grant (Artists and Organizations) PDF Copy | Narrative Questions (download)
Application Help
- How to Apply Video: Step-by-step instructions through videos online [linked here]
- SDAC Strategic Plan: Review priorities, goals, and strategies [linked here]
Staff Support & Additional Resources
Contact SDAC Staff
Available: Monday to Friday, 8 am - 5 pm Central Time
- Kate Vandel: 605.773.5925 | Kathryn.Vandel@state.sd.us
- Annie Hatch: 605.608.0490 | SDTraditionalArts@outlook.com
- Patrick Baker: Patrick.Baker@state.sd.us
- Rebecca Cruse: Rebecca.Cruse@state.sd.us
- Sarah Carlson: Sarah.Carlson@state.sd.us
Additional Resources
- Work of Art Curriculum: Business skills for artists, available FREE at https://springboardforthearts.org/
- Handbook for Artists Working in Community: Available FREE at https://springboardforthearts.org/
- Arts South Dakota: Subscribe to the newsletter at https://artssouthdakota.org/
Annual Fiscal Notices
Fiscal Sponsor Notice
Eligibility: Fiscal Agents for regranting to organizations without 501(c)(3) status are not eligible.
Indirect Costs Notice
Details: Applicants can recover Indirect Costs with a federally negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement. Identify these costs under "Overhead and Administrative Costs" and calculate them accurately. Applicants cannot use “Overhead and Administrative Costs” as part of their match. Applicants should calculate actual indirect costs associated with the proposal and not simply use a percentage of their project budget. Be sure that you are not “double dipping,” costs must be consistently charged as either indirect or direct costs, not charged as both. Grantees must be able to easily document the specific expenses that fit within this line item on their final report.