Applicant Portal

RESIDENCIES FOR RECOVERY: The Arts Council is also opening applications for another round of Residencies for Recovery. Residencies for Recovery funds payment to artists who work intensively with community service organizations and local government entities to engage with the local community, research and produce artworks and programs that will assist with recovery, present the work publicly, and build networks within the community with a focus on preparedness and resiliency. The application deadline is April 1, 2021. Instructions to apply are provided in the program guidelines. Residencies for Recovery applications do not need to be submitted through the online grants system.

All other Grant Applications closed on March 1, 2021. Grant notifications will be sent to applicants in LATE JUNE 2021.

*PLEASE NOTE: Grant application signature pages DO NOT have to be received by the March 1 deadline. We appreciate receiving these as soon as you can mail them. Thank you!

South Dakota artists, arts organizations, and other nonprofit groups are invited to seek grant support from the South Dakota Arts Council (SDAC) to assist in funding arts projects and programs throughout the state. The application deadline is March 1, 2021. View the announcement.

SUPPORT AND RESOURCES FOR OPEN APPLICATIONS

Starting this Thursday, we're resuming our Watercooler Chats, every-other Thursday, specifically to address grant applicant questions. If you'd like to connect with our staff to discuss your application, register at the link below for any of the schedule chats between now and March 1. Register online at http://bit.ly/38FbCTF

This year has been a tough one for all of us in the ARTS. We sincerely wish you peace this season, full of hope for a new year. We hope this makes you smile and helps you with the process: https://artscouncil.sd.gov/Holiday2020.pdf

South Dakota Arts Council staff are available to answer your grant questions by phone or email.

GENERAL OPERATING RELIEF GRANTS: The South Dakota Arts Council (SDAC) has developed a program to help secure jobs and keep nonprofit organizations in South Dakota’s statewide arts community operational as they continue to recover from the COVID-19 crisis. Access the program Guidelines, Application Questions, and Scoring Criteria online at https://artscouncil.sd.gov/grants/2022_General_Operating_Relief.pdf. To apply visit https://sdac.gosmart.org

 WEBINAR [Recorded Friday, November 20th, 2020]: Video recording, slide deck, and reference materials are available online. South Dakota Arts Council staff discuss their upcoming granting opportunities for both Individuals and Organizations. The staff walks attendees through the grant categories and deadlines, and answers questions about programs. Online at https://artssouthdakota.org/2020/11/20/57079/. Video on YouTube at https://youtu.be/AyB8zKAfxGA.

Guide to Grants: Document provides information about grants available to individual artists and nonprofit organizations. Online at https://artscouncil.sd.gov/grants/Guide_to_Grants.pdf.

Guide to Required Materials: Document provides information about grant materials that applicants, both individual artists and nonprofit organizations, should include with their grant applications. Online at https://artscouncil.sd.gov/grants/Guide_to_Required_Materials.pdf.

South Dakota Arts Council’s Strategic Plan: To best understand our priorities, goals, and strategies, we
encourage you to review this document online (https://artscouncil.sd.gov/NEAFY18/index.aspx).

Tips for Applicants: Grant funding is competitive. Be sure to review the guidelines for your grant and the tips online at https://artscouncil.sd.gov/grants/Grant_Tips.pdf.

SDAC Grant Applicant Facebook Group: Join the SDAC Grant Applicant Facebook group to pose questions to staff and other grant applicants – online at https://www.facebook.com/groups/486354835191552/members/.

Online Grant System How-to: GoSmart (the SDAC’s online grant system) provides step-by-step instructions (online at https://www.gosmart.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/GOS-Applicant-Tutorial-November-2020-GENERIC.pdf) and a stable of instructional videos are available (online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4w6GcbDkcE&list=PLqnUWEndFeHRg3IZeUVu9pcdVZ_VAMWAq).

“ASK THE ARTS COUNCIL” Watercooler Chats: SDAC staff will host bi-weekly conversations to answer applicant questions and provide tips about what makes a good grant application, including examples of strong grant applications. These sessions will aslo explore and explain the scoring criteria used by panelists to evaluate applications. Schedule and registration information to come via our online mailing list, if you are not a member, register at https://mailchi.mp/ea729649b7a2/sdac_newsletter.

Draft Review: Draft review deadline closes at 11:59 PM CST, Feb. 7, 2021. SDAC staff members offer a draft review prior to final grant submission deadlines to help applicants improve their applications by checking for mistakes or omissions that might cause ineligibility. Staff will review the grant narrative, budget section, and support materials for compliance and consistency. Draft reviews do not provide grammatical editing or rewriting services. SDAC staff will provide feedback to the applicant in time to make corrections ahead of the submission deadline.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

We encourage all artists to review Springboard for the Arts Work of Art Toolkit. This resource is available for free digitally and includes context and insights from working artists, exercises to help build practical working skills, and a glossary of terms for quick reference.
https://springboardforthearts.org/professional-growth/work-of-art-program/

TIP: Your Artist Statement should help us understand why you make the art you do. If you need help developing your Artist Statement, please review our guide. (online at https://artscouncil.sd.gov/events/2020_Artist_Statement_How-to.pdf)

Below you will find fillable PDF copies of grant applications and budget worksheets. Please note, these documents are just worksheets. You must provide all this information within your application and cannot submit a copy of work done on this PDF form.

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