OVERVIEW: The Wyoming Arts Council supports arts organizations, individual artists, and projects within the state.
IP TAKE: As with most state sponsored regional arts funders, this is a relatively transparent and accessible funder with clear deadlines and an informative website. Grant seekers applying to these grants will have to compete with artists and organizations from across all other disciplines, so expect stiff competition. Those with a local or regional connection to their work will likely be the most successful. This funder is approachable, but expect some bureaucracy.
PROFILE: Created in 1967, the Wyoming Arts Council is a state agency that promotes arts programming throughout the state. It seeks to provide “leadership” and invest “resources to sustain, promote and cultivate excellence in the arts.” The Arts Council receives funding through State of Wyoming General Funds, National Endowment for the Arts Federal Funds, endowments and private donations, sponsorships and registrations for events such as the annual Governor’s Arts Awards. The arts council provides support for artists and arts organizations through a series of grants and Performing Arts Fellowships.
Grants for Music, Writing, Visual Arts, Dance, Theater, and Arts Education
Arts grants include support for both individual artists and arts organizations. The Community Support Grants provide operational support for organizations or projects that help to bring the arts to their community. They are competitive and are awarded according to a formula, “based on the score of the grants during the panel process.” Grantees receive up to $20,000; individual artists are ineligible.
Rural Arts Access Grants support “organizations that meet any of the following four criteria: (1) projects increasing arts access for, or primarily serving, people with disabilities, (2) arts projects led by and/or primarily serving BIPOC communities (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), (3) projects involving folk & traditional arts and artists, (4) organizations in rural communities with a population of less than 3000.” Grant amounts go up to $750, and individual artists are ineligible.
Professional Development/Career Advancement Grants are “designed to help grow the capacity of organizations and individuals that work in, and support the arts.” Grantees can receive up to $750, and individual artists are eligible, but can only receive one grant every other year. Individual Artists who receive funding must reside in Wyoming at least 10 months of the year, be 18 years or older, and not a full-time student in high school, college, or university pursuing art-related degrees.
Mentoring Project Grants support the preservation and transmission of traditional and folk skill located in Wyoming. Both grantseekers, master and apprentice, must apply together and must be residents of Wyoming for at least two years. Both applicants “must share a common cultural group and the art form must reflect the aesthetics of the shared group.” Funded projects will receive $3,000.
Wyoming Community Artist ARPA Project Grants provide “funds to Wyoming-based individual artists and artist collectives for projects that offer unique perspectives on and solutions to the most pressing needs in our communities.” Grants range between $2,500 and $25,000 and are developed with support from from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Grants will only be awarded to individuals 18 years or older; organizations are ineligible.
The Wyoming Arts Council funds two fellowships, one for performing arts and another for creative writing. Performing Arts Fellowships recognize excellence in the field. Artists may only apply in one of the three categories: music, theater, or dance. Grant seekers must include “appropriate media samples and artists statements” with their application. The Creative Writing Fellowship is “based on a writer’s body of work, and honoring Wyoming’s literary artists whose work reflects serious and exceptional writing.” The council awards three fellowships, for poetry, creative nonfiction, and fiction. Fellowship winners are expected to share their work at a Wyoming literary conference.
Important Grant Details:
Applying organizations must be either a 501(c) non-profit organization or a government agency. New grant seekers can see grant data and a list of past grantees here and a helpful checklist of things to do before beginning an application here. All applications must be submitted through the Arts Council’s online grant system.
All applicants must meet the Eligibility and Funding Requirements and follow the Arts Council’s Grant Guidelines.
PEOPLE:
Search for staff contact info and bios in PeopleFinder (paid subscribers only).
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