SCAC adds grant support for Cultural Districts
Two existing categories also now open
The times are busy at the South Carolina Arts Commission.
We have three open positions to apply for before Feb. 17. It is legislative budget season. The South Carolina Arts Alliance is presenting Arts Advocacy Week this week. We are gearing up to announce the Governor’s Awards for the Arts on March 3. There’s also (sniffle) that other thing.
So we thought, hey, we might as well open three grant categories for FY27 while we’re at it.
One of those accomplishes a long-held goal that supports a signature program. Two are popular returning categories.
Cultural Districts Grants
- For designated South Carolina Cultural Districts.
- Up to $10,000.
- Match required? Yes.
This grant supports a broad range of creative placemaking endeavors led by S.C. Cultural Districts, including—but not limited to—festivals, performances, workshops, and public art projects. All programming must be located within a Cultural District’s approved boundaries and align with its strategic plan.
We realize that this information only applies to 13 potential applicants, but it is a serious accomplishment. The SCAC has long wanted to offer a dedicated grant to meaningfully help cultural districts with creative projects that everyone can enjoy. Funding from the General Assembly helped make this a reality. This is a big step. We can’t wait to see what the districts do with it. (And maybe it helps encourage the designation of more districts?)
Folklife & Traditional Arts Projects Grants
- For most S.C. nonprofit organizations, colleges & universities, and units of government.
- Up to $6,000.
- Match required? Yes.
You know them, and you love them. They are valuable parts of the South Carolina tapestry. Traditional arts are expressions of shared identity that are learned as a part of the cultural life of a particular group. This shared identity may be rooted in family, geographic, tribal, occupational, religious, or ethnic connections, among others. As expressions of a living culture, traditional arts have been handed down from one generation to the next and reflect the shared experience, aesthetics, and values of a group. Traditional arts are dynamic, reflecting change and individual innovation over generations of practitioners.
This grant ensures that South Carolina’s many living traditions remain vibrant, visible parts of community life by supporting nonprofit organizations and units of government seeking to promote and sustain the traditional arts practiced across the state.
Term Arts Education Project Grants
- For most S.C. nonprofit organizations (arts & non-arts), colleges and universities, and units of government.
- Up to $15,000
- Match required? Yes.
This grant supports quality arts education programs for preschool (3K-4K) and/or K-12 students during the 2026-2027 school term (including beyond the school day), through both traditional providers (arts organizations) and other organizations (e.g., social service, health, community, education) that utilize the arts to meet the educational, developmental, and social needs of preschool (3K-4K) and/or K-12 students. For the purposes of this grant, a term is defined as an academic year.
Among other things, activities seeking funding should expand student access to arts education opportunities; and complement, augment, or advance standards-based arts instruction or arts integration aligned with school curriculum. (See guidelines for full details.)
The deadline to apply for these grants is Thursday, April 23, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. ET.