SCAC’s Festivals Grant now open
Bring your community together
APPLICATION DEADLINE: Thursday, April 23, 2026
South Carolina communities love their festivals.
You can find festivals, in no particular order, for: peaches, watermelon, okra, cornbread, and other tantalizing treats. (And ribs, and BBQ of all varieties, and chili cook-offs, and… you get the point.)
You also know the arts festivals: ArtFields, Artisphere, North Charleston Arts Fest, Spoleto USA and Piccolo Spoleto. But don’t trapped thinking about just the big dogs. Festivals can be all sizes. See neighborhood art crawls, folk festivals, and on down the line.
To support the festivals that bring communities together through arts and culture, the SCAC offers the Festivals Grant in its Arts Industry grants portfolio. It is now open for festivals taking place from this Aug. 1 to May 31, 2027.
The Festivals Grant provides support for a broad range of arts activities at festivals that take place in—and have an impact on—S.C. communities, increasing opportunities for public engagement and participation in arts and culture.
Most S.C. nonprofit organizations (arts or non-arts!) are eligible, along with units of government. Individual artists, colleges, and universities are not eligible.
Successful applicants can get up to $7,500 of support for:
- Arts programming, temporary art installations/exhibitions, commissions, or licensing fees for original works.
- Artistic, administrative, technical, marketing salary support and/or contractual fees paid to artists, musicians, curators, programmers, and/or arts presenters/performers including travel and lodging.
- Event production costs for equipment/venue rentals and operation; sound, lighting, stage rigging, visual/digital components, and insurance for the arts programming only.
- Marketing including but not limited to graphic design services, advertising space, digital/print promotional materials, website, social media, printing, or publications.
- Items or services ensuring program accessibility as mandated by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which include captioning, translation, visual enhancements, interpreters, and listening guides.
- Festival activities can include juried processes (e.g., visual or performing arts competitions, exhibitions or juried shows).
Special consideration will be given to festivals in underserved communities; those communities in which people lack arts programs, services, or resources due to geography, economic conditions, cultural background, socio-political circumstances, disability, age, or other demonstrable factors. (And please note that the term “community” can refer to a group of people with a common heritage or characteristics, whether they live in the same location or not.)
A 1:1 match is required for successful applicants. You can get all the details from the Festivals Grant guidelines.
The application deadline is Thursday, April 23, 2026 to fund projects from Aug. 1, 2026-May 31, 2027.