Our Grants

Big Yellow School Bus provides grants of up to $500 to support arts learning in the school. To qualify for this funding, schools must plan an in-person arts and culture field trip with an arts and culture organization in Rhode Island. Grants for the 2025-26 school year open Sept. 1 with a rolling deadline. The grant will remain open until April 15 or when all funds are awarded.

Arts and Health Grant supports arts and cultural projects or artist in residence programs that contribute to overall health and well-being for individuals and communities. For FY27, this program will fund organizations to design and implement arts-based projects that strengthen social connections and sense of belonging. Opens: Feb. 1. Deadline: April 1.

Arts and Health Incubator Grant will fund organizations or artists for planning, professional development, capacity building, pilot projects, or coalition building that utilize the arts to address one of the following RI 2030 Health Priorities: physical health and well-being, behavioral health, older adults and caregiving, healthcare system strengthening, and/or equity for underserved communities. Opens: Feb. 1. Deadline: April 1.  

Folk and Traditional Arts Apprenticeships are designed to foster sharing of traditional (folk) artistic skills between a mentor and an apprentice. Opens: Feb. 1. Deadline: April. 1. 

Folk and Traditional Arts Fellowships support individual folk artists who demonstrate the highest level of skill and accomplishments in their craft. Opens: Feb. 1. Deadline: April 1.

Community Engaged Project Grants offer funding for artists or groups of artists to create arts and culture projects that are directly and actively engaged audiences. Opens: Feb. 1. Deadline: April 1. 

Make Art Grant program funding is for artists or groups of artists to create or continue specific artwork in any discipline. Opens: Feb. 1. Deadline: April 1. 

Project Grants in Education provide support to schools, non-profit organizations, arts educators and teaching artists. Recipients engage students in rich and meaningful artistic experiences in dedicated learning environments. Opens: Feb. 1. Deadline: April 1.

Project Grants for Organizations provide grants to support of arts and culture projects that are relevant and meaningful to Rhode Island communities. Opens: Feb. 1. Deadline: April 1.

General Operating Support for Organizations provide multi-year operating support to arts and culture organizations that meaningfully engage and inspire their community through arts and culture programming. Opens: July 1. Deadline: Sept. 1. 

General Operating Support for Artists program provides grants for three consecutive years for three artists to work toward large, specific, self-identified goals in their art practice. Opens: July. 1. Deadline: Sept. 1. 

Artist Open Studio Tour grants provide support for marketing and administration of artist-initiated open studio tour. The studio tour must consist of multiple artists within one studio building or several nearby buildings and be open to the public. Rolling Deadlines. Re-opens August 2026. 

The State Cultural Facilities Grant Program promotes careful planning for capital improvement, preservation, renovation, and new construction projects for public and nonprofit artistic, performance centers, museums and cultural art centers located around the state. Through its matching requirements, the program stimulates broader support and participation in cultural facility projects statewide. Applications open Aug. 1. Rules and Regulations for Cultural Facilities Grant Program (665-RICR-20-00-1) - Rhode Island Department of State.

• 2026 State Cultural Facilities Grantees
• Past State Cultural Facilities Grantees listing.

Rhode Island Expansion Arts Program is supported by a collaboration with Rhode Island Foundation, Rhode Island State Council on the Arts (RISCA), and Rhode Island Council for the Humanities, the Rhode Island Expansion Arts Program. The program offers three years of funding and organizational assistance to community-based, arts and cultural organizations. Next grant cycle TBD.

State Poet of Rhode Island is appointed by the Governor and serves as an advocate for poetry. The Poet Laureate also promotes the appreciation and participation in poetry and literary arts activities among the state’s residents. The position of State Poet of Rhode Island was established by the legislature in 1987. The term is for 5 years. Currently closed; the next deadline will be in 2030.

Build the Future Grants, administered by RISCA's Arts Education and Arts Organizations programs, is a pandemic recovery grant program that will provide between $10,000 and $40,000 in support of existing workforce development programs for arts and culture organizations, culturally specific organizations or secondary schools in Rhode Island. The grantees provide career and technical training to a cohort of individuals over the age of 14 to prepare them for career entry, career advancement or postsecondary education. Currently closed.

Rhode Island Council for the Humanities (Humanities Council) and Rhode Island State Council for the Arts (RISCA) created the R.I. Culture, Humanities and Arts Recovery Grants (RI CHARG) as a joint program to grant general operating support to Rhode Island cultural, humanities and arts nonprofits. The primary purpose of this grant opportunity is to support eligible nonprofits to preventing, prepare, respond, and recover from the coronavirus pandemic. The funding was provided to the Humanities Council by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and to RISCA by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) as part of the federal American Rescue Plan Act. Currently closed.