Our Grants

Big Yellow School Bus supports funding for schools planning an in-person field trip with an arts and cultural organization or artists. We have distributed all the funds available for this school year. Currently open for the 2024-25 school year.

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. 

Community Engaged Project Grants offer funding of up to $3,000 for artists or groups of artists to create arts and culture projects that are directly and actively engaged with R.I. residents. Opens: Feb.1. Deadline: April 1.

Make Art Grant program funding of up to $3,000 for artists or groups of artists to create or continue specific artwork in any discipline. Opens: Feb. 1. Deadline: April 1.

General Operating Support for Artists program provides grants of $6,000 for each of three consecutive years (total of $18,000) for three artists to work toward large, specific, self-identified goals in their art practice. Currently Closed. Opens: May 1. Deadline: July 1.

Artist Open Studio Tour (currently closed) 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 2025.

Project Grants for Organizations provide grants of up to $3,000 in 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 sets goals for recruitment of new and innovative organizations and also underrepresented cities and towns. Opens: Feb. 1. Deadline: April 1.

Arts and Health Grant funds both non-clinical arts engagements that promote and facilitate individual health and public arts activities that provide a public health benefit. Opens: Feb. 1. Deadline: April 1.

Rhode Island Teaching Artist Roster is a directory of teaching artists who have been approved by public panels to work in educational settings. State's Arts Council has endorsed the teaching artists' skills and credentials when they are added to the Roster. Educational sites and individuals use the Roster as a resource to engage an artist for an arts learning project. Currently closed. Opens: May 1. Deadline: July 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.

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, culturally diverse arts and cultural organizations. Currently closed; the next deadline will be in 2025.

Opportunity Grants provide Rhode Island arts and culture workers funding for specific professional development opportunities. This grant is available to arts and culture workers in all disciplines at any stage in their career. Currently closed.

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.

R.I. Artist Relief Fund is to help Rhode Island artists who have lost income due to the COVID-19 and are struggling to afford basic necessities like housing, food and healthcare. The Fund was managed by the Alliance of Artists Communities who is handling donations and disbursement of grants. We awarded 828 small grants totaling more than $535,000. 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.

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, historic sites, 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. Currently closed.

State Cultural Facilities Grantees