The North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR), has announced $11 million in grant awards for fiscal year 2025–26. A total of 373 grants will support nonprofit arts organizations, schools, after-school programs, municipalities, and individual artists across all 100 counties, with funding amounts ranging from $2,000 to $347,014. The grants aim to enhance community outreach, audience engagement, organizational capacity, and K–12 arts education, particularly in the state’s traditional arts, while fostering public-private partnerships and supporting military communities.
DNCR Secretary Pamela B. Cashwell highlighted the importance of investing in arts and culture, noting that the grants strengthen communities and the economy throughout North Carolina. Arts Council Executive Director Jeff Bell emphasized the continuation of the Sustaining Support Grant program, now in its second year, which provides operating support for arts organizations to ensure stability in the state’s creative sector. This year’s grant cycle focuses on music, folklife, and arts in education categories, with awards reviewed on a three-year cycle.
The North Carolina Arts Council serves as a catalyst for the state’s thriving nonprofit creative sector, which generates $2.23 billion in annual economic activity. It promotes diverse artistic expression, invests in innovative art-making, and nurtures youth through arts education, helping cultivate future creative citizens.
The broader DNCR oversees North Carolina’s arts, culture, history, and natural resources, managing over 100 sites including museums, historic sites, state parks, aquariums, and trails. Its programs aim to enhance education, stimulate economic growth, improve public health, expand accessibility, and strengthen community resilience, reinforcing the state’s commitment to both cultural and natural heritage.
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