Skip to content
120 Morris St Downtown Durham

 

Season Grants

Pierce Freelon at the Carolina Theatre

Season Grant Program

The Season Grant program is intended to provide access to quality arts experiences for the people of Durham by supporting the activities of arts organizations that provide a range of professional and amateur arts opportunities. The Season Grant program will award grants for annual operations or projects.

Season Grants

Grant Eligibility

  • Applicant must be a Durham County based non-profit organization with 501(c)(3) status or a fiscal agent.
  • An applicant does not have to be an arts organization to request project support, but the project must be an arts activity. 
  • Arts projects or the operating expenses of arts organizations are eligible for funding. Season Grants may not be used to support fund-raising activities.
  • To request operating support the applicant must be an arts organization.
  • If your organization has already been funded through the Season Grant program continue to use the Season Grant application. If you have never submitted a grant application to the Durham Arts Council, we recommend that you consider the Durham Arts Catalyst Program.

Application Process

  • February 1, 2024

    Application Available 

  • February 12th

    Information Session 1, 6pm on Zoom

  • March 21, 2024

    Application Deadline

  • April- May 2024

    Grant Panel reviews

  • June 2024

    Review and Approval by full DAC Board

  • July 2024

    Notification of award status

  • July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2025

    Completion of Activities 

  • July 12, 2025

    Final Reports Due

New applicants to Season Grant program must communicate with the Director of Artist Services before applying. For more information and to get a link to an information session email Margaret DeMott at mdemott@durhamarts.org.

Season Grant information session recording here
Passcode: xS!0k#hp

Season Grants

Photo Credit: Durham Jazz Workshop, 2024 grantee

Application Process

  • February 1, 2024

    Application Available 

  • February 12th

    Information Session 1, 6pm on Zoom

  • March 21, 2024

    Application Deadline

  • April- May 2024

    Grant Panel reviews

  • June 2024

    Review and Approval by full DAC Board

  • July 2024

    Notification of award status

  • July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2025

    Completion of Activities 

  • July 12, 2025

    Final Reports Due

New applicants to Season Grant program must communicate with the Director of Artist Services before applying. For more information and to get a link to an information session email Margaret DeMott at mdemott@durhamarts.org.

Season Grant information session recording here
Passcode: xS!0k#hp

Frequently Asked Questions

Who decides which arts organizations receive awards?

A panel of area artists and arts professionals reviews and scores each application. The panel ranks the applications and recommends which should receive awards. The DAC Board of Trustees then must approve the recommendations of the panel for the process to be complete. 

What criteria are applications judged on?

Each application will receive a numeric score for each of the criteria ranging from 1 to 5 (1 being lowest, 5 being highest).

  • Artistic quality of proposed project or programs
  • Community impact of project or programs
  • Ability to plan and implement project
  • Stability and fiscal responsibility of the organization
  • Goals for diversity, equity, access and inclusion and strategies to achieve those goals.

What can I apply for?

You may apply for funds and/or for use of space in the Durham Arts Council building. Space grants vary from ongoing use of office, meeting, rehearsal and performance space to the use of a theatre for a single concert. The Durham Arts Council building is a 52,000 sq. ft., city-owned, community arts center that contains spaces for dance, theatre and music rehearsals, meeting rooms, offices, exhibit and performance spaces. As part of your Season Grant request you may ask for use of these spaces for a particular project or for on-going operations. There are fees associated with use of granted space in the building.

Season Grants

 

Where does the money for Season Grants come from?

The Season Grant Program is funded by the gifts of private individuals and corporations to the Durham Arts Council Annual Arts Fund and by the Grassroots Arts Program of the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural & Cultural Resources. DAC does not require a specific match for a cash grant, however, we will look for evidence that the applicant has actively pursued more than one source for the resources needed and does not expect DAC to provide everything through this Season Grant.

NC arts council logo big

 

Still have questions?