Season Grants
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.
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.
The Season Grant application for FY24 is OPEN!
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.
Application + Materials
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.
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. In FY23 the program also includes state ARPA funds designated to be distributed through the Grassroots Arts Program. 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.