Accessibility Grants

Detailed Program Description

The Southeast is home to some of the world’s most diverse and vibrant artistic communities. At South Arts, we believe that the arts are for everyone. The arts enrich the lives of people of all abilities and backgrounds. In our commitment to amplifying the success of the Southeast’s arts ecology, South Arts offers funding to supplement the efforts of arts organizations throughout our service area.  

Art making is for everyone, too! South Arts encourages arts organizations to hire artistic personnel of all abilities at all levels; for these grants in particular, we encourage arts organizations to work directly with artists who identify as disabled.  

Through our partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, South Arts offers small grants that complement existing efforts by arts organizations to include audiences and artists with disabilities. Accessibility micro-grants are available to support nonprofit, 501c3, arts organizations located within South Arts’ nine-state region: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. This funding program is open to a wide variety of organizations, including community cultural organizations, museums, performing arts presenters, theatre companies, visual arts, and music organizations.  

South Arts has prioritized the following:

• South Arts prioritizes applications from organizations that provide significant programming to artists or audiences with disabilities.
• South Arts is committed to funding arts organizations in rural communities (with populations under 50,000).
• Primary consideration will be given to new applicants and organizations whose budgets are less than $500,000.  

Eligibility Requirements

The applicant must be:

• A non-profit, tax-exempt organization, an official unit of local, county, or state government (including an institution of higher education), or a federally recognized tribal community located within South Arts’ nine-state region: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.  
• An organization located in South Arts’ nine-state service region that:
  • Has a primary mission focused on the arts, or
  • Serves as the primary arts provider in its community, or
  • Will commit to a project that connects the arts to persons who have disabilities

Organizations are limited to one Accessibility Grant award per fiscal year (July 1-June 30).

Organizations that have been awarded within the last three fiscal years are ineligible and will not be considered. 

Additional Eligibility Requirements

In accordance with federal government policy, all organizations – including (but not limited to) private schools, government entities, public school districts, and nonprofit organizations – must provide a valid *Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) to receive a South Arts Accessibility grant award.

Applications will not be accepted from organizations that do not have a UEI number. Visit  www.sam.gov for additional information about UEI numbers as well as instructions on how to receive one. If your organization has used a DUNS (Data Universal Numbering System) number in the past, this link also provides instructions on transitioning to a UEI. This new SAM UEI is required for our grantees in programs supported by the National Endowment for the Arts.  Review more about how to obtain a Unique Entity ID here.

Accommodations

If you need accommodations to complete this grant application, please contact Lisa Smalls, Director, Arts Resilience and Sustainability, before submitting your proposal. 

Important Dates and Deadlines

• Application Opens: July 16, 2025
• Application Deadline: September 3, 2025, at 11:59 PM
• Applicants will be notified whether their project will be funded in November 2025.

Projects must take place between January 1, 2026, and June 30, 2026

All final reports will be due 30 days after the close of your project.  

Applicants may schedule a Zoom conversation with Lisa Smalls (Director, Arts Resilience and Sustainability) to discuss your project if there are additional questions.  

Schedule a Zoom

Guidelines:

Match

There is a 1:1 match for this grant. Up to $1,000 will be granted by South Arts with a dollar-for-dollar cash match by the organization. For example, an eligible project with expenses of $2,000 or more means the organization can request $1,000 and must provide a cash match of $1,000. 

Use of Funds

Grant awards may reimburse the applicant for any combination of qualifying expenses incurred during the grant period. Projects may include, but are not limited to the following:

• Programs
  • Usage of large print or braille program materials for patrons/audiences with low vision
  • Artist/consultant fees to provide accessibility training or audits
  • Captioning & Speech-to-Text Apps
  • Transportation of constituents or performers with disabilities
  • Preparation for special exhibitions (i.e. space modifications or accessibility audit)  
  • Website accessibility
  • Tactile Art Supplies
  • Docent training for visual or audio enhancement
  • Consultant fee to develop an overall accessibility plan for your organization
  • Inclusive programming
  • Staff training to learn about accessibility as it relates to programming, operations, or facilities modifications (i.e. travel to a workshop and/or training)
• Equipment
  • Adaptive Touchscreen Interfaces
  • Electronic Drawing Tablets
  • Sensory Feedback Tools
  • Adaptive Styluses
  • Haptic Metronomes
  • Adaptive Easels & Tables
  • Adaptive MIDI Controllers
• Facilities Enhancements
  • Accessibility signage for exterior and/or interior space
  • Modification of restroom(s) signage
  • Modification to drinking fountain(s) signage
  • Installation of Braille plaques

Prohibited Use

• Construction costs (new buildings must comply with current ADA requirements)
• Cosmetic work such as interior painting and furnishings
• Actual building construction costs  
• Consultant fees for facilities fundraising 

Review Process

The South Arts team will review submitted applications for completeness and compliance with guidelines and application requirements. South Arts program staff and management will evaluate the applications based on the published Review Criteria. Staff will then develop funding recommendations based on these evaluations and the availability of funds. Final funding decisions are approved by the VP of Programs. Award notification is expected within a month after submission. 

Review Criteria  

• The applicant meets the eligibility requirements.
• The proposed activities align with the stated purpose of this grant category.
• The proposed use of funds meets the requirements as stated in the grant guidelines.
• The professionals have the appropriate qualifications necessary to carry out the proposed activities.
• The application shows evidence of adequate financial resources to complete the proposed activities.

Applications are reviewed and funding decisions are made using the following criteria to evaluate each application:

• Artistic Excellence (25%) – Quality of arts mission and company programs. What is the organization's portfolio of offerings?  
• Artistic Merit (30%) – Quality of project - and degree to which these funds will support the success of the project. Is the program well planned and supports the organization’s artistic or cultural goals?
• Impact (35%) – Degree of audience development efforts. How do you engage the disability community? How do you know if the program or project is needed in your community? Is there evidence to support the accessibility need?
• Capacity (10%) – Presenter’s ability to carry out and evaluate the project. What are the qualifications of the people working on the project?  

Once awarded

If your application is funded, you will enter into a contractual agreement with South Arts, and you must comply with all requirements as stated.  

• You will receive notification and instructions when your Grant Agreement Document is available in our online grants management system.  
• You must upload the required documents to the “My Requirements” section of Salesforce as instructed by the date indicated in the system.  
• Applicants who fail to properly acknowledge South Arts’ AND the National Endowment for the Arts’ support in programs and press materials may not be considered for future funding.

Please note: Any significant revisions to grant-funded activities must be approved in writing, in advance, by South Arts.

Grant Payments  

Payments will be dispersed in two cycles. 75 percent (%) upon executed contract; 25 percent (%) upon submission of South Arts approved final report.  

Final Report  
 

ALL GRANTEES are required to complete a Final Report at the end of the grant period. The Final Report Due Date is stated in Salesforce. Failure to submit an accurate and complete Final Report by the due date will result in cancellation of the award and repayment of any funds received. Applicants who have failed to submit final reports for any previous South Arts grant by the application deadline for this program will not be considered for funding in this grant cycle.

Policies  

• Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.
• South Arts does not fund historical reenactments, benefits, or fundraisers.
• Grants are NOT transferable to other events. All changes to a project must be submitted in writing to South Arts before the event. Awards may be revised or revoked considering such changes.
• The maximum grant request is $2,000.
• Although a readiness plan is not required and will not impact application review, all applicants will be asked if their organization has a readiness plan. For more information about readiness, please visit our Emergency Preparedness resources page as well as the dPlan|ArtsReady tool.
• All grant recipients are required to provide accessibility for constituents with disabilities at grant-funded events. For these guidelines, accessibility relates to your overall facility and project being accessible to all. In addition to physical access (ramps, accessible parking/box office/restrooms/seating, etc.), communications and programmatic accessibility is not only required, but can also help your organization build audiences and strengthen engagement. Grant applications should show evidence of thoughtful planning and implementation efforts. The National Endowment for the Arts has resources to assist arts organizations in making accommodations. Please visit the NEA's website for more information. Applicants must commit to the Endowment’s Assurance of Compliance and complete the Section 504 Self-Certification Workbook.

Appeals

You can request a review of the method for South Arts' decisions concerning grant applications through the Appeals Process. Dissatisfaction with the denial or amount of a grant award is not a sufficient reason for an appeal. An applicant not funded may appeal South Arts' decision if the applicant can demonstrate that the application was rejected for any of the following reasons: 

• Application was reviewed using criteria other than those published;
• Funding decision was influenced by panelist/staff/committee member who failed to disclose conflict of interest; and/or
• Application materials (submitted by the deadline) were not provided to panelist/staff/committee members.

To appeal an application review outcome, first contact the program director to request a review of the considerations affecting South Arts' decision. Subsequently, if you believe there are grounds for an appeal, you must submit your appeal, in writing, to South Arts' President & CEO no later than 15 calendar days following the receipt of the written notice from South Arts. The submission should contain evidence to support one or more of the allowable grounds for appeal. The President & CEO will make and render a final decision within 30 days of the appeal. 

Mail your appeal to: 
South Arts 
ATTN: President & CEO 
1800 Peachtree Street, NW 
Suite 808 
Atlanta, GA 30309 

#guidelines

Additional Resources

• Accessibility