In These Mountains: Infrastructure Grants

Program Goals

The In These Mountains: Central Appalachian Folk Arts & Culture Infrastructure Grants advance the goals of the In These Mountains (ITM) initiative by supporting organizations that promote sharing, teaching, learning, preserving, documenting, and supporting the continuity of the folk arts and traditional culture of Central Appalachia. The ITM initiative specifically seeks opportunities to support the work of traditional artists and organizations engaged in handcrafts/material culture, foodways, and music.

ITM Infrastructure Grants are designed to support non-programming expenses that are often not fundable by most grants or are financially out of reach for organizations. These grants are intended to provide improved tools and resources to organizations so that they may advance their work in supporting the folk arts and traditional culture of Central Appalachia.

Capital improvements, and fundraising events are not eligible expenses for ITM Infrastructure Grants.

Up to 10% of grant funds may be used for overhead, including staff salaries.

This funding program is open to a wide variety of nonprofit organizations, including community cultural organizations, libraries, museums, performing arts presenters, community festival organizations, faith-based organizations, etc. Organizations must be located within and serve at least one Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) county in Kentucky, North Carolina, or Tennessee.

Eligible organizations may work with artists and communities who practice longstanding, deeply rooted African American, Anglo American, or Native American traditions, and/or newer immigrant traditional artists and communities who continue the practice of traditional handcrafts/material culture, foodways, and music who now make Central Appalachia home.

Two organizations from each eligible state (Kentucky, North Carolina, and Tennessee) will be selected, for a total of six recipient organizations.

Please note: Previous or current In These Mountains Partners (FY19-FY25) are not eligible to apply. Colleges and universities are not eligible to apply.

We strongly advise you to contact South Arts traditional arts staff to discuss your application prior to your submission. Please contact Taylor Burden (Director, Traditional Arts) at tburden@southarts.org.

What are Folk Arts and Cultures?

The South is home to an abundance of folk arts and traditional culture. Folk and traditional arts share the aesthetics, practices, and values of families, geographic communities, occupational groups, ethnic heritage groups, etc. Folk and traditional arts are learned orally or by observation and imitation, often through a mentor artist instructing an apprentice. They are usually maintained without formal instruction or academic training. Some traditional arts have a deep-rooted history with little change, while others are constantly evolving and adapting to their changing environment.

For the purposes of this application, the folk and traditional arts of Central Appalachia include handcrafts/material culture, foodways, and music. Some examples of traditional arts practiced in Central Appalachia are Cherokee stamped pottery, African American storytelling, Anglo American ballads, Latin American foodways traditions, Bharatanatyam Indian dance, Traditional Vietnamese Medicine, and many more.

What does ‘Infrastructure’ mean?

For the purposes of the In These Mountains Infrastructure Grant opportunity, the term ‘infrastructure’ is defined as the necessary resources and systems that may assist an organization to sustain current business or advance operations.

Important Dates & Deadlines  

• Application Opens: July 16, 2025.
• Application Closes: September 30, 2025. Applications must be submitted by 11:59 PM ET.  
  Please note that staff will not be available for assistance after regular business hours, so we encourage questions and submissions as early as possible.
• Application review: October 2025.
• Award announcement: November 2025.  
• Funds must be used by June 15, 2026.
• Final Report due June 15, 2026.

Infrastructure Grants: At a Glance

• Applicants must be not-for-profit organizations located in Appalachian Regional Commission counties in Kentucky, North Carolina, and Tennessee.
• Up to two organizations from each eligible state (Kentucky, North Carolina, and Tennessee) will be selected, for a total of six recipient organizations.
• Funds may support such activities and expenses as staff and volunteer professional development, emergency readiness planning, minor equipment purchases or software upgrades, staff travel and registration for conferences or research, marketing, strategic planning, etc. Grants may request funding for a single need or a combination of needs.
• Funds must be used by June 15, 2026.
• Final Report due June 15, 2026.
• No award extensions will be considered.
• Non-matching grants are awarded in the amount of $30,000. 

A full list of eligibility criteria and other project requirements is provided in the guidelines below.

While preparing your In These Mountains: Infrastructure Grant application, please refer to the following guidelines.

South Arts' Commitments

South Arts has prioritized the following:

• Applicants from new applicants and ARC geographies which have not previously been served by South Arts.
• South Arts is committed to funding organizations in rural communities (with populations under 50,000).

Organization Eligibility Requirements

• Nonprofit organizations located in Appalachian Regional Commission counties in Kentucky, North Carolina, and Tennessee are eligible.
• Organizations must have a 501(c)3 status in good standing or work with a fiscal agent.
• All applicants must have a Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN). Visit IRS.gov for more information.
• Organizations that have failed to submit final reports on time for any previous South Arts grants will not be considered for funding.
• Organizations that fail to properly acknowledge South Arts’ support in programs and press materials will not be considered for additional funding.
• Previous or current In These Mountains Partners (FY19-FY25) are not eligible to apply. Colleges and universities are not eligible to apply.

Eligible Counties
Eligible organizations must be located within and serve at least one of the following Appalachian Regional Commission counties:

• Kentucky: Adair, Bath, Bell, Boyd, Breathitt, Carter, Casey, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Cumberland, Edmonson, Elliott, Estill, Fleming, Floyd, Garrard, Green, Greenup, Harlan, Hart, Jackson, Johnson, Knott, Knox, Laurel, Lawrence, Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Lewis, Lincoln, McCreary, Madison, Magoffin, Martin, Menifee, Metcalfe, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Nicholas, Owsley, Perry, Pike, Powell, Pulaski, Robertson, Rockcastle, Rowan, Russell, Wayne, Whitley, and Wolfe.
• North Carolina: Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Cherokee, Clay, Cleveland, Davie, Forsyth, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, McDowell, Macon, Madison, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Stokes, Surry, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, Yadkin, and Yancey.
• Tennessee: Anderson, Bledsoe, Blount, Bradley, Campbell, Cannon, Carter, Claiborne, Clay, Cocke, Coffee, Cumberland, De Kalb, Fentress, Franklin, Grainger, Greene, Grundy, Hamblen, Hamilton, Hancock, Hawkins, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Knox, Lawrence, Lewis, Loudon, McMinn, Macon, Marion, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Overton, Pickett, Polk, Putnam, Rhea, Roane, Scott, Sequatchie, Sevier, Smith, Sullivan, Unicoi, Union, Van Buren, Warren, Washington, and White. 

Project Guidelines

• ITM Infrastructure Grant applications may be submitted beginning July 16, 2025. Funding must be used by June 15, 2025.
• The grant deadline is September 3, 2025. Applications must be submitted by 11:59 PM ET.
• Two organizations from ARC counties in each eligible state (Kentucky, North Carolina, and Tennessee) will be selected, for a total of six recipient organizations.
• Organizations must promote sharing, teaching, learning, preserving, documenting, and supporting the continuity of the folk arts and traditional culture of Central Appalachia. This work should include traditional music, crafts/material culture, or foodways/food traditions.
• Projects are not required to serve the entire geographic community but should have targeted participants.
• All grant recipients are required to provide accessibility for constituents, staff, and volunteers with disabilities at their facility/building/office, and programs. For these guidelines, accessibility relates to your overall facility and programs being accessible to all. In addition to physical access (ramps, accessible parking/box office/restrooms/seating, etc.), communications accessibility is not only required, but can also help your organization retain staff and volunteers and grow build audiences/constituents. Grant applications should show evidence of thoughtful planning and implementation efforts. The National Endowment for the Arts has resources to assist organizations in making accommodations. Please visit the NEA's website for more information.

Policies

• Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.
• South Arts does not fund organizations that present historical reenactments, benefits, or fundraisers.
• Grants are NOT transferable to other organizations, projects, or programs. All changes to the project must be submitted in writing to South Arts. Awards may be revised or revoked considering such changes.
• All grants will be awarded in the amount of $30,000.
• Awards will be delivered in two installments: 50% ($15,000) by January 30, 2026; 50% ($15,000) upon receipt of final report in Salesforce. 

Application Process

All grant applications must be submitted online using South Arts’ Salesforce Grants Management System. We recommend that you visit the site early to register and become familiar with the system. Be sure to register as an organization to access the In These Mountains: Infrastructure Grant application. Complete your application in Salesforce, including the required materials as detailed below. NOTE: Please print a copy of your completed application for your records.

South Arts encourages applicants to begin grant applications early, allowing for plenty of time to organize and upload required materials. We also urge you to contact us with questions more than 48 hours before the application deadline; due to the volume of requests, South Arts team members may not be able to respond to inquiries submitted after that time.

Review Process

A panel of folklorists, community scholars, and other individuals with relevant experience will review all applications according to the review criteria. Panelists may or may not be familiar with your organization and community, so please be clear and specific in your application.

• Applicants will be notified of funding decisions by email by 5:00 PM ET, December 1, 2025.

Review Criteria

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

• Artistic Excellence (25%) – How well does the organization support, present, identify and/or perpetuate traditional arts and culture in the applicant organization’s community?
• Artistic Merit (30%) – How will the infrastructure of the organization benefit so that they may advance their work in supporting the folk arts and traditional culture of Central Appalachia?
• Project Impact (35%) – How well does the potential support further the organization’s mission or goals?
• Capacity (10%) – Organization’s ability to carry out and evaluate progress. 

Appeals Process

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