Atlanta, GA — July 14, 2025 — South Arts is pleased to announce the application cycles are now open for various grant initiatives, including: Emerging Traditional Artist Program; Artist Creative Practice; Arts Readiness, Relief, & Recovery; Arts in Community; Arts in Rural Places; Professional Development; Accessibility; and In These Mountains Infrastructure Grants.
Since 1975, South Arts has been committed to supporting and showcasing the talents of Southern artists. While each program has its own focus, they share a common goal: to enrich the cultural landscape of the region. These grant opportunities streamline direct support for artists and arts organizations across the region to sustain and grow their practices.
Applications for the following programs will open on July 16, 2025, remain open until September 3, 2025:
- The In These Mountains Infrastructure Grants award $30,000 to organizations in Appalachian Regional Commission counties in Kentucky, North Carolina, and Tennessee to support non-programming expenses that are often not fundable by most grants or are financially out of reach for organizations.
- The Emerging Traditional Artist Program supports artists in Central Appalachia through South Arts’ In These Mountains initiative. This multi-year program offers intergenerational opportunities to share, teach, preserve, and carry forward folk and traditional arts. Selected artists will receive up to $5,000 in grant support, access to learning experiences, peer connections, and professional development workshops.
- The Artist Creative Practice Grants (formerly Individual Artist Career Opportunity Grants) award up to $2,000 to support artists’ creative and professional development through milestone activities that lead to substantial career advancement or a thriving creative practice.
- The new Arts Readiness, Relief, and Recovery program launches from the inspiration of South Arts’ former ArtsReady and Emergency Preparedness program, awarding up to $1,000 to artists impacted by Hurricanes Helene and/or Milton. Artists working in craft, traditional arts, design, literary, media/film, performing arts, visual arts, and interdisciplinary/multidisciplinary arts may apply for funding to safeguarding their studios, protecting their practices, preparing for emergencies.
- Arts in Community Grants (formerly Presentation Grants and Traditional Arts Touring) provide up to $10,000 to support organizations, ensembles, artists, or artist collaboratives of any discipline in bringing arts and artists to a community.
- Arts in Rural Places Grants (formerly Express Grants) offer up to $3,000 to support bringing arts and artists of any discipline into a rural community, administered through an expedited process.
- The Professional Development Grants offer up to $1,000 to support the professional development needs of arts organizations for increasing organizational capacity to achieve long-term sustainability, growth, and/or operational stability.
- The Accessibility Grant program offers up to $1,000 to arts organizations to make their programs more accessible to persons with disabilities.
For more information on eligibility and additional opportunities from South Arts, please visit southarts.org.
About South Arts
South Arts advances Southern vitality through the arts. The nonprofit regional arts organization was founded in 1975 to build on the South’s unique heritage and enhance the public value of the arts. South Arts’ work responds to the arts environment and cultural trends with a regional perspective. South Arts offers an annual portfolio of activities designed to support the success of artists and arts providers in the South, address the needs of Southern communities through impactful arts-based programs, and celebrate the excellence, innovation, value and power of the arts of the South. For more information, visit www.southarts.org.
Press Inquiries
Rachel Roberts
Senior Account Executive, Cultural Counsel
rachel@culturalcounsel.com