The Delaware Division of the Arts has opened its annual online application process for grants for arts programming and projects taking place during fiscal year 2024 (September 2023 – August 2024). Applications will be submitted through the smARTDE online system and are due by 4:30 p.m. EST on Tuesday, March 1, 2023.

The guidelines for all grant programs are available online at arts.delaware.gov/grant-overview. Past and new applicants should read the guidelines carefully as updates may have been made and contact Division staff with any questions. A list of the Division staff members who manage the grants process, including their responsibilities and contact information, is available at the end of this release.

In FY23, the Division of the Arts awarded 115 grants for a total of $2.9 million to eligible Delaware based organizations. You can read more here.

New Requirement This Cycle: Organization grant applications require a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). Obtaining your UEI could take a minimum of 30 days. Read more about obtaining a UEI to begin the process today. CLICK HERE

Below are the Division’s grants programs. Please visit arts.delaware.gov/grant-overview/ to access the full guidelines for each program and a description of the grant review process. Some organizational grants are available throughout the year on a rolling deadline basis. 

The Division also awards grants on an on-going basis and at other deadlines throughout the year, including Arts Access grants, Artist Residencies*, Individual Artist Fellowships, Individual Artist Opportunity grants, and TranspARTation grants. Full grant descriptions are available on the Division’s website.

Meet the Fellows

William Torrey

Established, Literature: Fiction

Torrey has taught creative writing and literature at universities in Texas (Stephen F. Austin State University) and Louisiana (LSU and University of New Orleans). But in 2015 he moved to Delaware, where he is Writer in Residence at St. Andrew’s School (Middletown) and serves on the English and creative writing faculty there. The summer academic hiatus is this writer’s most productive creative time; during the school year, balancing a full-time job with the needs of his family (he and wife Liz have small children) challenges Torrey “to sustain a rhythm of productivity.” He finds that writing sporadically is “better than not at all, of course, but I wish to better integrate my role as an artist into my everyday life.”

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Katie West

Emerging, Visual Arts: Photography

Katie West learned early in life about the power of images. Her father, an electrical engineer, was “an incredible amateur photographer” with a darkroom in the family bathroom. As he captured her childhood on film, he taught his daughter to develop and print. Those black and white photographs inspired West, and for 30 years, she followed his example – an amateur photographer taking pictures of her travels and family while pursuing a career.

“I aim to capture the extraordinary in the ordinary, finding and sharing beauty in things we might walk past every day.”



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Call for Artists: Markell Trail

New Castle County seeks an artist(s) or artist collective(s), to facilitate the artistic development of the Jack A. Markell Trail (JAM). Said artist(s) will assist in using art and community engagement to develop informational wayfinding designs, celebrate local history, and create public art installations to attract visitors to New Castle County’s outdoor amenities in an expansive trail enhancement project funded by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA).  This will be unveiled in Summer of 2023. 

The purpose of these projects is to embellish the trail with public art that both informs the users of the site and celebrates its history and surrounding community. These projects may take form in any visual media, including digitally based artwork, and we are open to it taking shape according to how we can best help serve and represent the community.  

39th Annual Small Museum Association Conference

February 20-22, 2023

Hotel Du Pont

Wilmington, Delaware

While the small museum workplace of the past was one of long hours and little compensation, the last three years have inspired many of us to reevaluate what we look for in a workplace. How do we find a work-life balance and still care for the cultural and historic resources that our institutions are entrusted with and serve our communities? And how can leaders at small museums empower their employees to find time for guilt-free self-care?

The annual SMA conference attracts more than 300 museum professionals, board members, and volunteers from a wide variety of small museums. They attend sessions on topics ranging from collections and education to staffing and board issues.

NEA Big Read

The NEA Big Read is a community engagement opportunity with grants of up $20,000 for community-wide reading programs (in-person and/or virtual). Organizations can choose one of 15 available books. 

Who? Eligible organizations include arts organizations, community service organizations, colleges and universities, libraries, literary centers, school districts, theater companies, museums, tribal governments, and more.

Why? Past grantees have a proven track record of successfully engaging their audiences through the power of literature and stirring up a passion for reading that persists year after year. They've also developed meaningful and lasting partnerships with other organizations in their community, and program participants have the opportunity to meaningfully connect in-person and/or virtually.



When? The deadline to submit an Intent to Apply is January 18, 2023. Completed applications are due by January 25, 2023.

Mid Atlantic Arts Grants Open!

Mid Atlantic Arts’ grant programs for organizations strengthen the region’s presenter network, give communities access to high quality artistic experiences, build audiences, and provide opportunities for greater understanding and appreciation of the arts.

ArtsCONNECT

Jazz Touring Network

2023-2024 Mid-Atlantic Tours

Mid Atlantic Arts’ grant programs for artists allow artists to explore and create, provide touring engagements regionally and internationally, help to build audiences, and provide support and services to assist in career development.

USArtists International (deadline 11/20)

NEA 2024 Grants Now Open

Challenge America offers support primarily to small organizations for projects in all artistic disciplines to reach historically underserved groups/communities that have rich and dynamic cultural identities. Challenge America may be a good entry point for organizations that are new to applying for federal funding. The category features an abbreviated application, a robust structure of technical assistance, and grants for a set amount of $10,000. 

Grants require a cost share/match of $10,000 consisting of cash and/or in-kind contributions. Total project costs must be at least $20,000 or greater.



Application Deadline: April 27, 2023 for projects taking place beginning in 2024. 

Sign up for a guidelines webinar on Wednesday, March 1, 2023, at 3:00 pm ET. (An archive of the webinar will be available.)  

Best of Delaware Readers' Ballot Now Open

So, you want to win the top spot in your category in Delaware Today's Best of Delaware 2023 ballot?

Tell your customers to vote for you!

Their Readers’ Ballot is open from November 25, 2022 through January 8, 2023; and the elimination Round is open from January 22 to February 5. 

Each month we feature arts and community-based organizations and their programs and projects funded by the Delaware Division of the Arts.

Smyrna Opera House

First State Symphonic Band

Smyrna, General Operating Support

City of Newark, Parks and Recreation Department

Winterfest

Newark, Project Support

Wilmington Children's Chorus

A Soulful Holiday

Wilmington, General Operating Support