FY28 Application Guidelines Available in December | | |
Guidelines for the Division's FY28 annual grants will be released by Friday, December 11, 2026. We encourage grantees to review the updated guidelines before beginning your application in smARTDE.
The deadline for applications will be Monday, March 1, 2027.
The Division will be accepting the following applications for the March 1 deadline:
Grants for Non-Profit Arts Organizations
General Operating Support
Arts Stablization Fund (Capital Improvements)
Education Resource
StartUp
Grants for Community Based Organizations
Project Support
Questions? Contact the program officer listed on each page for questions.
| | DDOA Receives Several Honors This Month | | The Delaware Division of the Arts is honored to receive two prestigious awards recognizing our commitment to making the arts more accessible, inclusive, and impactful across the First State. These honors celebrate our ongoing efforts to expand opportunities for creative expression, strengthen community partnerships, and ensure that all Delawareans can experience the transformative power of the arts. We are grateful to our partners, artists, and communities whose collaboration makes this work possible. | | | |
National Assembly of State Arts Agencies Arts Access Award
The Delaware Division of the Arts (DDOA) has received the 2026 Arts Access Agency Award from the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA), a national award recognizing a state arts agency that has shown exceptional and innovative work to expand access to the arts and broaden participation.
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Delaware Hispanic Chamber of Commerce 2026 Delaware Hispanic Champion
The Delaware Division of the Arts was proud to receive the Delaware Hispanic Champion Award at the 2026 Delaware Hispanic Awards, presented by the Delaware Cámara de Comercio Hispanic Chamber on October 16 at The Queen in Wilmington.
This meaningful recognition celebrates our ongoing commitment to expanding access to the arts, elevating Latino artists, and connecting Delaware's Hispanic communities with opportunities for creative expression and cultural engagement.
| | | Welcome to 2027 Poetry Out Loud Schools | | |
Poetry Out Loud is a national poetry recitation competition that encourages high school students to learn about and appreciate poetry. The program provides students with the opportunity to explore and analyze poetry, develop public speaking skills, and build confidence in their ability to express themselves.
Have a question about Poetry Out Loud?
Contact Briana Henry at Briana.Henry@delaware.gov.
Welcome to this year's record number of participating schools!
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Ceasar Rodney High School
Concord High School
Delcastle Tech High School
First State Military Academy
Hodgson Vo-Tech High School
Lake Forest High School
Milford High School
MOT High School
Mount Sophia Academy
Odyssey Charter School
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Saint Mark's High School
Sanford High School
Sarah Pyle Academy
Smyrna High School
Sussex Academy
Sussex Central High School
Sussex Technical High School
The John Dickinson School
Wilmington Friends School
Woodbridge High School
| | Award Winners XXVI Wrapping Up! | | |
Celebrate some of Delaware’s most talented artists at the free opening reception for Award Winners XXVI at the Historic Odessa Foundation on Thursday, September 17, from 6–8 p.m. The traveling exhibition curated by the Biggs Museum of American Art highlights the work of Delaware’s 2026 Individual Artist Fellows, recognized by the Delaware Division of the Arts for the exceptional creativity, skill, and artistic achievement demonstrated in their respective disciplines.
Join us for an evening of art and community as we recognize this year’s Fellows and experience the creativity being produced across the First State. Award Winners XXVI will remain on view at the Historic Odessa Foundation through October 25, 2026.
| | Biggs Museum of American Art | | Historic Odessa Foundation | | CAMP Rehoboth Community Center | |
Reception:
November 7 from 2-4pm
| | Coming Soon: State Employee Art Exhibition | | |
Are you a State of Delaware employee? Don’t miss the chance to be recognized in Delaware for your creativity!
Enter your artwork in The Delaware State Employee Art Exhibition. Sponsored by The National Arts Program®, in support and cooperation with the State of Delaware and the Delaware Division of the Arts, the exhibit is judged by professional artists and visual art professionals. The Delaware State Employee Art Exhibition is designed to give artists at all skill levels a unique opportunity to exhibit their creative work and to compete for cash prizes.
| | Upcoming DDOA Grant Opportunities | | The Delaware Division of the Arts offers a variety of grant programs for individual artists; nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations chartered and based in Delaware; and schools and government entities that support arts activities. | | |
Arts Access - Supports small budget projects that include the presentation of performing, visual, literary, media, or folk arts in communities throughout the state. Organizations that receive General Operating Support are generally not eligible to apply. Rolling deadline – submit at least 6 weeks prior to the project start date.
Artist Opportunity - Grants provide up to $1,000 to support individual artists with unique professional and artistic development or presentation opportunities. Please note: there are new application components required for this application to verify identity and residency requirements. Next deadline: January 15.
Artist Residency - Grants for residencies with visual, literary, performing or media artists working with students in the classroom or in professional development workshops with teachers. Rolling deadline – submit at least 6 weeks prior to start of the scheduled residency.
TranspARTation - Grants that support transportation costs (up to $500) for schools to bring students to Delaware arts and cultural institutions and venues in order to attend arts performances, events, and exhibits. Rolling deadline – submit at least 6 weeks prior to the field trip date.
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NEA Big Read Applications Open
The National Endowment for the Arts Big Read is a program that awards cost share grants ranging from $5,000 to $30,000 to U.S. organizations, supporting community reading programs designed around a single book and a common theme. Grantees receive funding for their programming and purchasing books, and tools to support them in working with local partners, developing public relations strategies, and leading meaningful book discussions.
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SMU DataArts National Trends 2026 Report
In an examination of over 11,000 unique nonprofit arts and cultural organizations that completed the Cultural Data Profile survey, we uncover key trends shaping the sector from 2018 to 2025.
Key Takeaways*
- Resources and audiences remain smaller than before 2020.
- Earned revenue is down 27% since 2019—nearly double the 16% decline in unrestricted contributed revenue.
- Foundation and individual giving are a bright spot, reaching near pre-pandemic levels with further growth in 2025.
- Personnel spending rose 6% in 2025, while non-personnel expenses remained substantially below 2019 levels.
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Arts and Culture on SpotlightDelaware.org!
We're thrilled to share that Spotlight Delaware has expanded its reporting with a new Arts + Culture section, led by Arts & Culture Editor Cannon Taylor! This exciting addition brings greater visibility to Delaware's vibrant creative community, highlighting the artists, organizations, performances, exhibitions, and cultural experiences that make the First State such a special place to live, work, and explore.
We encourage you to explore Spotlight Delaware's new coverage, subscribe to their newsletter, and share the stories that resonate with you. By reading, engaging, and spreading the word, we can help grow the reach of arts journalism and ensure Delaware's creative community continues to receive the spotlight it deserves!
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Submit your upcoming events to DelawareScene.com
DelawareScene is a comprehensive, up-to-date website calendar featuring Delaware’s arts and cultural events and attractions in and around Delaware. Acquaint yourself with one of Delaware’s many artists, get carried away by the magic of a theater performance, frequent one of Delaware’s world-renowned museums, experience one of Delaware’s many unique festivals.
REMINDER: All grantees MUST list all events on DelawareScene.com as soon as they are announced.
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On the Mezzanine:
Catharine Fichtner
The Delaware Division of the Arts’ Mezzanine Gallery is pleased to present Interference, a solo exhibition of large-scale paintings by Wilmington artist Catharine Fichtner, on view November 6-30, 2026. An opening reception will be held Friday, November 6, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. in the Mezzanine Gallery, located in the Carvel State Office Building at 820 N. French Street, Wilmington. Admission is free and open to the public. (The Carvel State Office Building will be closed on Thursday, November 26 and Friday, November 27 in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday.)
Interference comes as Fichtner marks her recognition as a 2026 Delaware Division of the Arts Individual Artist Fellow in the established artist category for painting. Fichtner calls her approach “abstract narration.” Her paintings, she says, “grapple with how we find meaning within fragmented and coded information.” She has always been drawn to communication and memory that can deceive us, and to the ways we work through it. With technology that is so easy to manipulate, she sees life becoming more of a puzzle, one we all have to decipher.
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Jonathan Whitney
Music: Composition
“My life is dedicated to using the arts to address the world we live in through performance, social practice, community building, presenting, and education.”
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Brian Wild
Media Arts: Video/Film
“Whether working in narrative film or experimental media, I chase the same spark: what it feels like to be human in a world that keeps getting weirder."
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J PVPI
Music: Contemporary Performance
“My vision as an artist is to continue growing my audience and the overall quality of my music."
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Raylo
Music: Composition
“Through this work, I aim to remind others that even in isolation, they are not alone."
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Resident Ensemble Players
Fireflies
Newark
Project Support
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CoroAllegro
The Power of Love: A 1980's Concert and Gala
Wilmington
General Operating Support
| | | | The Delaware Division of the Arts is an agency of the State of Delaware. Together with its advisory body, the Delaware State Arts Council, the Division administers grants and programs that support arts programming, educate the public, increase awareness of the arts, and integrate the arts into all facets of Delaware life. Funding for Division programs is provided by annual appropriations from the Delaware General Assembly and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. For more information about the Delaware Division of the Arts, visit arts.delaware.gov or call 302-577-8278. | | | | |
