FY26 Application Guidelines Available December 2 | |
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Guidelines for the Division's FY26 grants will be released on Monday, December 2, 2024. We encourage grantees to review the updated guidelines before beginning your application in smARTDE.
The deadline for applications will be Monday, March 3, 2025.
NEW for FY2026 - every grant program has its own landing page on the Division's website that will provide unique information for each grant.
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Delaware Writers Retreat Recap | |
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Last weekend, 20 writers convened in Lewes, Delaware for the Delaware Writers Retreat. Facilitated by Tope Folarin (Prose) and Catherine Pierce (poetry), these writers were able to center themselves in an environment for growth and connection.
We look forward to hosting the Delaware Writers Retreat again in the fall of 2026.
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Welcome to 2025 Poetry Out Loud Schools | |
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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.
Welcome to this year's 13 participating schools!
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Cape Henlopen High School
Concord High School
Delaware Valley Classical School Delcastle Tech High School
First State Military Academy
MOT Charter High School
Mount Sophia Academy
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Paul M. Hodgson Vo-Tech High School
Red Lion Christian Academy
St. Mark's High School
Smyrna High School
Sussex Academy of Arts and Sciences
Sussex Central High School
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Coming Soon: Delaware State Employee Art Exhibition Registration Opens | |
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Are you a state employee or the family member of one? Don’t miss your 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.
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Important Dates
Registration Opens: December 16, 2024
Registration Closes: January 27, 2025
Artwork Delivery: February 10-15, 2025
Exhibit Dates: February 25 – March 21, 2025
People’s Choice Voting: February 25 – March 20, 2025
Reception: March 9, 2025
Artwork Pick Up: March 22-28 and April 1, 2025
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Two Grant Programs Announced from the National Endowment for the Arts | | |
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Creative Forces Community Engagement Grant Program
Applications are now open for the Creative Forces Community Engagement Grants. This national program engages military-connected individuals through experiences of art or art-making.
These grants of $10,000 to $50,000 support community arts programs that create opportunities for creative expression, resilience, social connectedness, and successful adaptation to civilian life.
Creative Forces is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in partnership with Mid-America Arts Alliance (M-AAA).
Applications are due January 15, 2025.
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Learn more and take the quiz to see if your organization is eligible: | |
Shakespeare in American Communities
Applications are now open for the
Shakespeare in American Communities program for 2025-26!
This national program from Arts Midwest and the National Endowment for the Arts supports theaters through three grant opportunities:
- Schools Program: Funding for Shakespeare-related performances and educational activities.
- Juvenile Justice Program: Theater experiences for youth in juvenile justice facilities.
- Apprenticeships Program: NEW! Paid apprenticeships for early-career professionals in community-based theater—no Shakespeare programming necessary!
Applications are due on February 13, 2025.
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New Grant Program from Mid Atlantic Arts:
Cultural Sustainability: Community Roots Program | |
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Mid Atlantic Arts’ Cultural Sustainability: Community Roots program provides unrestricted operational funding to arts organizations founded by, with, and for communities of color, allowing them to sustain and expand their practices, benefiting the communities they serve. It also supports cross-cultural arts experiences and fosters stronger collaboration between artists, communities, and the regional arts organizations.
The program provides general operating support to arts and culture organizations serving BIPOC communities with budgets under $500,000 and at least three years of programming. Mid Atlantic Arts will select up to 20 grantees from the ten states and territories it serves (DC, DE, MD, NJ, NY, PA, PR, USVI, VA, and WV).
Application opens November 12, 2024. Applications due January 6, 2025.
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Other Grant Opportunities from Mid Atlantic Arts | |
ArtsCONNECT
ArtsCONNECT supports performing arts touring projects collaboratively developed by presenters working together in the mid-Atlantic region.
Deadline: February 25, 2025
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Folk and Traditional Arts Community Projects Grants
Folk and Traditional Arts Community Projects grants fund projects that support the vitality of traditional arts and cultures in the mid-Atlantic region.
Deadline: March 10, 2025
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Mid Atlantic Tours
Mid Atlantic Tours brings exemplary performing arts ensembles to communities across the mid-Atlantic region.
Deadline: March 27, 2025
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Special Presenter Initiatives
The Special Presenter Initiatives provide additional opportunities for the support of small to mid-sized performing arts presenters in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, West Virginia, and Native nations that share this geography.
Deadline: March 13, 2025
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Award Winners XXIV Group Art Exhibition Wraps Up | |
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Thank you to everyone who joined the Division, our 2024 Individual Artist Fellows, and our community partners (The Biggs Museum of American Art, CAMP Rehoboth, and Cab Calloway School of the Arts) for joining us for our Award Winners XXIV group art exhibitions.
Attendees were able to appreciate the art of 20 Delaware-based artists. Click below to see some photos from each of our Award Winners XXIV stops!
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NEW SEGMENTS: Arts Alive Delaware | |
Arts Alive Delaware is a captivating new documentary series brought to you by the Delaware Division of the Arts and DETV. This series offers an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the vibrant non-profit arts organizations that enrich communities across Delaware. Join us as we delve into the creative worlds of these organizations, uncovering the passion, innovation, and dedication of their leaders and staff members. Episodes of Arts Alive Delaware will be released every two weeks this fall. Don't miss the chance to explore the heart and soul of Delaware's arts scene! | |
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EPISODE FIVE
Featuring: The Music School of Delaware, Mispillion Art League, and Clear Space Theatre Company
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EPISODE SIX
Featuring: Delaware Symphony Orchestra, CAMP Rehoboth, and the Kent County Theatre Guild
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DE250 Grant Deadlines
The purpose of Delaware 250 grants is to support museums, libraries, non-profit organizations, historic sites, heritage groups, and other such groups in developing programs or other public-facing ventures that help to commemorate the 250th anniversary for Delawareans and Delaware’s visitors.
Funding may also be used to conduct research into archival collections, in order to tell a fuller, better researched, or more inclusive story of the past.
Grant funding may also support on-site improvements and other efforts to get sites “visitor-ready” for the Semiquincentennial. A potential project or undertaking need not be tied specifically to the history of the Revolutionary War, but it should contribute to a deeper understanding and appreciation of Delaware’s rich history and heritage.
Upcoming Grant Deadlines:
January 15, 2025
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Rauschenberg Dancer Emergency Grants
Are you a dancer anywhere in the US in dire financial emergency? Have you recently lost engagements, or been ill or injured? You may be eligible for a one-time Rauschenberg Dancer Emergency Grant of up to $3,000. This national program is administered by New York Foundation for the Arts and funded by Robert Rauschenberg Foundation. Privacy is guaranteed. The program continues with bimonthly cycles through June 2025.
Cycle 16 is open now though through December 10.
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Upcoming Grant Deadline for NEA Programming
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is proud to support the nation’s arts sector with grant opportunities so that together we can help everyone live more artful lives. “Artful lives” is an inclusive concept encompassing everything from the creation, presentation, and consumption of art, to active arts engagement by all people through making, teaching, and learning in our everyday lives.
Upcoming Guidelines Expected:
December 2024 - Challenge America
December 2024 - Arts Projects
January 2025 - Research Awards
January 2025 - Creative Writing Fellowships
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MLK Voice 4 Youth Registration Open
MLK VOICE 4 YOUTH provides a platform for youth grades 7-12 to speak on issues important to them reflecting Dr. King’s commitment to social change and justice. Students choose an activist who inspires them from 150 American Activists, spanning different causes and eras, to develop their message for change. In 2025, MLK VOICE 4 YOUTH will celebrate its 9th year encouraging youth to SPEAK UP for change through respect, understanding, and compassion.
Registration deadline: January 15, 2025
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On the Mezzanine - Shakira Hunt
The Delaware Division of the Arts’ Mezzanine Gallery presents 2024 Established Artist Fellow Shakira Hunt’s exhibition, “Give Me My Flowers: The Series (out-takes)”” on view from November 1-29.
Through a series of images, artist Shakira Hunt presents “masculinity” through many different lenses. “Give Me My Flowers” challenges the stereotyped idea of masculinity, how it is perceived as being void of emotional sensitivity and vulnerability, and how it is often displayed through a tough exterior.
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Meet the 2024 Fellows
The prestigious Individual Artist Fellowships from the Delaware Division of the Arts recognize a variety of disciplines and outstanding quality of work. Each month, we will highlight a few fellows from the 2024 cohort.
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Mariano Mallia
Emerging, Music: Contemporary Performance
“I want to put out music that brings communities together, not music that tears them apart.”
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Joyce Enzor Maust
Emerging, Visual Arts: Painting
“What draws me to poetry is its brevity and the beauty of each word.”
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Dover Art League
Student Art Exhibit
Dover, General Operating Support
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Wilmington Children's Chorus
Go Tell It!
Wilmington, General Operating Support
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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. | | | | |
