The calendar below features upcoming Arts Commission deadlines, events, information sessions and workshop opportunities. Times, dates and event details may be subject to change. For more information, please email [email protected].
Learn about the Festival Grant! Program manager Brad Debiase will walk you through the guidelines and application process and take any questions you might have.
Learn about the Lifelong Arts Engagement Grant and Youth Arts Engagement Grant! Program manager Elisa Garcia Radcliffe will walk you through the guidelines and application process and take any questions you might have.
Learn about the Lifelong Arts Engagement Grant and Youth Arts Engagement Grant! Program manager Elisa Garcia Radcliffe will walk you through the guidelines and application process and take any questions you might have.
Research & Development (R&D) Grants provide funding support to Arizona artists as they work to advance their artistic practice, expand their creative horizons, and deepen the impact of their work.
Who’s it For?
Whether you’re just getting started or you have already experienced many career successes, the R&D Grant is available to help you take your artistic practice to the next level, including:
- exploration of new techniques
- experimentation with new materials or technologies
- creation of new work
- development of new strategies for engaging your community of practice
This grant is available to Arizona artists working in any discipline. Applicants must be individuals and may submit only one application per year. Organizations are not eligible to apply. At the time an application is submitted, and the grant is awarded, an applicant must be:
- 18 years of age or older;
- not enrolled for more than three credit hours at a college or university;
- and a resident of Arizona.
Recipients of the R&D Grant must wait 4 years to reapply and may receive a maximum of 4 awards in their lifetime.
Award Amount
Applicants may request a minimum of $3,000 and a maximum of $5,000.
Up to 20 grants will be awarded this year.
Eligible Expenses
Grant funds may be used for any of the following (this list is not comprehensive):
- Stipend to grantee
- Stipends to collaborators
- Materials
- Travel costs
- Technology
- Equipment
- Space rental
- Marketing costs
- Production costs
- Documentation
- Rehearsal time
- Registration fees
The funding period is January 2024 – January 2025. Proposed activities may be underway prior to the time of application but must be completed by January 31, 2025.
The R&D Grant application is split into two stages. All applicants submit a Proposal Narrative and Work Samples. Applications determined to be most competitive according to evaluation criteria move on to Stage 2.
Application: Stage 1
Proposal Narrative & Work Samples
Due 11:59 pm, July 20, 2023
Notification of Stage 2 Advancement
September 15, 2023
Application: Stage 2
Process Map, Experience List, & Expense List
Due 11:59 PM, October 12, 2023
Panel Review
November 16, 2023
Grants Awarded
December 15, 2023
Funds Delivered
No later than
April 12, 2024
Request Accommodations
If you require accommodation in completing this application, or otherwise participating in the grant application process, please contact Director of Artist Programs Kesha Bruce at [email protected] or (602) 771-6530.
Prepare Narrative Responses
You can type your proposal narrative or you can upload audio recordings of your responses. For each narrative question you will find a maximum word count (not character) and a maximum recording length. If you share your proposal narrative via audio recordings, keep it simple and to the point. Don’t worry about impressing the panelists with your recording technique, just make sure we can hear and understand you. All audio files must be uploaded as MP3 files (.mp3). Some applicants find it helpful to develop the narrative portion of the application using word processing software, outside the application platform. This allows them to thoughtfully draft their responses and monitor their word counts for each question.
Create an Account
In the interest of improving the user experience for applicants and reviewers, the Arizona Commission on the Arts has transitioned to a new submission platform this year: SurveyMonkey Apply. Whether you are a new or returning applicant, you will need to create an account on our new platform at https://azarts.smapply.io/.
When you’re ready, click on “Apply Now” below. You do not have to complete the application in one session; at any point you can save a draft of your application and complete or submit it later.
The application for Fiscal Year 2024 Research & Development Grants is now closed.
The Application
Narrative Proposal Details
You can type up your proposal narrative (1200 words),
or
You can upload it in a anudio recording (8 minutes in length).
- Describe the work you propose to do with the grant funds.
- What are your specific proposed activities?
- Tell us about your community of practice as it relates to (or is specific for) your proposed activities.
- How will the work you propose to do reflect, impact, or otherwise respond to your community of practice?
- How does this proposal relate to the work you currently do? How would receiving this grant deepen your overall artistic practice?
- If you have collaborators, who are they and how do they contribute to your proposed work? (For the purposes of this application, collaborators are people with whom you will be working in close creative partnership on the proposed activities. If you have no collaborator(s), you do not need to address this question.)
Do not include links to external websites or video hosting platforms such as YouTube or Vimeo.
If you share your proposal narrative in an audio recording, keep it simple and to the point. The recording should be just you, describing your proposal and answering the five questions listed above. Please do not include edits of your work samples. Production quality of this recording will not be considered in your review. Just make sure we can hear and understand you and keep editing and post-production embellishment to a minimum.
Work Samples
Submit work samples you’ve completed in the last 5 years. From the list to the right, please choose the most appropriate artistic work sample format to represent your discipline:
Artist Work Samples
- 5 minutes of recorded audio
- 5 minutes of recorded video
- 10 images
- 5 pages of double-spaced text
- Combination of materials listed above. Please edit accordingly for no more than a total of 5 minutes of reviewing time (2 images=1 minute. 1 page = 1 minute.)
If you have collaborators you may include one work sample per person, for up to 3 collaborators:
Collaborator Work Samples
- 1 minute of recorded audio
- 1 minute of recorded video
- 2 images
- 1 page of double-spaced text or 1-2 poems
- Combination of materials listed above: Please edit accordingly for no more than a total of 1 minute of reviewing time (2 images=1 minute. 1 page = 1 minute.)
Remember to test your work samples as you upload them. Please do not submit promotional materials, exhibition posters, event program, or published reviews as work samples. Do not include URL links to external websites or video hosting platforms.
Work Sample Descriptions
Provide a brief description explaining how the submitted work sample(s) relate to your proposal. Why did you choose them?
Include the following for each work sample:
- Artist’s name
- Title of the work
- Date completed/premiered
If applicable:
- Location/site of exhibition or presentation
- Dimensions and medium of the work
Your application materials will be reviewed according to the following criteria. Please note: need is not a criterion. Application merit is based upon strength of responses in relation to the following review criteria:
Potential Impact to Artist
The application clearly describes the potential impact to the artist’s personal craft and/or body of work.
Potential Impact to Artist’s Community of Practice
The application clearly defines the artist’s community of practice and describes how the proposed activities will impact, reflect, or respond to the applicant’s artistic discipline, audience, field of study, place-based community, or broader community.
Artistic Strength
The submitted work samples reflect the artist’s distinct vision and originality. The work sample description conveys a clear understanding of the artist’s craft—the techniques you use and the intention behind them—and a commitment to artistic achievement.
Integrity of Proposal
Viewed as a whole, the application demonstrates the integrity with which the artist approaches their artistic practice and their defined community of practice. The application materials demonstrate a commitment to high ethical standards and equitable professional practices in regard to the proposed actions, values, methods, and goals.
All applications submitted by 11:59 pm, July 20, 2023 will be reviewed by a panel of independent arts professionals from communities throughout the state. Applicants whose applications are determined to be most competitive according to evaluation criteria will be invited to submit additional materials and move on to Stage 2 of the application process.
You will be notified whether or not your application will advance to Stage 2 no later than September 15, 2023.
Applicants who advance to Stage 2 of review will be invited to submit additional information including a process map, an experience list, and an expense list. Panelists will review the application as a whole and convene for a public panel meeting to make final funding recommendations.
Process Map
Map the course of your creative process for this proposal by identifying 3 to 5 specific steps you will take during the funding period. These steps may include research, travel, activities or events, achievements, or anything else you will use to organize and track your artistic process and progress.
You will be asked to upload a 1-page Process Map (.jpg or .pdf) describing the specific steps you will take to complete your proposed work. You can provide a numbered list of steps, a timeline (with or without specific activity dates), a flow chart, drawing, sketch, other visual, or simply a written narrative.
Experience List
Provide 3 to 5 personal, professional, and/or community-based experiences you have engaged in within the past 5 years that are relevant to your proposal. You may include 1-2 experiences that took place more than 5 years ago so long as they are especially relevant to your current proposal.
Briefly describe how each experience has prepared you for the work you propose to undertake.
Collaborator’s Experience List (if applicable)
Provide 1 to 3 personal, professional, and/or community-based experiences that each of your collaborators engaged in the past 5 years.
Briefly describe how each experience is relevant to your proposal and has prepared your collaborators for the work you propose to undertake.
Please do not simply include a list of highlights or accomplishments from your CV or resume. Instead, include experiences that clearly demonstrate that you have the knowledge and skill set necessary to complete the activities you’ve proposed in your application.
Expenses List
List total eligible expenses (artist stipends, including your own artist stipend, materials, travel costs, equipment, space rental, production costs, documentation, marketing, rehearsal time, childcare, etc.) related to your proposal.
Please include expenses even if you are not seeking funding for them and tell us about any additional income in the Budget Narrative section below.
Grant Amount Requested
Indicate the grant amount you are requesting, between $3,000 and $5,000.
Budget Narrative
Describe anything in the expenses list that would benefit from additional clarification. For example, if your expenses exceed $5,000, please tell us how you will fund the rest of your proposed activities.
As you develop your application materials for Stage 2, consider that the panelists will be thinking about Stage 1 Application Materials and Evaluation Criteria in addition to the following:
Feasibility
The application provides substantial evidence that the proposal will be realized within the funding period. The application includes a reasonable expenses list for the scope and scale of the proposed activities. The process map and experience list provide evidence of the applicant’s ability and capacity to successfully realize the proposal. The experiences described in the experience list are relevant to the proposed activities. The process map presents a clear path to the completion of the proposed activities.
Stage 2 application materials must be submitted by 11:59 pm, Wednesday, October 13, 2022.
After the October 13 due date, your Stage 1 and Stage 2 application materials will be evaluated by each member of the review panel individually, according to the evaluation criteria.
On November 18, 2022, the panelists will convene in Phoenix to discuss the applications as a group. This meeting is open to the public and applicants being reviewed will be notified of listening options. At the conclusion of the meeting, panelists will finalize their scores and recommend up to 30 applications for funding. These recommendations will then be sent to the Arts Commission’s Governor-appointed board of commissioners for approval.
Grantees will be notified by December 15, 2023, and will receive grant funds by April 12, 2024.
Applicants must be individuals and may submit only one application per year. Organizations are not eligible to apply. At the time an application is submitted, and the grant is awarded, an applicant must be:
- 18 years of age or older;
- not enrolled for more than three credit hours at a college or university;
- and a resident of Arizona.
Recipients of the R&D Grant must wait 4 years to reapply and may receive a maximum of four (4) awards in their lifetime. This also applies to recipients of the previously-named Artist Research and Development Grant and previously-offered Artist Project Grant. Applicants who failed to submit a Final Report for a previous award are not eligible to apply.
This program does not fund the following:
- Support for activities, or projects which would otherwise be eligible for another Arts Commission grant, such as: Career Advancement Grant; Lifelong Arts Engagement Grant.
- Teaching artist residencies.
- Documentation of existing arts projects.
- Costs related to activities for which the applicant is employed or contracted.
- Costs related to academic research or formal study toward an academic or professional degree.
- Expenses incurred in the presentation of final work, such as self-publishing, promotion, catalogs published by the artist(s), exhibition expenses, and self-presenting. Such expenses may be one component of the proposal but cannot be the sole purpose of the requested funds.
- Fundraising projects
- Food and beverages for any purpose.
- Scholarships, awards, and competitions.
- Grant administration, overhead, or processing fees taken by an umbrella/parent organization.
This list is not comprehensive.
Kesha Bruce
Artist Programs Manager
Phone: (602) 771-6530
Email: [email protected]
Grantwriting 101
Over the course of three sessions, previous R&D Grantees will share tips, tricks, and insights on crafting your best application.
Session 1: Proposal Narrative
Attendees will learn insider tips on crafting a compelling narrative that communicates who you are, what you do, and why it matters.
This session was presented on Thursday, June 10, 2020.
Session 2: Communities of Practice
Attendees will learn how to identify your communities of practice, tips for describing your community of practice in the R&D Grant application, and how thinking about your contributions to a community of practice can lead to more authentic and ethical engagement.
This session was presented on Thursday, June 17, 2020.
Session 3: Work Samples
Attendees will learn how to choose work samples that reflect your distinct vision; the best ways to convey the techniques you use and the intention behind them; and tips for putting your best foot forward and avoiding common mistakes.
This session was presented on Thursday, June 24, 2021.
Join us for a one hour detailed review of the application guidelines for Lifelong Arts Engagement Grants and Youth Arts Engagement Grants, followed by a brief Q&A.
The application period for FY2025 Creative Youth Grants is now closed.
Created and reviewed by the Arizona Commission on the Arts’ AZ Youth Arts Council, the Creative Youth Grant is a funding opportunity for young artists ages 12 -17.
What does it fund?
To support young artists as they develop new skills or advance their artistic practice outside the traditional school day. This may include paying for lessons, attending a workshop, or paying for supplies and equipment.
Who is it for?
Eligible applicants for the Creative Youth Grant include Arizona young artists ages 12-17.
Applications that are developed by adults will be ineligible for funding. Parents, guardians or teachers may not apply for the young artist.
Award Amount
Individuals can request between $250 and $500 based on eligible expenses.
Grant funds may be used for any of the following (this list is not comprehensive):
- Fees for private lessons or workshops.
- Materials or supplies related to your artistic practice.
- Equipment, instruments or technology related to your artistic practice.
- Travel costs.
Applicants are encouraged to do the following prior to beginning their application:
Request Accommodations
If you require accommodation in completing the application, or otherwise participating in the grant application process, please contact the Director of Arts Learning, Elisa Radcliffe, by phone at (602) 771-6528 or by email at [email protected].
Prepare Narrative Responses
You can type your proposal narrative, or you can upload audio or video recordings of your responses. The narrative has a maximum word count (not character) and a maximum recording length. If you share your proposal narrative in a video or audio recording keep it simple and to the point. The recording should be just you, describing your proposal and answering the questions listed above. Please do not include edits of your work samples or special effects. Production quality of this recording will not be considered in your review. Just make sure we can hear and understand you and keep editing and post-production embellishment to a minimum. All audio files must be uploaded as MP3 files (.mp3).
Narrative
(600 word limit, 5 minute audio/video limit)
Answer each of these questions.
- Tell us about yourself and your artistic practice.
- Describe how you will use the grant funds. Why are these activities or purchases important to you as a young artist?
- Provide a timeline of the proposed activities or purchases. All activities or purchases must take place July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025.
Work Sample
Submit a work sample you’ve completed. All levels of artists are encouraged to apply. The panel will use the work sample to support the narrative you have provided. They will not be judging the quality of the work sample as a part of their review.
From the list below, please choose the most appropriate artistic work sample format to represent your discipline:
- 3 minutes of recorded audio
- 3 minutes of recorded video
- 6 images
- 3 pages of double-spaced text or 3 poems
Work Sample Narrative
(200 word limit, 2 minute audio/video limit)
Provide a brief description explaining how the submitted work sample relates to your proposal. Why did you choose them?
Budget
Expenses
List all expenses related to your proposal and provide a short explanation of the expenses.
Grant Amount Requested
Indicate the grant amount you are requesting, based on eligible expenses, between $250 and $500.
Budget Narrative (200 word limit, 2 minute audio/video limit)
If your total expenses exceed the grant amount requested, explain how you will pay for the remaining costs.
Your narrative responses will be evaluated by AZ Youth Arts Council members based on the following criteria.
Quality of Proposal
Did you clearly outline your artistic form and how you will spend the grant funds?
Potential Impact
Did you describe how these funds will impact you as a young artist?
Viability
Are the expenses you describe appropriate for the grant? Does the application demonstrate substantial evidence that the proposal will be realized within the proposed timeline?
- Food and beverages for any purpose.
- Fundraising projects.
- Opportunities that take place outside of the funding period.
- Equipment not related to the opportunity.
- Opportunities related to academic research or formal study toward an academic or professional degree, such as capstone projects.
- Applications that are developed by adults will be ineligible for funding.
- Grant administration, overhead or processing fees taken by an umbrella/parent organization as a percentage of the total award, with the exception of fiscal sponsors.
This list is not comprehensive.
Additionally, according to the Arts Commission’s enabling statutes, “Notwithstanding any other law, no monies from the Arizona Commission on the Arts may be spent for payment to any person or entity for use in desecrating, casting contempt on, mutilating, defacing, defiling, burning, trampling or otherwise dishonoring or causing to bring dishonor on religious objects, the flag of the United States or the flag of this state.” Recipients of Arts Commission support are further instructed to “take into consideration general standards of decency and respect for the diverse beliefs and values of the American public” within funded programs.
