Grassroots Grants

Grassroots Grants applications open in the fall of 2026.

The Arts Council of Greater Greensboro, in collaboration with High Point Arts Council, offers Grassroots Grants for Guilford County arts-based organizations. The grant provides operating support and project support. Funded since 1977 through the North Carolina Arts Council’s Grassroots Arts Program, this program is intended to provide access to high-quality arts experiences for Guilford County citizens.

Eligible Organizations

• Nonprofit 501(c)(3) arts organizations with income levels of $150,000 to $500,000 that have been in existence for three or more years are eligible for operating support.
• Arts nonprofit organizations with income levels below $150,000 that have been in existence for one year or more are eligible for project support. Projects must take place from January to June 2027.
• Arts nonprofit organizations must reside in and carry out programming within Guilford County.
• Applications and support materials must be completed and received by the due date.
• Individual artists are not eligible. Artists who have an LLC and partner with an eligible arts nonprofit on arts-in-education programs for pre-K–12 students may be eligible. The program must be accessible to the community.

Operational Support

Funding supports administrative costs associated with the organization’s operations, including salaries, benefits, space rental, equipment rental, technology and software, contract personnel, utilities, insurance, telephone, postage, office supplies, and marketing.

Project Support

Project support funds performances, art exhibitions, art camps or afterschool programs, artist residencies limited to working in the schools, artist fees for classes and workshops open to the public, and marketing expenses for community art activations. Grant amounts begin at $500 and are capped based on current-year funding.

Financial Reporting

Arts nonprofit organizations must have filed all required paperwork with the N.C. Secretary of State and have up-to-date 990 reports with the IRS. The application requests current operating budgets and budgets for project support requests. This grant requires a one-to-one cash match from the applicant.

Project Support Budget Template

Review Criteria

• Ability to plan, implement, and report on year-round programming or a specific project.
• Financial stability and fiscal responsibility.
• Representation of artistic excellence and alignment with organizational mission.
• Collaboration and shared initiatives that strengthen foundation and operations.
• Community impact, including public access, community engagement, and compliance with grant requirements.
• Sustainable programming with a clear path for growth and impact.

Grant applications are reviewed by a panel of community members, including artists, county leaders, public officials, and arts council board members. The ACGG’s and High Point Arts Council’s boards review panel scores and recommendations and approve final awards.

Priorities for Funding

1. Arts nonprofits: theaters, symphonies, galleries, art guilds, choral societies, music presenters, dance companies, folk arts societies, writers’ groups, and arts festivals. Arts organizations are defined as 75% or more of programming being arts based.
2. Arts learning and arts-in-education programs conducted by qualified artists, including residencies, after-school and summer camps, or adult arts classes.
3. Community, civic, and municipal organizations that hire qualified artists to run an arts-in-education program.

The priority is operating or project support for qualified arts organizations not already receiving or eligible to receive support from the N.C. Arts Council.

If You Get Funded

• Your organization will enter into a contractual agreement with The ACGG.
• You are responsible for the timely submittal of the No Overdue Tax Debts Form.
• Your organization will complete a final report no later than 30 days after the project or June 30, 2027.
• Collect audience numbers by age and zip code.
• Grantees must acknowledge the North Carolina Arts Council, The Arts Council of Greater Greensboro, and the High Point Arts Council in print, promotional materials, and on the organization’s website.
• Grant payments are distributed in two installments.
• Keep The ACGG updated. If you cannot use all the funds, The ACGG must know by April 2027.
• Organizations that do not follow guidelines or submit incomplete final reports become ineligible for future funding.

Apply here

The Grassroots Grant is facilitated by The Arts Council of Greater Greensboro and the High Point Arts Council with funding from the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.