Mailing address:
RI State Council on the Arts
One Capitol Hill, 3rd Floor
Providence, RI 02908
Phone: (401) 222-3880
Fax: (401) 222-3018
TDD: (401) 222-7808
Email: info@arts.ri.gov
Click here if you need:
Fellowship Grant Guidelines and
We've gone out of our way to establish just a few application categories, so it should be easy to you to determine the best way to seek support for your project or your work as an artist.
If you are an arts organization, a school or a non-profit organization (arts or non-arts-related), you are eligible to apply for a Project Grant. These are matching-dollar grants designed to support specific projects that occur between July 1 to June 30 of each year. See the guidelines for Project Grants for specific information on matching and other requirements.
If you are an individual artist, you are eligible to apply for a Project Grant (in your case, these grants are non-matching). You are also eligible to apply for a Fellowship grant in one of 14 specific arts disciplines. Fellowships are highly competitive grants that encourage the creative development of artists by enabling them to set aside time to pursue their work and achieve specific career goals.
RISCA’s mission is to support the work of our state’s individual artists. You must be a current, legal resident of the State of Rhode Island in order to apply, and have established legal residence in Rhode Island for a minimum of twelve consecutive months prior to the date of application. In addition, the State Arts Council board considers a Rhode Island resident someone who spends at least eight months of the year living and working in Rhode Island.
Applicants must be at least eighteen years of age and a resident of the State of Rhode Island for at least twelve consecutive months prior to the date of application. Rhode Island State Law (§ 44-30-5) defines a "resident" as someone "who is domiciled in this state" or "who is not domiciled in this state but maintains a permanent place of abode in this state and is in this state for an aggregate of more than one hundred eighty-three (183) days of the taxable year.
Students pursuing graduate or undergraduate degrees in an arts discipline or an arts-related subject area at the time of application may not apply.
Individuals who are paid staff of a non-profit organization that receives General Operating Support from RISCA cannot apply for funding for projects that are part of that organization's programming. Individuals who are paid staff or proprietors of a for-profit organization cannot apply for funding for projects that are a product or service of that organization. Individuals and organizations cannot apply for funding for the same project at the same deadline.
All nonprofit arts, cultural and community-based organizations that demonstrate a strong commitment to using the arts effectively and as an integral part of their programming may apply for project grants.
Non-profit organizations must be incorporated in and conduct business in the State of Rhode Island, with 501(c)(3) tax exempt status from the Internal Revenue Service, governed by a revolving board of directors, trustees or advisory board drawn from the community at large and shown to be actively involved in the governance of the organization.
Units of local government (cities and towns) may apply for support. State and quasi-public state government agencies are ineligible to apply.
If you have not yet received the appropriate IRS non-profit determination letter you may be sponsored by an eligible nonprofit organization. If a grant is awarded to your organization as the sponsor of another organization, it is understood that you as the sponsoring organization are financially, administratively and programmatically responsible for all conditions of the grant. The sponsor is also responsible for signing all pertinent documents and report forms. If organizations applying through this sponsorship process have operated for more than two years without seeking nonprofit status they must submit a written statement explaining why they continue to operate in this manner.
Individuals who are paid staff of a non-profit organization that receives General Operating Support from RISCA cannot apply for funding for projects that are part of that organization's programming. Individuals who are paid staff or proprietors of a for-profit organization cannot apply for funding for projects that are a product or service of that organization. Individuals and organizations cannot apply for funding for the same project at the same deadline.
For organizations applying to Education, see organization section above for eligibility requirements.
In addition, the following may apply:
