Get Support

Learn more about each grant program and see if you’re eligible to apply by reviewing the application guidelines listed on these pages:

• GIG Fund
• NEA Big Read
• Shakespeare in American Communities

Once you’re ready to apply, we have a grants portal called SmartSimple where you’ll submit your application. We invite you to learn more about this portal.

Following the application guidelines and providing a lot of details about your plans are hallmarks of a good application. We can provide sample applications upon request.

At this time, Arts Midwest has three award programs for individuals. The Peter Capell Award for Midwestern Creativity and Entrepreneurship supports one Midwestern arts leader per year. The Midwest Award for Artists with Disabilities awards one artist from each of the nine Midwest states per year. The Midwest Culture Bearers Award also awards one culture bearer or folk and traditional artist from each of our nine Midwest states per year.

Arts Midwest also promotes Jazz Road, a program run through South Arts, which provides touring and residency funds for jazz artists. Artists from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin should contact us with any questions related to your application or interest in a tour. Outside of the Midwest? Visit this page to learn more about who to speak with.

We encourage artists looking for direct support to contact their state arts agency for further information on possible funding opportunities available to them at the state level.

Most of our funding is made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. As such, applicants and grantees must abide by federal eligibility requirements. Read more from the NEA about fiscal sponsorships here.

Occasionally we have programs that accept fiscally sponsored programs, such as Cultural Sustainability. Please sign up for our newsletter to be informed of any future programs that accommodate fiscal sponsorship

We are not currently accepting unsolicited proposals. Please sign up for our emails in the footer of our website to be notified when one of our grants or programs issues an open call.

We encourage artists and arts organizations to visit the Regional Arts Organization website for more information on grants for organizations outside of the Midwest, as well as national grant opportunities.

State Arts Agencies and the National Endowment for the Arts are also helpful resources for individuals and organizations looking for grant support for arts programs.