Rural South Carolina Grants

The Art of Community: Rural South Carolina Grants, supported by the South Carolina Arts Commission (SCAC), aims to leverage the arts to address critical issues and challenges within rural communities across South Carolina. This grant program aligns with the SCAC's mission to foster artistic expression and community development by providing financial assistance for arts-based projects in underserved areas. The program seeks to expand community access to the arts, promote public engagement, and empower local leadership through the formation of project steering committees. The target beneficiaries of this grant are rural communities throughout South Carolina, with a particular focus on the SCAC’s Opportunity Initiative Counties, including Allendale, Bamberg, Calhoun, Cherokee, Clarendon, Dillon, Edgefield, Hampton, Jasper, Laurens, Lee, Marion, Marlboro, Saluda, and Williamsburg. The primary impact goal is to enhance the quality of life in these communities by integrating artistic solutions into local challenges and fostering a vibrant cultural landscape. Expected outcomes include increased community participation in the arts, successful implementation of arts-based projects addressing specific local needs, and the development of sustainable community-led arts initiatives. The grant prioritizes projects that demonstrably serve the rural community where the applicant is located, expand community access to the arts, include a public engagement component, and involve a project steering committee to guide the initiative. Funding information specifies up to $7,500 for a grant period from August 6, 2024, to May 31, 2025. Grant funds must be used for actual project costs, encompassing a wide range of consumable and non-consumable items. This includes support for artist residencies, exhibitions, digital projects, arts festivals, workshops, community murals, equipment (such as kilns, lighting, sound equipment, musical instruments, storage), furniture (easels, music stands), and professional or artistic services (performance space rental, web designers, muralists, performers, instructors). Eligibility criteria are broad, welcoming applications from colleges or universities, units of state or local government, public libraries, or nonprofit organizations registered as charities with the S.C. Secretary of State’s Office and holding federal tax-exempt status. Applicants may also apply through a tax-exempt fiscal agent. A key strategic priority of the SCAC, reflected in this grant's theory of change, is to foster local investment and ownership; therefore, matching funds are required, with the ratio varying by county tier. Tier 1 counties require a 1:3 applicant-to-SCAC match, Tier 2 requires a 1:2 match, and Tier 3 requires a 1:1 match. Up to 50% of the grantee’s match can be in-kind donations of materials and contracted services. This tiered matching system ensures a tailored approach to community investment, acknowledging varying resource capacities within rural South Carolina. All recipient organizations must provide a valid UEI number, underscoring the SCAC's commitment to accountability and federal compliance.