2025 Folklife Heritage Fellowship

The Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) Nevada Heritage Fellowship, offered by the Nevada Arts Council (NAC), is designed to recognize and honor tradition bearers in Nevada who have made significant contributions to the state's traditional arts heritage. This fellowship serves as an honorarium, providing financial support without specific spending restrictions, thereby promoting public awareness and appreciation for the role of traditional arts in society. The NAC's mission to support and elevate the arts aligns directly with this program's goal of preserving and celebrating Nevada's cultural heritage through its traditional art forms. The target beneficiaries of this grant are individual artists who are current Nevada residents (for at least one year prior to application), U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents, and at least 21 years old. They must be actively practicing in their traditional art discipline and not currently enrolled as degree-seeking students. Artists who have previously received two or more fellowships from the Nevada Arts Council are ineligible. The primary impact goal is to acknowledge outstanding cultural and artistic accomplishments across a body of work, thereby fostering a greater appreciation for traditional arts within the community. The program prioritizes artists who demonstrate excellence and significance within their tradition, as well as evidence of artistic impact or contribution to living cultural heritage. The review process is concealed, with applicants identified by number, and a panel adjudicates and scores applications based on these criteria. Each criterion—clear demonstration of the artist’s excellence, clear demonstration of the artists’ significance, and evidence of artistic impact or contribution—is weighted at 10 points. The expected outcome of the Nevada Heritage Fellowship is the recognition and financial support of deserving tradition bearers, which in turn helps to preserve and promote Nevada's rich cultural heritage. Measurable results include the number of fellowships awarded annually and the public awareness generated through the acknowledgment of these artists. The $5,000 award, requiring no match, directly supports these artists, allowing them to continue their work and contribute to the state's artistic landscape. The grant duration is one year, from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025.