MAC's Mini-Grants for Organizations

The Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC), a state-level agency dedicated to promoting the arts throughout Mississippi, offers Mini-Grants for Organizations as part of its broader strategy to support the state's cultural ecosystem. These grants are explicitly aimed at enabling capacity building and professional development within arts-focused nonprofit organizations and government entities. MAC emphasizes accessibility and is particularly interested in supporting first-time applicants and organizations located in underserved counties. These mini-grants demonstrate the agency’s commitment to fostering artistic excellence and community engagement across the state. Mini-Grants for Organizations are designed to subsidize a portion of eligible professional fees or related costs for activities such as hiring artists or consultants, and attending professional development conferences. Applicants may request between $200 and $1,000 in funding, with the requirement that all grant funds be matched dollar-for-dollar in cash; in-kind contributions are not eligible as match. Organizations seeking to hire professional artists—especially those listed on MAC’s Artist Roster or Teaching Artist Roster—receive priority consideration. Eligible artistic engagements include public art installations, performances, workshops, and curriculum creation. When hiring artists not on MAC’s roster, applicants must demonstrate the professional standing and artistic excellence of the artist through documentation such as resumes, work samples, or professional affiliations. In addition to artistic engagements, mini-grants may be used for organizational development, such as strategic planning, board training, fundraising consultation, and curriculum development in K–12 education settings. Organizations must justify the consultant’s qualifications and relevance to their goals through narrative explanations and supporting documents. Funding is also available for conference attendance that directly aligns with the organization’s mission in the arts. However, MAC encourages organizations to consult with staff to confirm eligibility if the applicant is not arts-specific. All mini-grant requests must meet MAC’s documentation requirements and provide evidence of the consultant or artist’s capacity to deliver the stated outcomes. The application process is conducted through MAC’s E-Grant system. Applications are accepted in two annual rounds, opening on May 1 and October 1, and closing at 11:59 p.m. on June 1 and November 1, respectively. All components must be complete at the time of submission, including a SAM.gov Unique Entity ID (UEI), project budget itemization, bios of key personnel, board member lists, and, where applicable, artist or consultant agreements and evidence of qualifications. Public schools and government entities are exempt from the 501(c)(3) determination letter but must submit evidence of governmental status if requested. All grant proposals undergo an internal review process by MAC staff, with funding recommendations forwarded to the Grants Committee and final approval by the MAC Board of Commissioners. Awardees are notified in July for Round 1 and December for Round 2. Payments are disbursed in two parts: 50% two weeks prior to the project start date and the remaining 50% upon submission of a final report and related documentation. This reimbursement-style funding reinforces the importance of financial planning and accountability. To ensure accessibility, MAC provides direct contact options for different artistic fields and encourages applicants to seek staff assistance with eligibility questions.

Contact MAC staff if applying for the first time; preference given to underserved counties and new applicants.