Mission Support Grants

Mission Support Grants are administered by United Arts with the support of the Wake County Board of Commissioners and the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural & Cultural Resources. These grants are designed to provide unrestricted operating support to nonprofit arts and culture organizations that are based in and serve Wake County, North Carolina. The initiative underscores United Arts' commitment to fostering diverse, inclusive, and accessible arts programming for all county residents. The Mission Support Grant program is open to nonprofit 501(c)(3) arts organizations that have produced arts programming in Wake County for at least one year. Applicants must maintain an active board of directors and have essential governance policies in place, including nondiscrimination, conflict of interest, and accessibility policies. Additionally, applicants must meet at least one of several secondary eligibility criteria, such as having arts programming for youth, operating in designated municipalities within Wake County, being a culturally-specific organization, or being a newer nonprofit or arts service entity. Funding amounts are determined by an applicant's operating expenses from the most recently completed fiscal year, with a sliding scale ranging from $1,500 to $25,000. Culturally-specific organizations that are recommended for funding may receive an additional $1,500 award supplement. Grant funds may be used for general operating, administrative, and programming expenses incurred between July 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026. However, the use of funds is restricted from activities such as capital expenses, debt reduction, lobbying, and projects with religious purposes that lack secular content. The application process includes mandatory attendance at one of several virtual information sessions based on the organization's budget size, followed by an online submission through Submittable. Applicants may also schedule a one-on-one review session with staff to receive feedback on draft applications. The deadline for applications was April 4, 2025, by 5:00 pm Eastern Time. Submissions are initially screened for completeness and eligibility by staff and are then evaluated by grant panels based on organizational budget size. Each application is reviewed using four criteria: Artistic Merit, Community Value, Financial Management, and Organizational Management. Final funding decisions are made by the United Arts Board of Directors based on panel recommendations. Notifications of awards were scheduled to be sent in June 2025, and the grant period runs from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026. For additional information or assistance, applicants are directed to contact Ragen Carlile, Vice President of Programming, via email or phone.

Emphasize diversity, local impact, and strong financials; incomplete applications are not reviewed.