Community Arts Access Grant Program 2026

The Community Arts Access Tier 1 & 2 Grant Program is administered by the North Dakota Council on the Arts (NDCA), an official state agency supported by the National Endowment for the Arts and the North Dakota State Legislature. The program supports arts activities across North Dakota, aiming to enhance the quality of programming, expand audiences in both urban and rural settings, and promote knowledge and appreciation of the arts throughout the state. This grant offers financial support of up to $4,000 for arts-related activities to a range of entities including nonprofit arts and non-arts organizations, unincorporated groups, and public entities. Eligible activities include art festivals, exhibitions, performance series, touring performances, or any standalone single-discipline or multidisciplinary arts projects. However, it does not serve as general operating support for organizations and excludes projects with educational activities tied to the school day, capital campaigns, or projects already completed. Applicants must be based in North Dakota, conduct the majority of their programming within the state, and primarily serve North Dakota residents. Tier 1 applicants, located in cities with populations under 6,000, need only North Dakota nonprofit status. In contrast, Tier 2 applicants, from cities with populations of 6,000 or more, must have federal 501(c)(3) status. A 25% match of the requested grant amount is required, and for Tier 1 applicants, in-kind contributions can make up no more than 50% of the match. The application process is divided into two rounds for fiscal year 2026. Round 1 applications are due by April 10, 2025, with eligible project dates starting July 1, 2025. Round 2 closes on September 4, 2025, for projects beginning December 1, 2025. Final project completion for both rounds must be by June 30, 2026. Applications must be submitted online, and late or incomplete submissions are not accepted. The evaluation process includes an eligibility review, panel scoring based on four criteria (arts activity, community, ability, and evaluation), and final approval by the NDCA Board. Scores determine the funding status, with applications scoring above 75% eligible for full funding. If awarded, applicants may request up to 80% of the grant upfront and the remainder after completing a final report. All projects must comply with ADA accessibility standards and acknowledge NDCA support in all promotional materials. For application support, the program officer is Lisa McCallum, reachable at lmccallum@nd.gov or (701) 328-7615. Additional resources and submission tools are available on NDCA’s grant portal. Applicants must provide organizational information, work samples, resumes of project personnel, and supporting documentation such as nonprofit certification or IRS determination letters.