Funding: Target Local Store Grants-Deadline April 30, 2011

The Target Local Store Grants support nonprofit organizations in the communities where the company’s stores are located. Arts grants support programs that enhance students’ classroom curriculum by bringing the arts and cultural experiences to schools, such as in-school performances, artist in residency programs, and workshops in schools. Early Childhood Reading grants support programs that foster a love of reading and encourage young children, preschool through third grade, to read together with their families. Grants of $2,000 are provided in both categories. For more information, please click here.

Funding: ASCAP Foundation-LOI Deadline August 1, 2011

The ASCAP Foundation considers proposals from other nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations engaging in music education and talent development programs that are consistent with the mission and objectives of the ASCAP Foundation and which support music education programs for aspiring songwriters and composers. The foundation’s average grant is between $1500 and $3000 and is made on an annual one-time basis. For more information, please visit www.ascapfoundation.org/grants.html

Funding: Cinereach-Deadline June 1, 2011 (LOI)

Cinereach is a not-for-profit film production company and foundation that supports fiction and nonfiction filmmakers from all over the world through grants and awards, the Reach Film Fellowship, an internal productions department, and partnerships with the Sundance Institute and other organizations. Through its grants program, Cinereach supports feature-length nonfiction and fiction films that are at the intersection of engaging storytelling, visual artistry, and vital subject matter. Cinereach seeks to support films that utilize cinematic artistry and storytelling to provide insight and spark dialogue, challenge prejudice and advance human rights, discover humanity and hope, and foster global community. In order to receive support from Cinereach, a prospective grantee must be a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization or be fiscally sponsored by a 501(c)(3) organization.  For more information, please click here.

Funding: Wisner Foundation-No deadline stated.

According to the original donation, the Wisner Donation must support local needs in the areas of beautification, education, recreation or human services. The City of New Orleans is seeking to fund programs in these areas that are strategically aligned with citywide priorities. The Wisner Donation offers public and non-profit organizations an opportunity to submit a funding request through a competitive selection process. Proposals should include information about the organization, details on specific programs grants would fund, a requested dollar amount, and an explanation of how the project would be benefit the public. For a PDF of the guidelines, please click here.

Funding: Sparkplug Foundation-Deadline May 20, 2011

The Sparkplug Foundation primarily supports nonprofit organizations that are proposing start-up projects in the fields of music, education, and grassroots organizing. In the Music category, the Foundation supports emerging professional musicians or music-development programs. In Education and Teaching, the Foundation funds projects that deal with “the whole student” and with learning as a community activity. Through Grassroots Organizing, the Foundation encourages activist strategies for addressing institutional injustices and for building a reasoned, just society. A telephone conversation to determine eligibility must be held by May 6, 2011 in order to initiate the application process. For more information, please visit http://sparkplugfoundation.org/

Funding: State Dept American Music Abroad-Deadline: April 29, 2011.

The State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) opened a grant competition for the American Music Abroad program to promote mutual understanding between the people of the United States and other countries. To be eligible for this competition, all organizations must demonstrate a minimum of five years’ experience successfully conducting international performing arts exchange programs in the music field. For more information, please visit http://exchanges.state.gov/grants/open2.html

Funding: Ford Foundation Social Issue Film Funding

The Ford Foundation has announced the launch of JustFilms, a five-year, $50 million initiative to help find and support a new generation of filmmakers whose works address urgent social issues. More information below…

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Funding: New Orleans Theatre Association-Grants accepted quarterly.

Grants are available for any arts-related endeavors, but are particularly aimed at schools and educational institutes that are active in the performing arts, including music, drama, and dance, as well as related areas such as acting, directing, writing, and producing. Most grants will fall in the range of $500 to $5,000 but other amounts are available and there is no preset maximum amount. More information and a grant application form are available at www.neworleanstheatreassociation.com.

French American Jazz Exchange-Deadline May 31, 2011

A partnership of the Cultural Services of the French Embassy, the French-American Cultural Exchange, and the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, the French-American Jazz Exchange is designed to foster the creative and professional development of jazz artists from France and the United States. FAJE supports projects jointly conceived by French and American professional jazz artists that encourage artistic exploration, foster intercultural dialogue, and contribute to the dynamism of the art form. The program will support activities that may result in the creation of new work, establishment of new creative and professional partnerships, and development of new audiences for the participating artists. Projects may include jazz artists in France and the United States working together or investigating forms other than jazz with artists who work in different music genres. More information below…

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Funding: Princess Grace Foundation-Various deadlines: Dance April 30, Film June 1

The Princess Grace Foundation-USA has announced the availability of applications for the 2011 Princess Grace Awards in Theater, Playwriting, Dance Performance, Choreography, and Film. Founded in 1982, in memory of Princess Grace (Kelly) of Monaco, the foundation identifies and assists emerging artists in theater, dance, and film and has awarded more than $8 million in total support to nearly five hundred individuals nationwide. Further information on individual programs is listed below…

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Funding: Theatre Communications Group A ha! Program-Deadline May 2, 2011

Theatre Communications Group and the MetLife Foundation are accepting grant applications from TCG member theaters for the A-ha! Program. The program is designed to enable theaters to dare to try new approaches to solving artistic, managerial, production, and/or technological challenges. The program supports risk-taking, reflection, experimentation, and creative strategies.

The program provides support in two ways: Think It grants (up to $25,000) give theater professionals the time and space for research and development; Do It grants (up to $50,000) will support the implementation and testing of new ideas. For more information, please click here.

Funding: Poets & Writers-Rolling Deadline. Must submit application at least eight weeks prior to event.

Organizations that sponsor readings and workshops in New York State or California, or Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, New Orleans, Seattle, Tucson, or Washington, D.C. may apply for grants to be used for writers’ fees. To support as many literary events as possible, PW generally grants no more than $1,500 to organizations in New York and California, and $500 to organizations in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, New Orleans, Seattle, Tucson, and Washington, D.C. during the course of our fiscal year (July1-June 30). Decisions on maximum grant amounts are based on the availability of funds and are made at the discretion of Poets & Writers. Grants for readings or spoken word performances range from $50-$350. Grants for workshops range from $100-$200 per session. PW encourages organizations to match payments to writers, but this requirement may be waived if there are extenuating circumstances. For more information, please visit http://www.pw.org/funding

Funding for Music: Guitar Center

The Guitar Center Music Foundation’s mission is to support nonprofit music programs across America that offer instruction so that more people can experience the joys of making music. The Foundation accepts grant applications from music academies, schools, local music programs, and national music programs that teach people of any age who would not otherwise have the opportunity to make music. Online applications may be submitted at any time and are reviewed three times per year. For more information, and a link to the online application, please visithttp://www.guitarcentermusicfoundation.org/grants/index.cfm?sec=info

Individual Artist Funding: Pollock-Krasner-Open Deadline

The Pollock-Krasner Foundation makes grants to painters, sculptors, and other visual artists working in two-dimensional media (excluding photographers) who demonstrate artistic merit and financial need. Grants are intended for a one-year time period. For complete information on how to apply, visit www.pkf.org/grant.html.

Funding: Southern Arts Foundation Touring-Rolling Deadline

SAF Touring Grants: The Southern Arts Federation in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts offers Southern Fast Track Touring grants. This program, through its rolling deadline, is designed to offer Southern presenters more opportunities throughout the year to apply for fee support. Aimed at smaller presenters, the Southern Fast Track Touring program seeks to establish an active arts environment in underserved communities. This program offers fee support to present performing artists and writers from outside the presenter’s state. These grants are limited to presenting organizations with operating budgets of $100,000 or less. Applications must be postmarked 60 days prior to the project start date. The maximum request is 50% of the artist fee, up to $2,500. Touring support is awarded to theatre, music, opera, musical theatre, literary, and dance projects that contain both a public performance or reading AND an educational component. For more information, please see: http://www.southarts.org