General Projects ($1,000-$10,000) - Deadlines: June 1 and September 1

This component supports a wide range of activities undertaken by museums, art galleries, art centers, and other organizations with visual arts and crafts programming. Project grants must be matched dollar-for-dollar in cash or a combination of cash and in-kind support. Preference is given to activities emphasizing the creation, display, interpretation, and preservation of artwork by professional Alabama visual artists and crafts people. The quality of work to be presented is an important consideration in reviewing proposals. Examples of appropriate visual arts projects include:

• Projects that make programming accessible to special constituencies.
• Conservation of art works.
• Planning, preparation, promotion, and mounting of exhibitions by professional artists.
• Residencies or workshops conducted by recognized artists who do not work with the organization on a regular basis.
• Educational activities or services undertaken by a gallery or museum.
• Commissioning new works by Alabama artists or offering purchase awards to artists in juried exhibitions.
• Commissioning or purchasing works for art for public places.
• Activities enhancing the professional growth of visual arts and crafts organizations. This may include bringing in a consultant to implement an administrative or artist development project.
• Conferences and workshops designed to enhance communication, planning, programming, and artist skills.
• Publications promoting exhibitions, artists, and activities within the state, special documentary pieces for public use and non-commercial purposes; art criticism and discussion featuring Alabama artists and art work; and resource directories.
• Visual arts and crafts festivals where professional artists are featured and presented as the main purpose of the festival.
• Touring of special exhibitions.

Appropriate media/photography projects include:

• Creative works about a broad range of topics and/or journalistic documentation of an artist or art form.
• Supplementing funds for producing, processing, editing, and distributing films, video tapes, audio tapes or other media presentations for public use.
• Residencies or workshops conducted by recognized film/video makers and photographers to discuss their art and interact with local artists and the public.
• Commissioning of a film or video by a recognized Alabama film or video artist(s) to be presented to the public as an expressive art form.
• Conferences and workshops designed to enhance communication, understanding, artistic and programming skills, planning, and cooperation relative to the media arts.
• Noncommercial publications promoting media arts and providing information on media arts for the general public.
• Film and/or video festival showcasing the work of independent media artists working in the state.

You may request up to $10,000. However, grant awards rarely exceed $7,500.

Administrative projects($1,000-$10,000)

Administrative support may be requested if a case is made in the application that directly connects administrative support to organizational growth and to enhancing the quality of programs. Salaries for full and part-time staff may be included as a prominent part of the request.

Consolidated Projects ($1,000-$20,000)

A single application that consolidates several related projects put on by the requesting organization. A series of exhibitions, screenings or workshops may be considered as a consolidated project. The amount requested and the number of project components will affect the limit of applications each organization is permitted to submit per deadline and per year. If a Consolidated Project application is submitted, only one additional application may be submitted in the same fiscal year. You may request up to $20,000. However, grant awards rearely exceed $15,000.