Are these grants for me?

Artists, artist collectives, non-profits, libraries, and local municipalities can apply directly for grants. Others may be eligible to apply with the help of another organization. These grants are for programs in Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence Counties of New York State.

If you’ve never written or applied for a grant before, these grants are the perfect place to start. Before the application deadline, our Grant Coordinator, Alicia Murphy, can provide one-on-one assistance and support to help you feel comfortable with the application process.

If you are thinking about applying for the first time, please give us a call at 315-265-6860 to chat about your ideas! We can help you to figure out if these grants are the best fit for the project you’re considering.

The submission deadline for projects taking place in 2020 has passed.  Applications for projects taking place in 2021 will be accepted Summer 2020.  

Available Grants:

  • Public Art Fellowship
    • Who can apply: Individual artists – check is written directly to the artist.
    • Match required? No matching funds required.
    • Request/award: $2,500 (not a range)
    • Funds are intended for new, original work that engages a segment of the community through a public program and/or the inclusion of community involvement in the project’s development and creative process.
  • Teaching Artists’ Fund
    • Who can apply: Individual artists, non-profits, or unincorporated organizations, working in partnership with K-12 public schools or community-based partners. Check written directly to artist or organization.
    • Match required? 25% match required, can be cash or in-kind (goods or services) donations.
    • Request/award: $300-$5,000
    • Provide rich, artistic learning experiences for K-12 public school students or community-based life-long learners.
  • Community Arts Grant
    • Who can apply: Municipalities, libraries, or 501(c)3 non-profit organizations. In addition, individual artists or
      organizations may apply with an eligible municipality, library, or non-profit acting as a fiscal sponsor. Check written directly to the municipality, library, or non-profit organization.
    • Match required? Minimum 25% cash match from other sources.
    • Request/award: $300-$5,000
    • Public arts experiences.

Free Informational Grant Workshops:

Free informational grant workshops are scheduled every summer throughout the tri-county area.

The application deadline for projects taking place in 2020 has passed.  Workshops for projects taking place in 2021 will be held June – August 2020.  

Paperwork for People Applying for a Grant:

Apply Online for a Grant:

The submission deadline for projects taking place in 2020 has passed.  Applications for projects taking place in 2021 will be accepted Summer 2020.  

After You Get a Grant:

  • Credit the grant correctly: “This project is made possible with funds from the Decentralization Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of Governor Andrew M Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, and administered by the St. Lawrence County Arts Council.”
  • Notify SLC Arts as soon as possible if any changes need to be made to your program.
  • Are you an artist getting paid by a grant? You need to sign this form so we can legally pay you.
  • Survey your audience: Audience Survey Form
  • Expect a visitor from SLC Arts to come see your program. Here’s what they’ll be looking for:

2019 Grant Recipients:

2019 Public Art Fellowship Recipients: 

  1. Soliciting input from the local community, artist Patty VanPatten (Waddington) will redesign and recreate the entryway at Madrid Waddington Central School, to commemorate the school’s past theater productions and highlight students’ artwork.
  1. Artist Sara Lynch (Potsdam) will work with students from the Canton Central School’s Technical Theater class and theater program (Canton), to design and create backdrops to be used in the school’s two theatre productions. 

2019 Teaching Artists’ Fund Recipients: 

  1. Artist Patty VanPatten (Waddington) will work with 8th through 12th grade students from Madrid-Waddington Central School (Madrid), to teach techniques of building and painting moveable sets and backdrops for the school’s theatrical productions.
  2. Artist Bill Newman (Canton) will work with students from the Canton Central School’s Technical Theater class and theater program (Canton), to design and create backdrops to be used in the school’s two theatre productions.
  3. Hearts For Youth, Inc. (Alexandria Bay) will partner with the Macsherry Library (Alexandria Bay) An offering of six arts-focused classes, each comprised of five lessons.  Featured classes include: beginners’ acrylics, fine art, PhotoShop,  jewelry making, mosaics, and sewing.

2019 Community Arts Grant Recipients: 

  1. The DeKalb Historical Association (DeKalb Junction) presents the its 2019 Performance Series, featuring two summer concerts that reflect community heritage and traditions.  
  1. The Town of Lewis Library (West Leyden) presents two arts-focused programs: a hands-on, tote bag painting class, led by a local artist; and a theatrical performance by a popular youth theatre group.  
  1. The Sackets Harbor Historical Society (Sackets Harbor) presents Our 35th Year Anniversary Season: A Musical Mix, a mix of musical performances, celebrating the wide variety of music that Concerts on the Waterfront has presented over the past 35 years.
  1. The Morristown Gateway Museum (Morristown) presents its 2019 Concert Series, a series of summer music events that feature local musicians.
  1. The Norwood Public Library presents Arts Around the World, a series of six hands-on, artist-led, children’s art classes.  Each class focuses on a different culture and feature an art project from that geographical region.
  1. The Depauville Free Library (Depauville) presents Covered in Color: Sidewalk Chalk Art.  Participants are encouraged to create their own artwork, or stroll through the area to view the art, as it is both a show and a competition.   
  1. The Colton Historical Society (Colton) presents its Sunday Rock Legacy production of The Tavern, By George M Cohan, a staged performance that combines local history and education with live, musical theater.  
  1. The Greater Massena Chamber of Commerce  (Massena) presents Concerts in the Park 2019, a series of 11 family-friendly, summer concerts, featuring a line-up of popular, local performers.
  1. WPBS-TV (Watertown) presents Songs of the Season, a special holiday concert, featuring local high school select choirs from Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence Counties, to be broadcast in December 2019.
  1. The Lewis County Historical Society (Lowville) presents its Black River Valley Concert Series Supplement, one winter concert and one spring concert, featuring music by highly talented artists from outside of the local area.
  1. The Potsdam Public Library (Potsdam) presents The Music of Culture Performance Series, a three-part series of performance and interactive workshops for children of all ages, facilitated by a local artist.  Each program begins with a performance, and is followed by a hands-on learning experience for audience members.
  1. Clayton Young People’s Theater (Clayton) presents Theater Week 2019, a week-long musical theater experience for young people, ages 5-18, that teaches acting and choreography, and ultimately culminates in a junior production of Madagascar – A Musical Adventure JR.  
  1. Sackets Harbor Vocal Arts Ensemble (Sackets Harbor) presents Haydn “Missa in Angustiis” & Clausen “A New Creation,”  a high quality choral concert in which the applicant will be joined by a chamber orchestra and four soloists.
  1. Chippewa Bay Community Club (Chippewa Bay) presents its Backyard Concert Series, a series of five summer concerts by musicians who make their home and living in the area.  
  1. The Heuvelton Historical Association (Heuvelton) presents its International Concert Series, a series of three concerts, featuring Irish, Canadian and American music.
  1. The Yellow Barn Concert Series  (South Hammond) presents its summer concert program, a series of seven diverse musical experiences that celebrate the power of music; presented in a unique gallery setting.
  1. The Potsdam Public Library (Potsdam) presents Play with Clay, a series of hands-on, multidisciplinary art lessons, designed and taught to bring a unique art and science experience to the patrons of area libraries.
  1. The Thousand Islands Arts Center (Clayton) presents an eight-week after-school arts program, for children K – 8th grade; and a six-week kids’ art camp, for children ages 5 – 10.  

Congratulations to ALL of our 2019 grant recipients!

Questions? Want to learn more?

Free informational workshops are scheduled every summer throughout the tri-county area. First-time applicants are required to attend a workshop before submitting an application. For more information, please contact Alicia Murphy, Regrants & Community Engagement Coordinator, at grants@slcartscouncil.org or 315-265-6860.

Want to serve as a grant review panelist? Know someone who might?

The grant review panel is critical to our regrant program, and relies on community input to fairly distribute funding. SLC Arts is always looking for volunteers willing to commit the time and dedication needed to serve as a panelist. If you or someone you know loves art, lives in the tri-county region, and would like to help your local arts community in a big way, please consider submitting a nomination for a grant review panelist here.