Program Materials
Categories
Applicants should choose to apply for either a Project or an Education grant:
PROJECT: Project grants support arts projects or programming that emphasize community engagement and access to the arts. Individual Artists may apply for a project grant up to $2,000 and may take up to 20% for self-pay. Non-profit organizations and K-12 schools may apply for up to $3,500. This category is intended for one-time or first-time projects or programs, and preference will be given to those applications. However, ongoing programs may apply. Preference will be given to applicants with operating budgets of $300,000 or less. However, organizations with larger operating budgets are welcome to apply.
EDUCATION: Education grants support projects or programming that provide opportunities in the arts for K-12 students. Artists may apply for up to $2,000 and may take up to 20% for self-pay. Non-profit organizations and K-12 schools may apply for up to $3,500.
If your application fits into more than one category, please choose the category that most closely aligns with your goals.
Requirements & Policies
REQUIREMENTS
- Complete applications and support materials must be submitted online by September 24, 2026, 11:59 PM.
- Projects do not need to include cash or in-kind support from sources other than Arts Dollars. That said, we encourage in-kind or matching funding sources. The project should show feasibility (e.g., including the grant amount, enough funds will be available to complete project. If not, should show a plan to accrue remaining funds.) Ineligible expenses may be covered by matching funds – this must be described in the budget section of the application.
- Projects must take place between December 1, 2026, and August 15, 2027. Recipients will be notified during the week of October 19, 2026.
- All projects must take place in ArtsPartners of Central Illinois’ service area: Peoria, Tazewell, and Woodford counties in Illinois
- All proposed budgets must include payment to at least one artist who meets both of the following criteria:
- at least 18 years old
- current resident of Peoria, Tazewell, or Woodford counties in Ilinois for the past 12 consecutive months
POLICIES
- Project & Education grant funds may not be used to fund the following:
- day-to-day operations
- capital expenditures of any kind
- purchasing permanent equipment over $500
- scholarships for academic degrees
- lobbying or support of a political party
- programs by universities/colleges not open to the public
- touring or travel outside designated counties for service
- functions at which artists are not the primary focus
- fundraisers, benefits, receptions, or other social functions
- NOTE: Ineligible expenses may be covered by matching funds. This must be described in the budget section of the application.
- Multiple applications are not allowed. Applicants may submit an application in one category only. Artists, organizations, and K-12 schools may participate in multiple Arts Dollars projects, but no single organization may receive more than $4,000, and no individual artist may receive more than $3,500 from this fund.
- Arts Partners of Central Illinois staff cannot be paid with Arts Dollars funds. Arts Dollars funds may not fund projects executed by Arts Partners of Central Illinois.
- Grantees will be ineligible for Arts Dollars support for two years if they to fail to meet any requirements listed in their grant agreement, including failure to file a final report.
- Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. Extraneous and excessive materials may not be reviewed, at the discretion of the review panel.
- Funds will be awarded based on scores received from a community review panel, subject to approval from the ArtsPartners of Central Illinois Board of Directors. All eligible applications will be evaluated and rated according to the following criteria: 50% Artistic Merit; 30% Community Involvement; 20% Administrative Ability (see rubric for details).
Application Materials
The following will be uploaded to the online form. No single file size may exceed 10MB; no application may include more than 20MB total attachments. PDF format is preferred, and links to media are acceptable.
The online form will require you to complete the following:
- Describe the goal of your project, your project’s participants, and what will actually occur. If this is not a new project, briefly describe the project’s history (number of years, changes over time, etc.)
- How do you plan to promote your project? (to participants, students, parents, and/or the public as applicable)
- List all major personnel (paid, in-kind, and volunteer artists and staff) and describe their role in the project.
- List the dates for key project activities (at minimum, dates of events and/or project completion).
- What is your mission statement? How does the project fit your mission? (Not applicable to individual artists.)
- If the project budget exceeds the stated limit, describe the sources and expected arrival dates of additional funding.
RESUMES – Include only major personnel, no more than five resumes; or include artist statement or abbreviated bios of key staff as appropriate.
PARTNER LETTER OF SUPPORT – If your project involves another organization, we request a brief letter of support from that organization affirming their intent to partner with you.
NON-PROFIT STATUS – One-page documentation of non-profit status. IRS letter is preferred, if applicable.
WORK SAMPLES – Submit one or more of the following as appropriate and describe the work sample(s).
- Visual artists – 5-8 images with title, media, dimensions, and date (include all information in one pdf if possible)
- Performing artists – 1-3 minutes of video or audio with title and date
- Literary artists – one short story, one essay, OR three poems (no more than ten pages, standard formatting)
- Arts educators – student work in one of the forms listed above is acceptable / preferred
- ONLY if no artistic documentation is available / relevant – submit two letters of recommendation
We recommend bookmarking the Community Foundation of Central Illinois’ Online Portal.
Contact – For additional information, please contact: info@artspartners.net
