South Arts

Arts Journalism Grants

A pilot grant program for arts journalism and cultural coverage at older and newer news outlets. Grants can go to individual journalists, journalism groups and travel-based reporting. The deadline is November 20, 2026.

In These Mountains: Infrastructure Grants

An effort to keep folk and traditional arts alive in Central Appalachia, in parts of Kentucky, North Carolina and Tennessee. It funds mentor and apprentice teams through partners, brings folk arts to K-12 students, and records the work of tradition bearers.

Jazz Road

South Arts is looking for places to host jazz artists, from jazz clubs to places of worship to house concerts. Rural, isolated and city communities are all welcome.

Professional Development Grants for Arts Organizations

Grants of up to $1,000 for Southern arts groups with yearly budgets of $500,000 or less, to pay for staff or board training and growth. Applications are taken on a rolling basis through April 30, 2027.

Southern Artist Spotlight Grant

Grants for arts and community groups to present Southern artists from the South Arts roster. The money can pay for shows, screenings, exhibitions and community activities. Applications are taken on a rolling basis through April 30, 2027.

Southern Prize and State Fellowships for Visual Arts

Each year South Arts names a visual arts fellow from each of nine states, and one fellow also gets the Southern Prize. Their work travels in an exhibition across the region. The 2026 exhibition is at Western Carolina University in North Carolina, and South Arts is looking for venues to host it.

Southern Prize for Literature

South Arts and Oxford American are working together to expand opportunities for Southern writers, literary publishers and small presses. The effort includes the Southern Prize for Literature and Literary Arts Project Grants.