Mid Atlantic Arts: ArtsCONNECT Initiative (US)

The tours include performances as well as complementary engagement activities designed to create greater understanding or connections between artists, audiences, and communities.

Three or more located in the mid-Atlantic region who partner to present the same artist/company during the project period can each receive up to 50% subsidy for that artist/company’s compensation plus support for other eligible project expenses. Projects that demonstrate clear mission impact, strong artistry, well-rounded community and artist engagements, and thoughtful and inclusive efforts to engage audiences systemically underserved by the arts are encouraged to apply.

Funding Information

• A Presenter can request a maximum grant amount of $12,000.00 USD per project. The Lead Presenter does not serve as a fiscal conduit for a funded ArtsCONNECT project. Each presenter in a funded consortium will receive a grant directly from Mid Atlantic Arts.
• Each presenter may request the following:
  • A fee subsidy up to 50% of the negotiated artist fee for the engagement, but not to exceed $10,000.00 USD;
  • Other eligible expenses of no more than $2,000.00 USD to support direct project expenses including, but not limited to, program staff salary, direct technical personnel fees, audience development, marketing and promotional expenses, project-specific purchases or consulting related to increasing access for artists with disabilities, staff, audiences or community members, technical and equipment rental expenses for virtual or in-person engagements, artist travel/lodging expenses, and/or expenses related to public health measures for in-person engagements.

Eligible Activities

• Proposed activities must meet the following requirements:
  • All eligible activities must take place during the project period (July 1, 2025- June 30, 2026)
  • Performances that primarily serve a non-public audience (such as K-12 schools, university classes, summer camps, senior centers, etc.) are not considered public performances, although they may be one of the community engagement activities that comprise an ArtsCONNECT project.

Ineligible Activities

• Fundraising events, either as part of the public performance or community engagement activity, are not eligible for support.

Eligible Projects

• Each presenter in the consortium is required to include the following activities in their respective engagements:
  • At least one in-person or virtual performance with the artist that is open to the general public; and
  • At least one community engagement activity. These may include exhibitions, lecture/demonstrations, master classes, panel discussions, pre- or post-performance artist question and answer sessions, residencies, workshops, and interactive engagements over digital platforms.

Geographical Focus

• The artists should be based in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Virginia, West Virginia, and the Native nations.

Eligibility Criteria

• To be eligible for an ArtsCONNECT grant award, presenters must:
  • be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization or be a unit of state or local government or Federally recognized Indian tribal government;
  • demonstrate organizational administrative capacity to complete all required project components;
  • be in good standing with Mid Atlantic Arts at the time of application, with no overdue or outstanding required reports and/or grant documents.
  • Maximum number of applications per presenter: each presenter may submit an application for a maximum of one ArtsCONNECT consortia project per annual application cycle.
• Consortium Requirements:
  • To be eligible for an ArtsCONNECT award, the following additional eligibility requirements surrounding consortia must be met:
    • Each consortium must include at least three presenters from two or more mid-Atlantic states or jurisdictions. Presenters based outside of the mid-Atlantic states or jurisdictions are not eligible to apply.
    • One presenter of the consortium must be designated the lead presenter of the project. The lead presenter is responsible for:
      • coordinating all members of the consortium to ensure consortium requirements are met;
      • coordinating with the artist/company to complete additional questions in the application on behalf of the consortium (e.g., artist description, work samples)
    • Each presenter in the consortium, including the lead presenter, is responsible for:
      • planning a performance engagement with the touring artist in their community;
      • negotiating with the artist the terms of the specific engagement;
      • completing a full application for the engagement as part of the proposed consortium project
• Artist/Company Requirements:
  • All presenters in an ArtsCONNECT consortium must propose engagement with the same artist/company. Each presenter’s proposed engagement must take place within the project period. The tour is not required to be contiguous, nor does the artist need to perform the same work or repertoire at each site on the tour.
  • The artist can be based anywhere across the U.S. or around the world, including those based in the same state or jurisdiction as any of the applicant presenters. Mid Atlantic Arts does not offer an artist roster for this program; the presenter consortia will independently decide the artist they jointly propose to tour.
  • Eligibility restrictions related to Artist/Company support through ArtsCONNECT:
    • Presenters may not participate in a consortium to present an artist they have presented with ArtsCONNECT support within the past three years
    • Artists on Mid Atlantic Arts’ active Performing Arts Global Exchange (PAGE), Iber Exchange, or Mid Atlantic Tours rosters are not eligible for presentation support through ArtsCONNECT
    • Presenters applying for support through the current grant round of ArtsCONNECT cannot receive funding from Mid Atlantic Arts’ Special Presenter Initiatives or Folk & Traditional Arts Community Projects Grant programs to support the same artists and engagements
    • One presenter within the consortium must submit the Artist/Company to the Projects in Development listing by the deadline.

For more information, visit Mid Atlantic Arts.