Grant Resources

Click here to view our grantwriting handbook in PDF form.

Grant Writing

What exactly do I plan to do: what, with whom, for whom, by when? This tangibly summarizes your planning in terms that people unfamiliar with your idea will understand.
How exactly will I spend this money if I get it? You’ll express this in a budget.
What exactly will be different, and for whom, if the grant is successful? Your answer to this question will anticipate your evaluation process.

Every grant has strings, whether it’s from the public sector, the corporate sector, an individual donor, or a foundation. Government makes funds available to benefit society.

Your project or organization is available to all people, regardless of income, race, gender, or age group;
Your work is planned, as much as possible, with the people you hope to affect, as opposed to merely being planned for them;
Your organization is governed by people who represent the community’s many interests or populations;
Your work might benefit the local economy; or
Your work might change community life for the better?

So your proposal should articulate the public good that will result if you are funded.

How to Apply for Grants Administered by the Montana Arts Council

For details on applying for grants adminstered by the Montana Arts Council, refer to our current grant application handbook. It's got all the info needed to write applications which include only relevant information, which will save time and effort when you're applying.

Montana Arts Council Grant Application Handbook 2022

Do you know your community, the audience, or the population that you’re trying to reach?

While there may be some grants that are awarded through a noncompetitive funding formula, most public funding is quite competitive. It’s easy to feel that as a taxpayer, you deserve to have those dollars to come back to you! Public funding agencies have to spread funds as widely as possible, and reward excellent works with funds enough to carry them out.

Excellence is rewarded, but the human beings reviewing proposals have personal aesthetic ideas, as well. A proposal that wasn't’t funded by one year’s reviewers may be funded by the next.

Contact the Funding Agency

First, request guidelines and other information.

Second, call the funder's grants program staff.

To VERIFY that your work or idea fits the guidelines, and that your proposal is feasible.
To CLARIFY what the guideline language means.
The third objective in calling the staff is to UNDERSTAND THE REVIEW PROCESS.

Budgeting

List every cost, also referred to as expense, whether or not you will pay cash for it. Total these costs. Call this total "X."
Mark those costs that you can cover with donations. For instance, a school district, which usually charges for the use of the high school auditorium, will provide the use of the auditorium free. That’s a donation. Or maybe the newspaper will give you 50% off on advertising so half of your advertising budget is a donation. Estimate time at “fair market value.” A good general rate for artist services is $25/hour. Total these figures and call them "Y." Or call them by their grant writing name – "in-kind donations."
Brainstorm every likely source of income. A good rule is "Diversify!" It’s good to have a number of different sources. And it’s also good if at least some of the income is coming directly from you or your organization – otherwise it suggests that you aren’t really committed to your work. Make sure you understand the “match” required.

Think about potential income sources: a fundraiser, ticket sales, the surplus from last year’s budget, an extra membership drive, the sale of advertising, another grant, or even a wealthy donor. Total these and call them "Z."

Compute! From your costs X, subtract the in-kind donations Y. From this new total, subtract the cash income Z. What is left over? That is how much you still need.
Transfer your budget to the agency’s forms. They may have pre- determined categories but now you can easily fit your figures into these

Providing Supporting Evidence

Make sure that everything crucial is in the text or narrative of the proposal: use the attachments to enhance your assertions. Remember the "Show Me With Specifics" rule. If you said that you’re collaborating with the school district, enclose a letter from the Superintendent verifying this.
Show the reviewers your art and your vision, with a website link, DVD or CD. Make sure you show the best possible moment – hit ‘em hard from the beginning with the art, not with introductory remarks, dead space, audience coughing, or applause.

Polishing

A few days before the grant deadline, do a final check of your proposal. Run a spell check on your document. Typos may suggest – even subliminally – that you’re a sloppy manager, not to be trusted with public funds. Handwritten applications are hard to read.
Read the guidelines one more time to make sure you’ve addressed everything that was required, formatted it correctly, and made enough copies.
Make sure that all of your numbers agree, and add the figures in the budget one more time.
Ask an outsider to read what you’ve written. Try the local school district’s grant writer or a newspaper editor. Supply them with the review criteria and ask them to objectively score the proposal as though they were on the panel. Make your corrections accordingly.

Submitting On Time

Submit your application at least one day before the deadline. If you run into technical difficulties during submission, this will give the organization’s staff to help you resolve them.
And if you’re allowed to go to the review meeting, put the date on your calendar and plan to attend. That’s the best feedback of all – even if you can’t participate in the meeting.

Notes from University of Massachusetts grant writing workshop and Kristin Han Burgoyne, Montana Arts Council’s Grant Director.

Grantwriting Links

Basic Elements of Grantwriting

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting evaluates hundreds of proposals each year for a variety of funding purposes. This publication is an easy guide to the basic elements of grant writing and is offered to assist applicants to CPB and to other funding sources. It offers guideposts to help you through each stage of the process. These guideposts are transferable to a variety of grant applications. However, we encourage you to carefully read the guidelines written for each grant you select. Successful grant writing involves the coordination of several activities, including planning, searching for data and resources, writing and packaging a proposal, submitting a proposal to a funder, and follow-up. Here are some steps that will help.

Proposal Writing: Short Course

The Foundation Center’s guide to successful proposal writing. This is especially useful in connecting the project narrative and financials.

Where to Start

The Montana Arts Council works in partnership with several national, regional, and state agencies to provide funding, support, and information for artists and arts organizations. Among our key partners are the following agencies.

National Endowment for the Arts

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is a grantmaking agency supporting America's visual, literary, design, performing arts and community arts.

National Endowment for the Humanities

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) supports learning in history, literature, philosophy. Provides grants in research, education, museum exhibitions, documentaries, and preservation.

National Assembly of State Art Agencies

NASAA, National Assembly of State Art Agencies is made up of state arts agencies.

Creative West

Creative West (formerly WESTAF) currently administers two grant programs: Independent Music on Tour (IMTour™), for tour-ready independent musicians, and TourWest, a competitive program that provides subsidies to arts and community organizations for the presentation of out-of-state touring performers and literary artists in AK, AZ, CA, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, OR, UT, WA, & WY.

Humanities Montana

Humanities Montana is a nonprofit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, one of fifty-six independent councils across the United States. Established in 1972, we were created in order to better infuse the humanities into public life.

Resources for people with disabilities

The Online College Guide for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Students

A resource for navigating higher education challenges for deaf and hard-of-hearing students.

Resume and Employment Guide for People With Disabilities

According to the Social Security Administration, there are over 8 million disabled workers in the United States. These workers often face challenges such as stereotyping, discrimination, and a lack of accommodations. Thankfully, there are a variety of legal protections and employment resources available that help people with disabilities overcome these challenges and advance their careers.

Mental Health Disability Rights in The Workplace: A Guide For Employees

This article is intended to help guide you through your rights and provide education on the challenges that may arise from struggling with mental health at work.

Programs for Individual Artists

Home | Artists Thrive

Artists Thrive is a national resource hub for artists, with tools and resources helps you see where you are in your work, where you want to go, what is important to measure, and how you can improve in ways that benefit you, your arts partners, and your community.

Alliance of Artists Communities

The Alliance of Artists Communities is a national and international association of artists' communities and residencies — a diverse field of more than 1,500 programs worldwide that support artists of any discipline in the development of new creative work.

WomenArts

Women Arts offers financial and other resources to women in theatre, film and video. Build your skills, build community, find funding sources, and be inspired by the women trailblazers who go before us.

Craft Emergency Relief Fund

The Craft Emergency Relief Fund gives direct financial and educational assistance to craft artists, including emergency relief assistance, business development support, and resources and referrals on topics such as health, safety, and insurance.

Creative Capital Foundation

Creative Capital Foundation uplifts risk-taking, underinvested artists with unrestricted project grants, professional development, and community-building services to advance freedom of expression and foster sustainable careers.

CREATIVE WRITING FELLOWSHIPS | National Endowment for the Arts

The NEA Literature Fellowships program offers $25,000 grants in prose (fiction and creative nonfiction) and poetry to published creative writers that enable the recipients to set aside time for writing, research, travel, and general career advancement.

First Peoples Fund

First People’s Fuind supports the cultural, artistic and ancestral practices of American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian artists, families and communities, helping them to thrive, heal and carry forward Indigenous creative expression, teachings and lifeways. They offer fellowships, grants, and professional development for Native artists.

Gottlieb Foundation

Offers grants to individual visual artists through two programs: an annual Individual Support Grant and a separate program to assist visual artists in cases of catastrophic events through an Emergency Grant program.

Harpo Foundation

The Harpo Foundation was established in 2006 to support artists who are under-recognized by the field. The foundation seeks to stimulate creative inquiry to encourage new modes of thinking about art. We view the definitions of art and artist to be open-ended and expansive.

Native Arts and Cultures Foundation

The Native Arts and Cultures Foundation (NACF) is a Native-led, 501 (c) 3 philanthropic organization dedicated exclusively to the perpetuation of American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian arts and cultures nationwide.

Puffin Foundation

The Puffin Foundation provides grants to artists who are often excluded from mainstream opportunities due to their race, gender, or social philosophy, in the fields of fine arts, film and video, music, photography, theater, and public interest. The Foundation particularly supports creative and innovative initiatives that will advance progressive social change.

Supporting Native Arts and Artists | The Evergreen State College

The Longhouse at Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA., uplifts Indigenous artists and culture carriers through programs and grants. Their website also has other resources for Native artists.

Musicians Foundation - Grants for Musicians

The Foundation provides financial assistance to musicians who need help in meeting current living, medical and allied expenses.

National YoungArts Foundation

The National YoungArts Foundation identifies and nurtures the most accomplished young artists in the visual, literary, design and performing arts and assists them at critical junctures in their educational and professional development. YoungArts aspires to create a community of alumni that provides a lifetime of encouragement, opportunity and support.

Programs - New Music USA

New Music supports artists and organizations dedicated to the creation and performance of new work and community building throughout the country.

Pollock-Krasner Foundation

The Foundation welcomes, throughout the year, applications from visual artists who are painters, sculptors and artists who work on paper, including printmakers.

Documentary Film Program - sundance.org

The Sundance Documentary Film Program supports non-fiction filmmakers worldwide in the production of cinematic documentaries on contemporary themes.

Upstart Co-Lab

Upstart Co-Lab aims to increase opportunities for artists as innovators, catalyze more capital for creativity, and enable to support themselves sustainably.

FOR ORGANIZATIONS

Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation

Arts and Culture represents the innovation and creativity of a society. In the areas of theatre, art, and music, the Washington Foundation’s grants have helped organizations reach a broader audience, infused new life into programs, and create long-lasting cultural traditions within our communities.

Grants | B.W. Bastian Foundation

The B.W. Bastian Foundation strives to build community and understanding by supporting institutions in the Intermountain West. Must be invited to apply.

Classics for Kids Foundation

The mission of the Classics for Kids Foundation is to empower young people to shape positive futures through music, build sustainable stringed instrument music programs, and provide grants for high quality instruments.

J. Murdock Charitable Trust | M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust

The Trust’s mission is to enrich the quality of life in the Pacific Northwest by providing grants and enrichment programs to organizations seeking to strengthen the region’s educational, spiritual, and cultural base in creative and sustainable ways. In addition to a special interest in education and scientific research, the Trust partners with a wide variety of organizations that serve the arts, public affairs, health and medicine, human services and other areas of interest.

Grants - Pride Foundation

Pride Foundation’s ever-evolving granting program funds small projects across the Northwest focusing on equity and justice. Grants support smaller, grassroots, LGBTQ+ led and focused organizations.

Funding Areas | Getty Funding

The Getty Education Institute for the Arts provides grants for conservation, archival collections, and conservation professional development.

Tourism Grant Program | Montana Department of Commerce

The Tourism division of the Montana Dept of Commerce has an array of grants to support communities and organizations helping to achieve the state’s tourism goals.

LOR Foundation

The LOR Foundation supports livability and quality of life by improving access to nature, recreation, clean water, transportation options, cultural experiences, and economic stability. They partner with rural communities in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico to protect the character of their towns and the landscapes that surround them.

Jerry Metcalf Foundation

The Jerry Metcalf Foundation awards small grants in the areas of the arts, historical research and preservation, and education, to individuals and groups who are working to enhance Montana's diverse communities.

The Foundation for Montana History

The Foundation for Montana History provides development and advisory leadership for organizations dedicated to the preservation of Montana’s history and culture.

Sparkplug

The Sparkplug Foundation supports small organizations that are proposing start-up projects in the fields of music, education, and grassroots organizing. In the Music category, the Foundation supports emerging professional musicians or music-development programs. In Education and Teaching, the Foundation funds projects that deal with "the whole student" and with learning as a community activity.

Neighborhood Grants - About Starbucks

Starbucks employees can nominate an organization doing great work to build community – especially where that’s challenging – in any town Starbucks serves.

Steele-Reese Foundation

The Steele-Reese Foundation supports small projects in rural Montana communities to advance rural education; health; human and social services; the arts and humanities; and land, water, and wildlife conservation and historic preservation.

Treacy Foundation

The Treacy Foundation supports nonprofit organizations in Montana by awarding grants to support capital campaigns, capital asset improvements, and maintenance, and by providing scholarships to students pursuing higher education.

Grants – The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts

The Andy Warhol Foundation serves artists by funding the institutions that support them. Their grants encourage and facilitate the production of original work that expands and enhances the contemporary art field.

Corporate giving programs

Grants | First Interstate Bank

The First Interstate Foundation grants in the areas of civic and community, arts and culture, K-12 and higher education, health, human services, and sustainability-related organizations. The Foundation only grants to organizations recommended by local First Interstate Bank branches.

Costco Wholesale Corporate Contributions Program

This program supports nonprofit organizations in company-operating communities. Grants and product donations are provided to nonprofit organizations and educational institutions that address children's issues, education, and health and human services.

Lowe's Toolbox for Education Grant Program

The Toolbox for Education Grant Program, offered by Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation, provides grants of $2,000 to $5,000 to public K-12 schools, as well as school parent-teacher groups associated with public schools, throughout the United States that develop projects to encourage parent involvement and build stronger community spirit.

Town Pump Charitable Foundation

The Town Pump Charitable Foundation provides financial support to Montana charitable or governmental organizations with a priority of supporting/meeting basic needs and education for Montana citizens.