The Art of Community: Rural South Carolina Grants supports arts-based projects throughout rural South Carolina that use the arts to address issues and challenges in rural communities.
Donor Name: South Carolina Arts Commission
State: South Carolina
County: Selected Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 03/04/2025
Size of the Grant: $1000 to $10,000
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
The project must serve the rural community in which the applicant is located.
Grant-funded activities should:

expand community access to the arts in rural areas and
include a public engagement component and
engage a project steering committee to lead the project.

Funding Information
Up to $7,500.
Grant Period
August 6, 2024 – May 31, 2025.
Uses of Funds 
Grant funds must be used for actual project costs, defined as consumable and non-consumable items needed to complete the proposed project. Those might include but are not limited to:

Artist residencies
Exhibitions
Digital projects
Arts festivals
Workshops
Community murals
Equipment (e.g., kilns, lighting or sound equipment, musical instruments, storage)
Furniture (e.g., easels, music stands)
Professional services (e.g., performance space rental, web designer, consultant fees)
Artistic services (e.g., muralist, performers, instructors).

Geographical Areas 
Priority will be given to applicants located in one of the SCAC’s Opportunity Initiative Counties:

Allendale
Bamberg
Calhoun
Cherokee
Clarendon
Dillon
Edgefield
Hampton
Jasper
Laurens
Lee
Marion
Marlboro
Saluda
Williamsburg.

Eligibility Criteria 

The applicant must be:

a college or university; OR
a unit of state or local government, OR
a public library, public library authority, network of public library authorities, or organization managing a public library authority as defined under the Public Libraries & Museums Act 1964; OR
a nonprofit organization

currently registered as a charity with the S.C. Secretary of State’s Office

Note: Applicants who are exempt from this registration must upload their registration exemption approval.

reflecting S.C. as the primary address on all current official organizational documents
with federal tax-exempt status with the Internal Revenue Service OR applying through a tax-exempt fiscal agent/receiver organization

Note: Applicants who are applying through a fiscal agent/receiver must submit a letter outlining the working relationship and responsibilities of both parties.

Note: If your rural community spans counties in multiple tiers, please contact us BEFORE beginning your application.

Up to 50% of the grantee’s match may be in-kind donation of materials and contracted services that are essential to the project.
Examples of “in-kind” include: a contracted fee that is waived or discounted as a donation to your project, a facility donation to host an event, a local craft store donates supplies for a community mural.
Funds may not be matched with another SCAC grant or with any federal funds.
TIER 1: 1:3 (applicant:SCAC)

A 1:3 match means that for each dollar granted, the grantee must match with $0.33 of their own funds.

For example, if the total project cost is $1,800, the applicant may request $1,350 and must provide the remaining $450 from other sources.
Tier 1 counties:

Abbeville
Allendale
Bamberg
Barnwell
Cherokee
Chesterfield
Clarendon
Colleton
Dillon
Hampton
Lee
Marion
Marlboro
McCormick
Newberry
Oconee
Orangeburg
Williamsburg
TIER 2: 1:2 (applicant:SCAC)

A 1:2 match means that for each dollar granted, the grantee must match with $0.50 of their own funds.

For example, if the total project cost is $1,800, the applicant may request $1,200 and must provide the remaining $600 from other sources.
Tier 2 counties:

Calhoun
Chester
Darlington
Edgefield
Fairfield
Georgetown
Greenwood
Jasper
Kershaw
Lancaster
Laurens
Saluda
Union
TIER 3: 1:1 (applicant:SCAC)

A 1:1 match means that for each dollar granted, the grantee must match with $1.00 of their own funds.

For example, if the total project cost is $1,800, the applicant may request $900 and must provide the remaining $900 from other sources.
Tier 3 counties:

Aiken
Anderson
Berkeley
Beaufort
Charleston
Dorchester
Florence
Greenville
Horry
Lexington
Pickens
Richland
Spartanburg
Sumter
York

In accordance with federal government policy, all organizations – including (but not limited to) private schools, public school districts, government entities, and nonprofit organizations – must provide a valid UEI number to receive an SCAC grant award.

For more information, visit SCAC.