Grant Programs, Funding, and Direct Purchases

The Madison Arts Commission (MAC) currently offers funding through our annual grant programs: Project Grants, Art Education Grants, Legacy Grants, Individual Artist Fellowship Awards, Art in Public Places and BLINK. Art Education Grants provide support to artists and educators for art programs directed at K-12 students. Project Grants provide support to individual and performing artists and non-profit groups for projects that enrich the arts and culture of Madison. Legacy Grants provide project support to organizations with a proven record of accomplishment of quality ongoing projects. Individual Artist Fellowship Awards provide funds for original work from professional artists. Art in Public places supports community generated permanent public art projects. BLINK provides funding for temporary public art projects that initiated by artists.

Project Grant

The annual Project Grants will provide support for artists and non-profit arts organizations for arts projects, performances, and exhibits or events that enrich the cultural lives of Madison's residents. Individuals and/or organizations can apply for only ONE grant per funding year. When applying for a project grant, the applicant must choose to apply as an individual artist, an organization, or a neighborhood association. Grants are awarded in amounts up to $3,000 and must be matched.

Art Education Grants

The Madison Arts Commission, as part of its mission to make the arts accessible to all of Madison's citizens, is especially committed to making arts education possible for every child. Developing the arts and integrating them more fully into the lives of Madison communities is at the heart of the Art Education grant program. The goal of the grant is to support partnerships between individual artists or arts organizations and community groups for after-school arts based activities. This arts-based education should take place on a regularly scheduled basis, should serve a diverse, under-served student population composed of elementary and middle-school aged children, and should occur during non-school hours.

Congratulations to Project Grant Award Recipients

GUIDELINES AND APPLICATION INFORMATION

Artists at Work

The City of Madison is seeking proposals for 2022-2023 that will contribute to workforce development and diversification of the creative sector. The Artists at Work (AAW) program will provide a unique opportunity for one-time support of either $15,000 or $25,000 for organizations wishing to reinstate an arts position that they eliminated due to the COVID-19 pandemic or establish a new position utilizing the unique skills of artists and creative workers for organizational sustainability.

Proposals for positions that employ and utilize the unique skills of artists and creative workers will be reviewed in two phases. Phase 1 – General applicant info and statement of interest. & Phase 2 – Full application including position description, salary information, letters of recommendation, supplemental materials.

Artists at Work Grant Guidelines and Application

Annual Grant Program Guidelines
Annual Grant Program Application.

BLINK Temporary Public Art Opportunities

BLINK is an opportunity for experimental, ad-hoc, temporary works of art to sprout up throughout the community and vanish leaving residents and visitors eager to see what is next. Madison neighborhoods and urban areas are open canvases. The possibilities for creations in open spaces, construction sites, and public parks provides a glimpse of how the world looks through an artist's eyes.

Artists present ideas for a temporary public art project that is modest in cost and is feasible, yet unique, bold and ambitious in impact. MAC reviews proposals and decides if they want to purchase it for the City's Blink program three times per year; Feb 1st, June 1st and October 1st.

Art in Public Places (AIPP)

AIPP provides funding  for permanent public art projects. Projects must be $15,000 or more (including MAC funds), and  last 10 or more years. MAC anticipates leveraging funding and community attention for major public art projects in 2018 that have artistic merit and will make a positive, long-term impact on Madison.

Eligible applicants include recognized Madison neighborhood associations, organizations with tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code (organized in the City of Madison), or City of Madison agencies or their associated non-profit foundation or friends group. Individual artists or ad hoc groups of artists interested in applying must partner with a neighborhood association, nonprofit organization, or City agency.

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Email questions to the Madison Arts Program Administrator: kwolf@cityofmadison.com.

• AIPP Grant Summary (PDF)
• AIPP Grant Application ( (MS Word) (includes guidelines and application)
• Sample Contract (PDF) (Sample contracts are based on previous public art contracts entered into by the City. A similar custom contract will be developed for each unique Art in Public Places project.)

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