Community Connector Grant Creative Individuals
Community Connector Grant Creative Individuals supports Charlotte-Mecklenburg creatives developing community programs that remove barriers to participation in arts, science, and history.
This grant was recently updated
Applications shift from March 11–April 8, 2026 to February 23–March 23, 2027 (noon opening and deadline). Projects must now start June 30–December 31, 2027, rather than June 1–December 31, 2026, and finish by June 30, 2028 instead of June 30, 2027; other details also changed.
Funder: Arts and Science Council
Due Dates: February 23, 2027 (Opens) | March 16, 2027 (Draft review) | March 23, 2027 (Application) | May 19, 2027 (Tentative notification)
Funding Amounts: Up to $20,000 in project support; no match required; projects may run through June 30, 2028
Summary: Supports Charlotte-Mecklenburg creative individuals developing or expanding community programs that remove barriers to arts, science, and history participation.
Key Information: Applicants must operate as a sole proprietorship or LLC and conduct over 75% of their work in Mecklenburg County.
Description
The Arts and Science Council’s Community Connector Grant supports new or meaningfully expanded community-facing programs in Charlotte-Mecklenburg. Access is the central priority: projects must address practical, geographic, or economic barriers that limit participation in arts, science, and history. The program also supports innovation and sustainable cultural infrastructure, emphasizing sustained engagement, repeated community touchpoints, deeper participation, and long-term relationships.
Projects must pair expanded access with at least one secondary objective: cross-sector collaboration, artistic/scientific/historical development, or community well-being. Supported approaches include accessible workshops, participatory creative projects, neighborhood-based programming, public science experiences, and community history initiatives. The grant addresses priorities 3, 5, and 7 of Charlotte’s Arts & Culture Plan, with support from Mecklenburg County, the City of Charlotte, individual donors, the private sector, and the North Carolina Arts Council.
