Folk & Traditional Arts Mentoring Project Grants
Folk & Traditional Arts Mentoring Project Grants support Wyoming mentor artists and apprentices through sustained, hands-on teaching that builds skills and carries local cultural traditions forward.
Funder: Wyoming Arts Council
Due Dates: April 6, 2026 (FY27 deadline) | February 1, 2027 (FY28 opens) | March 29, 2027 (FY28 deadline)
Funding Amounts: Up to five awards annually of $5,000 each for projects lasting at least six months
Summary: Supports Wyoming mentor artists and apprentices teaching folk and traditional arts through sustained, in-person instruction.
Key Information: Mentor and apprentice must share a cultural group; apprentices need two years of Wyoming residency.
Description
The Wyoming Arts Council funds mentorships that pass folk and traditional arts from experienced artists to apprentices through in-person, hands-on instruction. The goal is to develop apprentices’ skills and sustain cultural traditions in Wyoming communities. Supported art forms include saddlemaking, cowboy poetry, beadwork, quilting, pow wow songs and dances, Mexican ballet folklorico, and other traditions practiced in the state.
A mentor artist selects an apprentice, and the pair proposes a sustained teaching project. Special consideration may be given to first-time applicants, endangered traditions, geographic location or artistic discipline, and projects involving rural or underrepresented communities.
