Southern Artists for Social Change
This grant funds artists of color in AL, LA, and MS to collaborate with communities on projects advancing racial and cultural justice through arts-driven civic engagement.
Funder: National Performance Network
Due Dates (Anticipated): April 2027: Letter of Intent deadline (projected)
Funding Amounts: $75,000 per project (disbursed as $25,000/year over three years)
Summary: Project grants for artists and culture bearers of color in Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi to advance racial and cultural justice through community-driven arts initiatives.
Key Information: Not open to nonprofit organizations; only individual artists and collectives may apply.
Description
The program provides significant project grants to artists and culture bearers of color who are engaged in social change within urban, rural, and tribal communities in Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Supported by the Surdna Foundation’s "Radical Imagination for Racial Justice" initiative, these grants fund civic practice projects that bring artists of color into collaboration and co-design with community partners and local residents, focusing on community-defined visions. The initiative aims to empower people of color in the South by building artistic power, advancing racial and cultural justice, fostering relationships, and working toward systemic change in the arts and philanthropy.
Projects should identify community challenges, imagine new futures, and design strategies that center racial justice through authentic partnerships and community engagement. A portion of each grant must directly support the artist(s), and projects may be at any phase (research, development, production, etc.), including new or ongoing work.
