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Grants

The Cabarrus Arts Council allocates thousands of dollars annually to support arts organizations and cultural programs across Cabarrus County. Funding for these grants comes from the North Carolina Arts Council Grassroots Arts funding and additional foundation grants from the Mariam & Robert Hayes Charitable Trust.

The Cabarrus Arts Council thanks the North Carolina General Assembly and the North Carolina Arts Council for the Grassroots Grants Program. Grants are awarded through a competitive process that is reviewed by a panel of community citizens. No recipients are guaranteed from year to year.

Artist Support Grants

The Artist Support Grant is a $3,000 grant meant to support an individual creative through one of the four funding categories:

  • Completion/Presentation of a New Work: Cost of resources necessary to complete or present a significant new work (e.g., purchasing art supplies or equipment)
  • Career Promotion: Projects aimed at advertising artists’ work and/or demonstrating their skill level (e.g., websites, portfolios, audio-visual documentation, and online presentation)
  • Training: Costs to attend a class or workshop (in-person or virtual) aimed at either enhancing the artist’s skill level or professional development (e.g., a master class or workshop taught by acknowledged authorities in the applicant artist’s medium)
  • Travel: Costs of transportation, lodging, and food for training or professional conference.

The Artist Support Grant application is now closed. Please check back later!

Grassroot Grants: Guidelines and Application

Grassroots Grants provide Operating Support, Project Assistance, and Arts Education funding local organizations. Grassroots Grants are open to Cabarrus arts organizations, non-profit organizations, and public and private schools based in Cabarrus County.

The Grassroots Grant application is now closed. Please check back later!

Community Arts Seed Grant (NEW)

At Cabarrus Arts Council, our vision is a vibrant Cabarrus connected through the arts. Our local creatives are often at the center of bringing people together. Community Arts Seed Grants are designed to make that even easier by providing $250 seed funding for creative ideas to take root across our neighborhoods. Individual artists working with businesses, neighborhood associations, parks, schools and community-based organizations are encouraged to apply for assistance with project expenses associated with presenting creative experiences in Cabarrus.

The Community Seed Grant application is now closed. Please check back later!

    Artist Support Grants Recipients FY26

    Congratulations to the 2025-2026 Artist Support Grantees from Cabarrus County

    Lisa Albinus – Funding to support advanced botanical illustration training and mentorship in pursuit of professional growth as a botanical illustrator and educator.

    Deborah Arbes – Funding to support the partial purchase of a kiln, the essential equipment needed to establish a ceramic studio.

    Margaret Athanas – Funding to support attendance at a weeklong engraving course at the New Approach School for Jewelers to develop metal engraving skills.

    Marcus Booth – Funding to support conference attendance and travel to build professional connections, expand networks, and develop skills to advance their film/media arts practice.

    Micah Cash – Funding to support the purchase of a new laptop to complete fieldwork for the photography book Memory & Magic.

    Emory Rice – Funding to support a Grand Imagination weekend, including the hiring of actors and the creation of a community-wide series of imaginative performances.

    Sarah Ferdon – Funding to support attendance at a Second Level Tapestry Workshop with UNESCO artist Maximo Laura to develop advanced weaving and color techniques.

    Rhys Godwin – Funding to support the Frame by Frame project, providing equipment to realize the vision of Capture The Moment

    Kimblyn Harris – Funding to support Planting the Story: A Visual Journey of ONE GOOD SEED, a film/media arts project.

    Troy Kryzalka  – Funding to support the Number Drummer interactive children’s books, “Counting Rocks” (K–2) and “The Secret Life of Number 8” (3–5).

    Shane Manier – Funding to support a writing retreat and the publishing of a coming-of-age poetry memoir exploring the duality of love and harm in an unstable upbringing.

    Morgan Elizabeth Bowman – Funding to support the production of a short film that amplifies queer representation, centers marginalized women’s voices, and challenges the status quo through bold cinematic storytelling.

    Elizabeth Sullivan – Funding to support final editing, mastering, and production of a professional chamber music album recording.

    Dylan Ward – Funding to support Sinetology, including the commissioning, recording, mixing, and mastering of six new pieces by local artists for a full-length solo album.

    Destiny Wilson – Funding to support an art show presenting a new body of work.

    Edward Wright – Funding to support the production and promotion of Movie Scores Vol. 2, a 20-track instrumental album blending orchestral and hip-hop elements to expand artistic reach and prepare for future sync licensing and performances.

    Grant Publicity Requirements

    Grassroots Grants Recipients FY26

    WrightDesign75 – $3,750

    Cabarrus Art Guild – $6,292

    Old Courthouse Theatre, Inc. – $8,000

    Piedmont Community Band – $3,606

    Piedmont Choral Society – $4,000

    Southern Piedmont Woodturners – $4,132

    Town of Harrisburg Parks & Rec – $5,000

    Boys & Girls Club of Cabarrus Co. – $5,000

    Cabco Free Film Series – $4,000

    Early Childhood Foundation of Cabarrus Co. – $5,000

    El Puente Hispano – $5,000

    Friends of the Mt. Pleasant Library – $5,000

    Guerilla Poets Ltd. – $3,608

    Hospice & Palliative Care of Cabarrus Co. – $3,165

    City of Kannapolis Parks & Rec – $5,000

    Vegan Love Culture Foundation – $5,000

    Peek into a New Horizon Nex Gen – $1,300

    Logan Community Day Care Assoc. – $5,000

    Community Art Seed Grant Recipients FY26

    Emory Rice – Christmas/ Frozen ImmersiveTheatre Event for low income families at Carolina Mall.

    Bob Cately – Second Tuesday singer song writer night at Wired Coffee Espress.