Grants for Organizations
Strengthening Maryland's Arts Infrastructure: Grants for Organizations
From large, internationally renowned institutions to local gems of the community, Maryland invests in organizations and programs that uplift, inspire and enrich our citizens through the boundless power of the arts.
IN FISCAL YEAR 2018, THE MSAC AWARDED GFO GRANTS TO 288 ARTS ORGANIZATIONS AND PROGRAMS ACROSS THE STATE TOTALING $13,577,465.
The Grants for Organizations (GFO) granting program provides unrestricted general operating support to nonprofit and tax-exempt organizations, as well as units of government, that produce or present ongoing arts programming that is open to the public. GFO awardees educate children, uplift communities, stimulate business activity and support jobs.
GFO grants are reviewed and awarded on the basis of three evaluation criteria: artistic merit, organizational effectiveness, and service to the community. View definitions and detailed descriptions of these GFO Review Criteria (PDF).
MSAC uses a staggered, three-year application cycle to review GFO applications. During the two years in which an organization is not required to submit a FULL Application, organizations will submit a Request for Funding (RFF) application and will not go through the panel evaluation process. This process is explained in detail in the FY 2019 Grant Guidelines. Awardees are selected after thorough evaluation by advisory panels of professionals from the artistic categories in which grants are awarded.
See past and current awardees lists here.
GFO Grant Guidelines
MSAC accepts applications to the GFO program one-time per year with deadlines scheduled each Fall. Full guidelines for the FY2019 application are available now. FY2019 Guidelines.
Eligibility requirements apply and are specific to the type of GFO application submitted. For detailed information about eligibility requirements and application types, review the FY2019 GFO Guidelines.
New Applicants
Returning Applicants
If your organization has consistently been applying for and receiving GFO grant awards, with no recent lapses in application submissions, you will be asked to submit one of the following two applications each year.