Mid-America Arts Alliance offering fifth cohort of $10,000 grants to 25 artists

For the fifth time since 2023, the Mid-America Arts Alliance is accepting applications for its Catalyze program, which awards 25 Arkansas artists across all creative disciplines with $10,000 each in funding. Grants come coupled with mentorship and professional development as well. 

A notably flexible grant funded by the Windgate Foundation, the funding can be used for “anything that helps [recipients] keep making art, like new equipment, travel, studio space, childcare, professional services, research, supplies, and savings.”

When Catalyze first launched, only artists living in Central Arkansas were able to apply. In 2024, applicants from the Arkansas Delta were welcomed in. The latest expansion includes artists from some northern and southern parts of the state. 

Residents of the following counties are eligible to apply: Arkansas, Ashley, Baxter, Bradley, Calhoun, Chicot, Clark, Clay, Cleburne, Cleveland, Conway, Craighead, Crittenden, Cross, Dallas, Desha, Drew, Faulkner, Fulton, Garland, Grant, Greene, Hot Spring, Independence, Izard, Jackson, Jefferson, Lawrence, Lee, Lincoln, Lonoke, Marion, Mississippi, Monroe, Ouachita, Perry, Phillips, Poinsett, Pope, Prairie, Pulaski, Randolph, Saline, Searcy, Sharp, St. Francis, Stone, Union, Van Buren, Woodruff, White and Yell.

Applications opened Wednesday, Oct. 1, and will close at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 1. You can find more information about how to apply here.