Alaska State Council on the Arts — Community Arts Development Grants

This is organisational funding rather than artist funding: small nonprofit organisations in Alaska can apply to build arts programming in parts of the state, or in artistic disciplines, that are currently underserved. Concerts and festivals are named among the eligible activities, alongside exhibitions, dance performances, workshops, readings and theatre productions. The same grant can also pay for the unglamorous side of running an organisation — board development, setting up accounting systems, budget development — which is unusual, and useful for a young music series or community group that has outgrown improvisation.

Awards do not exceed $5,000. Priority goes to organisations operating entirely on volunteers with no paid staff, so an established venue with a payroll is competing against its own size here.

There are four deadlines a year — 1 June, 1 September, 1 December and 1 March — and each is tied to a window for the activity itself; the September deadline covers work beginning 1 October and ending by 30 June. Applications go through the state's online grant system, which is also where the full eligibility rules and forms live rather than on the council's own page. Decisions follow the quarterly meeting of the council's trustees, normally the one immediately after the deadline.