The following listing contains resources to support the production, presentation, and promotion of the arts. In many cases, resources can serve a variety of constituencies, so you may wish to skim all the categories below for resources that may suit your particular needs.
The Annenberg Foundation advances the public well-being through improved communication. As the principal means of achieving its goal, the Foundation encourages the development of more effective ways to share ideas and knowledge. The Annenberg Foundation provides support for projects within its grant-making interest areas of education and youth, arts and culture, civic and community, and health.
The Barr Foundation’s mission is to invest in human, natural, and creative potential, serving as thoughtful stewards and catalysts.
In 2019, Foundation Center and GuideStar merged to become Candid. Candid collects, organizes, and provides data on nonprofits, foundations, and grants through its specialized services and tools, both online and in-person through its Funding Information Network partners, allowing the public to better understand and contribute to the nonprofit world. Candid allows individuals and organizations to research and verify nonprofits and find a variety of funding opportunities. Candid also offers training in fundraising, organizational sustainability, and leadership and management for nonprofit and foundation representatives.
The Council on Foundations is a membership organization of more than 2,000 grantmaking foundations and giving programs worldwide.We provide leadership expertise, legal services and networking opportunities-among other services to our member sand to the general public.
Delaware Association of Nonprofit Agencies (DANA)
DANA represents more than 225 charitable nonprofits throughout the state of Delaware. Our members include the entire spectrum of the nonprofit sector – the arts, education, health, human service, religious, and philanthropic institutions.
The Delaware Community Foundation encourages qualified nonprofit organizations within the State of Delaware to apply for the competitive grants that are administered directly by the Foundation, as well as those awarded by some of our component funds.
Delaware Criminal Justice Council
The Delaware Criminal Justice Council is an independent body committed to leading the criminal justice system through a collaborative approach that calls upon the experience and creativity of the Council, all components of the criminal justice system, and the community. In the past, the council has offered grants to organizations, including arts organizations, to develop programs that help prevent youth from entering the juvenile justice system, or intervention programs that help youth once they have entered the system.
The Delaware Heritage Commission is one of the principal agencies for the celebration of Delaware History. It offers two different grants meant for individuals and groups studying the history and heritage of Delaware.
The Delaware Humanities Forum offers programs, which include grants to nonprofit organizations, educational outreach, and special projects, are designed to bring the public together with humanities specialists.
Delaware River and Bay Authority
The Delaware River and Bay Authority is an organization of people serving people. The Authority’s community involvement reflects its 40-year history of giving back to the community and the public it serves. The DRBA is committed to a balanced approach between support for community based non-profit organizations and trustworthy utilization of the motoring publics’ toll revenues. See the “Community Giving” section for details.
The Delaware Tourism Office is a division of the Delaware Economic Development Office and serves to promote tourism and economic growth in Delaware while working to preserve the state’s historical, cultural, and natural resources. The agency provides marketing grants to not-for-profit tourism entities with the goal of attracting visitors and overnight business to Delaware.
The Freeman Foundation is a proud philanthropic leader, dedicated to making a difference in the communities where we work and live.
The Gannett Foundation, a corporate foundation sponsored by Gannett Co., Inc., serves local organizations in those communities in which Gannett Co., Inc. has a local daily newspaper or television station. The program makes contributions through grants education, health and advancement of the people who live in Gannett communities.
Grantmakers in the Arts is a national association of public and private arts funders – providing members with resources and leadership to support artists and arts organizations.
The Granstmanship Center offers grantsmanship training and low-cost publications to nonprofit organizations and government agencies.
The Mid Atlantic Arts is a regional, nonprofit corporation that provides funding to organizations and individuals to encourage the creation of new works of art, promote new relationships and ideas within the performing arts community, build new audiences, advocate for the arts in education, and connect the arts and artists of the mid-Atlantic region to the rest of the nation and world.
Mott (Charles Stewart) Foundation
The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation supports efforts that promote a just, equitable and sustainable society. Grants from the foundation are made in four different programs: Civil Society, Environment, Flint Area, and Pathways Out of Poverty.
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is the federal grantmaking agency created by Congress in 1965 to foster the excellence, diversity, and vitality of the arts, and to broaden public access to the arts in the United States.
New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA)
NEFA’s mission is to cultivate and promote the arts in New England and beyond. Its programs support artists across many forms of expression and many geographies, connecting them with collaborators and communities, fueling creative exchange and public discourse, and strengthening the creative economy.
The Pew Charitable Trusts serves the public interest by providing information, policy solutions, and support for civic life. Based in Philadelphia, with an office in Washington, D.C., the Trusts makes investments to provide organizations and citizens with fact-based research and practical solutions for challenging issues.
The Presser Foundation awards scholarships, grants and funds specifically to further the cause of music education and music in America.
The Puffin Foundation seeks to open the doors of artistic expression to artists and art organizations that are often excluded from mainstream opportunities due to their race, gender, or social philosophy. The Foundation makes grants that encourage emerging artists in the fields of art, music, theater, dance, photography, and literature whose works, due to their genre and/or social philosophy, might have difficulty being aired.
The American Alliance of Museums (AAM) is dedicated to promoting excellence within the museum community. Through advocacy, professional education, information exchange, accreditation, and guidance on current professional standards of performance, AAM assists museum staff, boards, and volunteers across the country to better serve the public.
American Association of Community Theatre
The American Association of Community Theatre (AACT) is the national voice of community theatre, representing the interests of its members and over 7,000 theatres across the U.S. and with the armed forces overseas.
Americans for the Arts is the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America. With more than 40 years of service, we are dedicated to representing and serving local communities and creating opportunities for every American to participate in and appreciate all forms of the arts.
The Actors Fund
The Actors Fund is a national human services organization that helps all professionals in performing arts and entertainment. We are a safety net, providing programs and services for those who are in need, crisis or transition.
Arts Extension Service develops the arts in communities and community through the arts with continuing professional education for arts managers, artists, and civic leaders.
Association of Performing Arts Professionals (APAP)
The Association of Performing Arts Professionals is a membership organization, dedicated to bringing performing artists and audiences together in every place and way imaginable. The Association achieves its goal by providing visionary thinking, professional development, resource sharing, and advocacy, in support of its members and all those who create and disseminate the performing arts.
Business Committee for the Arts
Every year, Americans for the Arts, through its Business Committee for the Arts (BCA) program, recognizes 10 businesses of all sizes for their exceptional involvement with the arts that enrich the workplace, education, and the community. These companies set the standard for excellence and serve as role models for others to follow. The honorees are celebrated each fall at the BCA 10: Best Businesses Partnering with the Arts in America gala in New York City.
Chamber Music America promotes artistic excellence and economic stability within the profession, and ensures that chamber music, in its broadest sense, is a vital part of American life.
Dance/USA, the national service organization for professional dance, seeks to advance the art form of dance by addressing the needs, concerns, and interests of professional dance. To fulfill this mission, Dance/USA offers a variety of programs for its membership and the dance field, as well as works with organizations within and outside the arts field with whom common goals are shared.
The Jazz Journeys Educational Institute is a 501 (c)(3), non-profit cultural organization, with offices in Center City Philadelphia, Voorhees, New Jersey and Wilmington, Delaware. The organization promotes an understanding and appreciation of the historical and cultural significance of the rich legacy of African-American Classical Music—Jazz.
The League of American Orchestras provides leadership and service to American orchestras while communicating to the public the value and importance of orchestras and the music they perform.
National Arts and Disability Center
The National Arts and Disability Center (NADC) is the national information, dissemination, technical assistance, and referral center specializing in the field of arts and disability. The NADC is dedicated to promoting the full inclusion of children and adults with disabilities into the visual, performing, media, and literary arts communities.
National Assembly of State Arts Agencies
The National Assembly of State Arts Agencies is the membership organization that unites, represents, and serves the nation’s state and jurisdictional arts agencies.
The National League of American Pen Women
The mission of the League is to encourage, recognize, and promote the production of creative work of professional standard in Art, Letters, and Music, and through outreach activities provide educational, creative, and professional support to members and non-members in these disciplines.’ The core values of the NLAPW are respect, knowledge, creation and preservation of the arts.
OPERA America serves and strengthens the field of opera by providing a variety of informational, technical, and administrative resources to the greater opera community. Its fundamental mission is to promote opera as exciting and accessible to individuals from all walks of life.
The Theatre Communications Group strengthens, nurtures, and promotes the not-for-profit professional American theatre by increasing the organizational efficiency of our its member theatres, cultivating and celebrating the artistic talent and achievements of the field and promoting a larger public understanding of, and appreciation for, the theatre field.
Department of VSA and Accessibility at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
VSA is an international organization dedicated to creating a world where people with disabilities can learn through, participate in, and engage with the arts. In addition to ensuring Kennedy Center performances and facilities are accessible, the Department of VSA and Accessibility also provides programs, resources, and opportunities for the arts and cultural community and emerging and professional artists and performers with disabilities.
The Academy of American Poets is a non-profit organization founded in 1934 to support American poets at all stages of their careers and to foster the appreciation of contemporary poetry.
The Artists’ Health Insurance Resource Center
The Artists’ Health Insurance Resource Center database was created in 1998 by The Actors’ Fund of America, with a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, as a health insurance resource for artists and people in the entertainment industry. Since then, with support from The Commonwealth Fund, it has expanded to include resources for the self-employed, low-income workers, the under-insured, the uninsured who require medical care and many other groups.
The CODAworx RFP Listings is the world’s largest listing of RFPs and RFQs for private and public commissioned art projects.
Delaware Library Inspiration Space
The Inspiration Space is a mini-makerspace, which are collaborative, creative spaces where people can enthusiastically learn about and experiment with technology, entrepreneurship, and DIY activities. Inspiration Spaces provide resources for entrepreneurs and small businesses.
Developing Artist Collaboration: Emerge
Emerge is a virtual hub of transformational career building tools you can access affordably, at your own pace- complete with in depth workbooks, group coaching & engaging videos. Join our growing community of visual artists leveling up their careers. Elevate your creative purpose & ditch the starving artist narrative.
Estate Planning for Visual Artists: A Workbook for Attorneys & Executors
Estate Planning for Visual Artists features in-depth sections on legal issues, including intellectual property and estate vehicles, but it is not solely for attorneys. The workbook captures perspectives from a diverse group of art professionals to help build a better understanding of the constellation of entities and relationships that play a role in the legacy planning process.
Fractured Atlas empowers artists, arts organizations, and other cultural sector stakeholders by eliminating practical barriers to artistic expression, so as to foster a more agile and resilient cultural ecosystem.
All the exhibitors at the Juried OnLine Arts Festival (JOLAF) are selected from America’s finest professional artists and craftspeople; each exhibitor has met exacting standards of excellence in the original design, creation and presentation of their work.
Mid Atlantic Arts was established in 1979 to promote and support multi-state arts programming in a region that includes: Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, the US Virgin Islands, Virginia and West Virginia. Over the last 35 years, the Foundation has expanded its reach to include national and international initiatives. The Foundation’s work is focused on performing arts touring, jazz, independent film, support for individual artists, and international cultural exchange.
National Association of Independent Artists (NAIA)
The mission of the National Association of Independent Artists is to strengthen, improve, and promote the artistic, professional and economic success of artists who exhibit in art shows. NAIA is committed to integrity, creativity, and the pursuit of excellence and advocates for the highest ideals and practices within all aspect of the art show environment.
NYFA Source: A Directory of Support for Individual Artists
The nation’s most extensive online database of awards, services, and publications for artists working in all disciplines. Includes nearly 2,900 awards, over 3,800 services, and nearly 1,000 publications for artists in the disciplines of dance, music, folk/traditional, theater, performance art, visual, design, media, and literary arts. Search for grants, residencies, apprenticeships, space, equipment, health and safety, insurance, business, legal resources, and more.
Poets & Writers, Inc. is the primary source of information, support, and guidance for creative writers. Founded in 1970, it is the nation’s largest nonprofit literary organization.
SCORE is a nonprofit association dedicated to education entrepreneurs and helping small business start, grow and succeed nationwide.
Springboard for the Arts is an economic and community development organization for artists and by artists. Our work is about building stronger communities, neighborhoods, and economies, and we believe that artists are an important leverage point in that work. Springboard for the Arts’ mission is to cultivate vibrant communities by connecting artists with the skills, information, and services they need to make a living and a life.
The American Alliance for Theatre & Education is the leading national professional organization for theatre educators, theatre artists, and educators who use drama and/or theatre in the classroom.
The Arts Education Partnership is a national coalition of arts, education, business, philanthropic and government organizations that demonstrates and promotes the essential role of the arts in the learning and development of every child and in the improvement of America’s schools.
ArtsEdge aims to connect people to people, to connect people to resources, and to build a new base of knowledge in the area of arts education. To achieve these goals, ArtsEdge offers: teaching materials, resources for arts education advocacy, and media-rich, student-friendly activities.
A pioneer in its field, the Center for Media Literacy (CML) is a nonprofit educational organization that provides leadership, public education, professional development and educational resources nationally. Dedicated to promoting and supporting media literacy education as a framework for accessing, analyzing, evaluating and creating media content, CML works to help citizens, especially the young, develop critical thinking and media production skills needed to live fully in the 21st century media culture.
Delaware Department of Education
The mission of the Delaware Department of Education is: To promote the highest quality education for every Delaware student by providing visionary leadership and superior service.
Eyeball It! is a unique studio art program for children ages 7-12 to do at home with a parent/adult. Eyeball It! can also be adapted for groups, after-school programs, scout troops, public libraries, etc. who do not have a teaching artist on staff. The program is available online and free to users. Its goals are to build creative thinking and problem-solving, and to allow children to develop their own voice as artists with the help of an engaged adult. Projects are multi-stage and cover painting, drawing, sculpture and collage. More projects will be added each year. Written and developed by Ellen Priest, abstract painter and Delaware resident, and funded through her Sponsored Project at Fractured Atlas.
Getty Museum, Education Department
The Getty Institute’s arts education web site, providing lesson plans and curriculum ideas; image galleries and exhibitions; and an arts education chat room.
Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network
The Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network (KCAAEN) includes 46 state Alliance organizations, operating in partnership with the Kennedy Center to achieve the following mission:
“Recognizing that the arts express the essence of civilization and nurture the highest aspirations of the human spirit, the Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network is dedicated to the support of policies, practices and partnerships that ensure the arts are woven into the very fabric of American education.”
Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries
The Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries provides print books to the school libraries and students that most need them. Grants of up to $5,000 are made to update, extend and diversify the book collections of school libraries throughout the U.S. Preference is given to elementary, middle, or high schools in which 90% or more of the school population receives free or reduced lunch.
The Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation (MHOF) supports music education and its many benefits through the donation and repair of musical instruments to under-served schools, community music programs, and individual students nationwide.
National Art Education Association
To promote art education through Professional Development, Service, Advancement of Knowledge, and Leadership. NAEA is a non-profit, educational organization.
National Association for Music Education
The mission of MENC: The National Association for Music Education is to advance music education by encouraging the study and making of music by all.
Project Zero’s mission is to understand and enhance learning, thinking, and creativity in the arts, as well as humanistic and scientific disciplines, at the individual and institutional levels. Project Zero research programs are based on a detailed understanding of human cognitive development and of the process of learning in the arts and other disciplines.
Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts
Founded in 1981, the Institute provides arts-in-education services for children ages 3-5 and their teachers and families through the disciplines of drama, music and movement. The Delaware Institute for the Arts in Education provides Wolf Trap programming throughout Delaware.
The YouthARTS site is designed to give arts agencies, juvenile justice agencies, social service organizations, and other community-based organizations detailed information about how to plan, run, provide training, and evaluate arts programs for at-risk youth.
Americans for the Arts Job Bank
Americans for the Arts Job Bank is the premier electronic recruitment resource for the industry. Here, employers and recruiters can access the most qualified talent pool with relevant work experience to fulfill staffing needs.
Jobs and employment opportunities in arts, culture, education, theatre. USA and Canada.
The Association of Art Museum Directors advances the profession by cultivating leadership capabilities of directors, advocating for the field, and fostering excellence in art museums. An agile, issues-driven organization, AAMD has three desired outcomes: engagement, leadership, and shared learning.
Advance arts and culture every day. ACG is looking for seasoned arts and culture professionals who are passionate about bringing a positive impact to the organizations and communities we serve.
The Association of Performing Arts Professionals has designed the Arts Presenters Job Bank with the Performing Arts in mind, with features not available at any other performing arts job site, and access to the largest network of Performing Arts professionals available anywhere.
Council on Foundations’ Career Center
The Council Career Center is a benefit of COF membership and an online resource for members, as well as other professionals and organizations. The Career Center provides information about philanthropy and grantmaking, careers, tips on finding the right job, and employment opportunities.
The Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance’s Job Bank
The Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance’s Job Bank is the region’s definitive source of employment opportunities in the arts and culture industry. Jobs are of all types, including administrative, curatorial, development, education, financial, management, and senior-level positions, as well as volunteer opportunities. Jobs are posted as they are received. The Cultural Alliance is pleased to offer this service to its members and job seekers.
International Arts Manager jobs board has arts and cultural employment opportunities worldwide.
National Endowment for the Arts Employment Opportunities
The National Endowment for the Arts is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts – both new and established, bringing the arts to all Americans, and providing leadership in arts education.
Self-Help Toolkits – comprehensive sites for information in a certain area. They come in handy when you are looking for a one-stop shop. Some are geared toward a specific topic or geographic area, though, so be discerning.
Creativity Matters: The Arts and Aging Toolkit sponsored by the National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts for creating and sustaining effective arts and aging programs.
Free Complete Toolkit for Boards comprehensive information offered by the Free Management Library
Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation Toolkit for artists and arts organizations. Contains sample business plans, contracts and information on public relations and submission of work samples.
Taking Part in the Arts a variety of toolkits sponsored by Arts Council England
Tools for Results Toolkit sponsored by the Texas Commission on the Arts, this is one of the best. Covers information by topic including not only the basics but cultural tourism, leadership transition and much more.
Email Newsletters – Many organizations have websites that offer the opportunity of receiving an email newsletter. Newsletters are a great way to get important, targeted information that will develop your organization, provide fundraising information and keep you up to date.
Arts Journal is a daily digest of arts, culture and ideas. Read online or subscribe to daily or weekly news.
BoardSource check out the nonmembers’ monthly e-newsletter.
Blue Avocado is a nonprofit online magazine published twice a month.
Candid is the most comprehensive resource in the country for information on grants and funders. In addition to their location in New York City, they have locations with their materials and databases at many libraries throughout the country. In Delaware, these are the Morris Library at the University of Delaware and the Dover Public Library. This site provides a variety of important newsletters for your fundraising efforts-all free.
GuideStar by Candid lists most nonprofit organizations. They also offer a free online newsletter with important articles.
Nonprofit Issues newsletter of nonprofit law.
NonProfit Times access current and back issue articles in The NonProfit Times.
Research Organizations – These organizations serve nonprofits and/or arts organizations.
Americans for the Arts is the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America. They also sponsor great conferences.
DataArts provides a toolkit of evidence-based insights and information into the health, finances, and activities of arts and cultural organizations in America.
Delaware Alliance for Nonprofit Advancement (DANA) mission is to strengthen, enhance, and advance nonprofits and the sector in Delaware through advocacy, training, capacity building, and research.
Mid-Atlantic Arts promotes multi-state arts programming, information, and grants in the Mid Atlantic region.
National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is the federal agency providing grants, information, research on the arts.
Mentoring and Training Providers – These organizations serve nonprofits and/or arts organizations.
AFP Brandywine Association of Fund Raising Professionals. They have training sessions and audioconferences.
Candid offers in-person training in New York and Washington, DC and webinars. Also archived training in audio, video, webcast and transcripts.
Delaware Alliance for Nonprofit Advancement (DANA) mission is to strengthen, enhance, and advance nonprofits and the sector in Delaware through advocacy, training, capacity building, and research.
LaSalle University Nonprofit Center offers individual training classes, board boot camp and certificate programs.
Maryland Nonprofits mission is to strengthen, educate, and engage nonprofit organizations, so they can successfully achieve their missions.
Delaware SCORE the nation’s largest volunteer business counseling service is a nonprofit association dedicated to helping those in business, about to start one, or just thinking about it. Includes a Service Corp of Retired Executives that offers inexpensive workshops and free counseling.
Online Training – These organizations serve nonprofits and/or arts organizations.
Candid (Training Courses)
Nonprofit Technology Network (NTEN) aspires to a world where all nonprofit organizations use technology skillfully and confidently to meet community needs and fulfill their missions.
Nonprofit Risk Management Center
Society for Nonprofit Organizations brings essential training in nonprofit leadership and management directly to those who need it most. The Learning Institute provides affordable, accessible educational programs.
TechSoup equips changemakers with transformative technology solutions and skills they need to improve lives globally and locally.
Self Assessment Tools
Checklist of Nonprofit Organizational Indicators offered by the Free Management Library
Organizational Self-Assessment Tool (PDF) developed by the Texas Commission on the Arts
Related Topics: arts, dance, Department of State, Division of the Arts, funding, grants, museum, music, organizations, resources, State of Delaware, support, theater
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