Artist Residency Grants

All Delaware Pre K-12 public, charter, private, and parochial schools with an established arts curriculum and staff are eligible to apply. Not-for-profit agencies incorporated in the state of Delaware that are licensed to provide services for preschool (pre-K – K) students are also eligible to apply. Artist residencies are intended to augment, not supplant, existing arts programs.

No more than one residency application may be submitted by the same organization in any school year (September through June) without the permission of the Division Director.

The Delaware Department of Education has produced three video webinars to serve as a resource for understanding the arts standards and ways to align curriculum to them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMoIaro3phE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCYHKhCNREQ

The Division of the Arts has established three goals for Artist Residency grants:

• Actively engage students in the creative process with a professional artist
• Provide new arts knowledge and skills to classroom teachers and arts specialists
• Facilitate teaching opportunities for teaching artists

Eligible schools may request funding for artist residencies that support visual, literary, performing or media artists working with students in the classroom under teacher supervision, or in professional development workshops with teachers. The focus of the artist’s activities should be on classroom learning or teacher workshops. A public assembly may be a component of the artist’s visit, but not the solitary purpose of the visit. In any case, the proposed arts education activity must be an integral part of the residency site’s regular standards-based curriculum or professional development plans for the organization. Note: Proposed activities and objectives must be aligned with Delaware’s Visual and Performing Arts Standards.

Applicants may request up to 75% of the artist fees, not to exceed $450/day for individual artists. The applicant school or organization is responsible for all contractual obligations to the artist(s) and other costs incurred during the activity. All expenses beyond Division grant funding must be covered by the host site or funds from other sources.

Funding awarded in the FY2026 grant cycle must be spent on projects taking place between September 1, 2025, and August 31, 2026.

Download the full Artist Residency Guidelines here.

Download Grantwriting Tips for Organizations here.

The Delaware Division of the Arts strives to keep our Artist Residency Grant applications concise, while gathering the essential information needed for a thorough and fair evaluation. We aim to balance simplicity with the comprehensive details necessary to ensure we can effectively assess each project’s potential impact and success.

The Artist Residency Grant application requires:

• A school profile
• Narrative questions describing the project and how it meets the evaluation criteria
• Project budget
• Letter of intent or contract with the artist
• Current professional résumé
• Artist work samples

Note: All materials submitted to the Division of the Arts during the grant application process are subject to public inspection upon request, in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act. Please redact any confidential information contained in financial documents and audits prior to submission.

Artist Residency applications are accepted on an ongoing basis but must be submitted at least four (4) weeks prior to the start of the scheduled residency. Earlier applications are recommended, whenever possible. The Artist Residency online application may be accessed at smARTDE.

Artist residencies must be scheduled for a minimum of three days. Where practical, the Division encourages a corresponding public component of the residency, such as a performance, exhibit, or presentation, open to the community at large.

The artist’s days in a residency need not be consecutive. Some residency sites prefer to have an artist come in once or twice a week, depending on scheduling constraints and the nature of the project.

Residency applications are evaluated on the following criteria:

• Qualifications of participating artist(s)
• Integration of the arts activity into the existing curriculum, educational programming, or professional development activities
• Connection to the Delaware Visual and Performing Arts Standards
• Projected goals for the residency and measurable results (both tangible products and anticipated impact on the participants)
• Inclusion of teachers or on-site coordinators in the planning and execution of the residency
• Where practical, a public component (exhibit, performance, or culminating presentation)

Division staff members, in conjunction with the Division Director, review Artist Residency Grant applications. The Director then makes final decisions on funding. For details on the grant review process and appeals procedure, read the Delaware Division of the Arts Grant Review Process.

Notification:

All applicants will receive notification via email within four weeks of the application deadline. Applicants approved for a grant will receive additional instructions from Division staff via email to receive their payments.

eSupplier:

To receive a grant payment, individuals must have an active State of Delaware eSupplier record.

We recommend that you choose to receive payments through Automated Clearing House, an electronic fund transfer, when completing or updating your eSupplier record. Electronic fund transfers are faster than mailing a check.

• First-time grantees: will receive instructions on how to register electronically as an individual (not a business) in the State of Delaware’s eSupplier Portal. *If you’re an individual, your Tax Identification Number is your Social Security Number
• Past grantees: will receive instructions for checking and updating their eSupplier record.

Questions about eSupplier? Please contact: Division of Accounting by email at FSF_Supplier_Maintenance@delaware.gov or by phone at (302) 526-5600.

Payment:

After the Division staff receives confirmation of your eSupplier registration, payments will be sent to the accounting office to process.

You can expect to receive your grant payment approximately four weeks after contacting Division staff with your eSupplier information.

The Statement of Assurances is the contract that all Division grantees must sign. Grant applicants must indicate that their organization’s authorizing official has read and agreed to the obligations of grant recipients should a grant be awarded. Receipt of state and federal grants carries with it certain obligations and responsibilities. By submitting a Division of the Arts grant application, applicants are affirming that they are familiar with the requirements of the Delaware Division of the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts, as presented in the Division of the Arts Statement of Assurances, including but not limited to:

• Crediting the Division appropriately on all materials
• Keeping public events current on DelawareScene.com
• Notifying the Division of any significant changes to the programs, budget, or staff/board
• Providing opportunities for on-site evaluations
• Compliance with Accessibility Requirements
• Submitting required Final Report

A completed Final Report is required of all fellowship recipients. The final report collects narrative, fiscal, and demographic information in keeping with DDOA and National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) requirements. Successful completion of a final report is required for eligible grantees to be able to access future grants. Final reports are completed in SmartSimple, the same online grants management system used for applications. Final Reports are due within 30 days following the project end date, and must be submitted through smARTDE.

Failure to submit your final report may jeopardize future DDOA grants.

You can use this interactive tool to search for Delaware Division of the Arts grants awarded to organizations and individuals from 1999 through today.