Grants for individual artists & organizations

Grant Applications

LexArts is proud to support creativity and cultural growth through a variety of grant opportunities for individual artists and arts organizations. These grants provide vital funding to help bring innovative projects to life, strengthen community engagement, and ensure the arts continue to thrive across Lexington and the Bluegrass region. Explore the options below to find the right fit for your artistic vision or organizational needs.

Thank you for your interest in LexArts support!

LexArts is pleased to announce strategic updates to its grantmaking structure, including an adjusted granting cycle and refined funding priorities aligned with evolving community needs. These changes reflect our ongoing commitment to responsible stewardship, transparency, and meaningful investment in Central Kentucky’s arts ecosystem. The updates were developed following thoughtful review and recommendations from the arts community, LexArts staff and the Board of Directors to ensure our grant programs remain sustainable, equitable, and responsive.

LexArts offers Community Arts Development grants that provide funding for organizations and artists to produce or present activities that contribute to the arts and cultural landscape of Lexington/Fayette County. LexArts will transition to a calendar-year grant cycle for Community Arts Development (CAD) Grants, rather than a fiscal-year cycle. For the 2027 grant period, applications will open in July 2026. This change allows LexArts to responsibly and transparently allocate funds raised during the Fund for the Arts campaign.

LexArts also offers General Operating Support Grants that provide unrestricted general operating funds to arts organizations that demonstrate strong arts mission fulfillment, fiscal responsibility, sound management, and operate on a year-round basis. The General Operating Support (GOS) Grant timeline will continue to follow a fiscal year cycle, with invitations extended to eligible organizations and applications opening in March.

LexArts is dedicated to creating meaningful, measurable, and community-centered impact through the arts. We recognize that strategic investment allows organizations to develop programming that is not only artistically compelling but also deeply responsive to community needs. To support this commitment, LexArts has established focused areas designed to guide resources toward initiatives that demonstrate the greatest potential for lasting community benefit and impact.

Beginning with the FY 2027 granting cycle, LexArts will introduce the following areas of impact in grant allocation:

  • Arts Equity
  • Arts & Health
  • Youth Arts Engagement
  • Community Arts
  • High-Quality Arts Programming or Beautification

General Operating Support (GOS) Grant Timeline

  • Applications Open: March 2, 2026
  • Application Deadline: April 3, 2026, 11:59 PM
  • Award Notifications: June 19, 2026
  • Grant Funding Period: July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027

Community Arts Development (CAD) Grant Timeline

  • Applications Open: July 3, 2026
  • CAD Grant Workshops and consultations: July
  • Application Deadline: August 7, 2026, 11:59 PM
  • Award Notifications: September 28, 2026
  • Grant Funding Period: Calendar Year, January 1, 2027 – December 31, 2027

Explore our Grant Opportunities

For Individual Artists

Community Arts Development (CAD): Project Grant for Individuals

Community Arts Development Project Grants for Individual Artists provides support for artists to produce or present projects with an arts or cultural focus.

Eligibility:

  • 18 years of age
  • Artist lives in Fayette County
  • Compliance with prior LexArts grants and reporting requirements

For Organizations

Community Arts Development CAD: Project Grant for Organizations

Community Arts Development Project Grants for Organizations provide support for arts, cultural, and other non-profit organizations to produce or present an arts and/or cultural project that contributes to the arts landscape of Lexington-Fayette County.

Eligibility:

  • Nonprofit, 501(c)3 or 509a organization
  • Applicants that do not have tax-exempt status (must contact LexArts by March 10, 2023 for assistance.)
  • Located in Fayette County
  • Proposed project takes place in Fayette County
  • Demonstrated history of providing community focused programs
  • Demonstrates ongoing fiscal responsibility with board approved financial statements.
  • Compliance with prior LexArts grants and reporting requirements

For Organizations

Community Arts Development (CAD): Program Grant

Community Arts Development Program Grants provide an opportunity for arts, cultural and other non-profit organizations to produce or present arts or cultural programming that will benefit the community.

Eligibility:

  • Nonprofit, 501(c)3
  • Arts focused mission
  • Annual budget must have exceeded $25,000 for the three previous consecutive years
  • Paid professional full or part-time management
  • Demonstrated history of providing community-focused programs
  • Three-year history of LexArts project support
  • Located in Fayette County
  • Majority of work in Fayette and contiguous counties
  • Demonstrates ongoing fiscal responsibility by providing board approved financial statements or review by a CPA
  • Compliance with prior LexArts grants and reporting requirements

For Organizations

General Operating Support Grant

General Operating Support (GOS) Grants provide unrestricted general operating funds to arts organizations that demonstrate strong arts mission fulfillment, fiscal responsibility, and sound management and operate on a year-round basis.

GOS funding helps strengthen the overall health of established arts organizations by supporting essential operational needs such as administration, staffing, programming, audience development, and community outreach. By investing in organizational capacity, LexArts aims to help sustain a vibrant and diverse arts ecosystem in Lexington.

The General Operating Support (GOS) Grant timeline will remain in a fiscal-year cycle, as GOS grants are funded by the Lexington–Fayette Urban County Government (LFUCG).

A direct link to the GOS Grant application will be emailed to eligible organizations when the portal opens on March 2, 2026.

General Operating Support I

  • Nonprofit 501(c)3 arts organization
  • Arts focused mission
  • Annual budget must have exceeded $250,000 for the last three consecutive years
  • Up-to-date profile on guidestar.org
  • Paid professional, full-time management
  • At least three consecutive years of prior GOS support
  • Based in Fayette County
  • Majority of work in Fayette and contiguous counties
  • Provides year-round programming
  • Demonstrates ongoing fiscal responsibility through an audit conducted externally by an actively practicing certified public accountant (CPA)
  • Active participant in the annual Fund for the Arts Campaign
  • Received Kentucky Arts Council Partnership Operating Support grant in FY25 or FY26
  • Compliance with prior LexArts grants and reporting requirements

General Operating Support II

  • Nonprofit, 501(c)3 organization
  • Arts focused mission
  • Annual budget must have exceeded $50,000 for the last three consecutive years
  • Up-to-date profile on https://www.guidestar.org/
  • Paid professional full- or part-time management
  • Three consecutive years of LexArts Community Arts Development (CAD) Program Support or previous GOS support
  • Based in Fayette County
  • Majority of work in Fayette and contiguous counties
  • Demonstrates ongoing fiscal responsibility through an audit, or financial review conducted externally by an actively practicing certified public accountant (CPA) as required by the Kentucky Arts Council to apply for KAP funding.
  • Active participant in the annual Fund for the Arts Campaign
  • Compliance with prior LexArts grants and reporting requirements
Important Dates
GOS Application Open Monday, March 2, 2026
GOS Application Deadline Friday, April 3, 2026 | 11:59 pm
Award Applicant Notification Friday, June 19, 2026
Final Report Due 30 days following completion of grant period

For Organizations and Individuals

Arts & Health Funding

LexArts seeks partnerships with artists and organizations working within arts and health.

Funding is available for projects that impact health and wellness through the arts.

LexArts and the Arts and Health Alliance of Central Kentucky promote and integrate the arts into healthcare settings to enhance the well-being of patients, caregivers, and communities. The Alliance advocates for the use of arts in healing, providing resources and education on the benefits of arts in health, and fostering collaborations between artists, healthcare providers, and community organizations and strives to create a more holistic approach to healthcare that recognizes the importance of creativity and expression in promoting health and healing.

Grant FAQs

LexArts offers Community Arts Development (CAD) grants and General Operating Support (GOS) grants. We also offer funding opportunities through arts & health initiatives! Most artists and organizations begin receiving a CAD project grant and work their way up to program grants, and then to GOS if eligible.

Organizations must be nonprofit, located in Fayette County, demonstrate community-focused programming, and meet fiscal responsibility requirements.

CAD supports exhibitions, festivals, readings, performances, public art projects, and planning for redesign of cultural public spaces.

CAD does not fund activities outside Fayette County, fundraising events, historic
preservation, capital equipment, hospitality, or non-public programs.

Awards typically range from $500 to $5,000.

Arts Equity, Arts & Health, Youth Arts Engagement, Community Arts Engagement, and High Quality Arts Programming/Beautification.

Criteria include Community Impact (40%), Program Planning & Evaluation (40%), and Artistic Merit (20%).

GOS stands for General Operating Support and these grants provide unrestricted operating support to year-round arts organizations meeting eligibility criteria. There are currently two levels of GOS grants, GOS I and GOS II. GOS II provides grants to organizations that meet eligibility criteria and have an annual budget of $50,000+ for the last three consecutive years. GOS I requires an annual budget of $250,000+ for the last three consecutive years and three years of GOS II support.

Yes, CAD applications are reviewed in public forums.

Applications are managed through the LexArts website.

IRS determination letter, financial statements, project budget, artistic samples, and marketing/evaluation plans.

They may cover project-specific personnel but not general operating costs.

Grant Helpful Tips

Give yourself ample time to plan, write, re-write and review the application with LexArts’ Community Arts Services staff. This includes developing the application, gathering artistic documentation and all supplemental materials. The application process will require the dedicated efforts of one or two individuals in your organization. The GOS grant application will follow the guidelines and questions provided by the Kentucky Arts Council.

  • Attend a LexArts grants workshop and if so desired, schedule a one-on-one consultation for additional assistance.
  • Write the application narrative sections in a Word document and then cut and paste into the online application.
  • Format the narrative so that it is reader-friendly (e.g. space between paragraphs, bullets, etc. if space permits.)
  • Check and double-check your application for spelling and mathematical errors.
  • Have a reader not familiar with this grant application review it for content, clarity, and budget and other errors.
  • Submit your application days before the submission deadline as technology challenges are possible and input errors occur more often when applicants are rushed.
  • When preparing the application save as you go. Although our grants portal does auto-save your progress, please be aware that the program may time out.

FY 2025-2026 Grant Allocations

General Operating Support I and II

  • Carnegie Center $50,000
  • Central Kentucky Youth Orchestra $40,000
  • Lexington Children’s Theatre $75,000
  • Lexington Philharmonic Society $75,000
  • The Lexington Theatre Company $30,000
  • The Living Arts & Science Center $65,000
  • Allegro Dance Project Inc. $12,500
  • Bluegrass Youth Ballet $20,000
  • Central Music Academy $10,000
  • Institute 193 $10,000
  • Kentucky Ballet Theatre $20,000
  • Lexington Art League $10,000

Community Arts Development, Program

  • African American Forum $10,000
  • Antagonist Production Company $10,000
  • Casa de la Cultura Hispana de Lexington $10,000
  • Chamber Music Festival of Lexington $7,500
  • GreenRoom Exchange $10,000
  • Headley-Whitney Museum of Art $5,000
  • Lexington Chamber Chorale $5,000
  • The Lexington Singers, Inc. $5,000
  • The Lyric Theatre & Cultural Arts Center $10,000
  • Voices Amplified $7,500

Community Arts Development, Organization

  • 2nd Story Inc. $2,500
  • ActOut Theatre Group $2,500
  • African American Arts Association $2,500
  • ARTISTIC HANDS SHAPING A NEW SOCIETY (AHSANS) $2,500
  • Bluegrass Film Friends $2,500
  • Bluegrass Indo-American Civic Society $2,500
  • Common Good Community Development Corp $2,500
  • Community Inspired Solutions Inc. $2,500
  • Downtown Lexington Corporation dba Downtown Lexington Partnership $2,500
  • Faulkner Morgan Archive, Inc. $2,500
  • Friends of Hemp $1,000
  • Harstad Fine Arts Series, Inc. $2,500
  • I Was Here, Inc. $2,500
  • International Book Project, Inc. $1,000
  • Kentucky Humanities Council Inc. $2,500
  • Kentucky State Poetry Society $2,500
  • Levee, llc $2,500
  • Lexington Children’s Museum $2,500
  • Lexington Writers Room $2,500
  • M’Power Rhythm $2,500
  • March Madness Marching Band $2,500
  • Movement Continuum, Inc. $2,500
  • Project Ricochet $2,500
  • SOUTHLAND JAMBOREE ASSOCIATION INC $2,500
  • Tahlsound Music Festival, LLC $5,000
  • The Well of Lexington, Inc. $2,500
  • Uniting Voices $2,500

Community Arts Development, Individual

  • Alaina Broderson $2,500
  • Andrew K Cohen $1,000
  • Austin M Zahn $1,000
  • Babita Shrestha Moreland $2,500
  • Becky Alley $2,000
  • Charles F. Moreland $2,500
  • Christine Kuhn $1,000
  • Constance Gullette Grayson $2,500
  • Daniela D’Ingiullo $1,000
  • Gary H Wright $2,500
  • Gloria Cecilia Arteaga-Hinton $2,500
  • James R Southard $1,000
  • Jeremy L Gillett $2,500
  • Joe M Mcendree $1,000
  • Jonathan M McFadden $2,500
  • Juan Trigos $2,500
  • Karissa A Arnold $2,500
  • Kathryn C Rucker $1,000
  • Maya McCutchen $2,500
  • Nick Walters $2,500
  • Rachel Moser $2,500
  • Rafael Estrada $2,500
  • Shuling Fister $2,500
  • Stephanie Say $1,000