Mid-America Arts Alliance

08/20/2026

IT'S BACK! Artistic Innovations applications are now open. https://www.maaa.org/news/artists-and-organizations-can-apply-for-up-to-15000-through-artistic-innovations-grants

Artists and arts organizations in M-AAA's region are eligible for up to $15K in funding for new, experimental art works presented to the public.

⭐ New for this cycle, individual artists can receive grants with no matching funds required! ⭐

Apply at maaa.org/artisticinnovations by September 24, 2026.

08/19/2026

📣 Congratulations to the Heartland Craft Guilds awardees!

Designed to strengthen organizational leadership, operations, and aid long-term sustainability for craft guilds, this program provides unrestricted funding and a year of technical assistance. maaa.org/news/heartland-craft-guilds-grants-15-organizations-craft-traditions-mid-america

Arkansas
The Bella Vista Calico Cut-Ups Quilt Guild — Bella Vista
Lucky Star Handmade — Yellville
Ozark Folkways — Winslow

Kansas
Kaw Point fibershed — Wichita

Missouri
Big Muddy Rug Hookers — Boonville
KC Clay Guild — Kansas City
Perennial — St. Louis

Nebraska
Handweavers Guild of Lincoln, Nebraska — Lincoln
The Whiteclay Makerspace — White Clay

Oklahoma
Scissor Tales Quilt Guild — Oklahoma City
Vinita Potters Guild — Vinita

Texas
Brazos Spinners and Weavers Guild — Bryan
Native American Cultural Center — Austin
Medicinal Gourds — Austin
SiNaCa Studios School of Glass and Gallery — Fort Worth

📸 (left to right) courtesy of Heartland Craft Guilds grantees: Brazos Spinners and Weavers Guild, Kaw Point Fibershed, Vinita Potters Guild, Medicinal Gourds, and Brazos Spinners and Weavers Guild.

08/14/2026

Arts organizations! A multi-phase research study sponsored by Indiespace - INDIE, the Mellon Foundation, and the Ford Foundation aims to understand the role, impact, and ongoing evolution of arts service, intermediary, and regranting organizations in the US.

Respond by October 9.

The 2026 National Arts Service Organizations (A*Os) Survey aims to collect information on A*Os operating in the U.S. today.

08/10/2026

Take these handy tips for creating accessible giving programs at your org. 🔗

Many nonprofits are looking beyond traditional fundraising for approaches that better reflect their values.

That's where microgiving comes in.

Learn how microgiving helps arts organizations build sustainable revenue, engage new donors, and strengthen community support through small-dollar giving.

08/05/2026

SMU DataArts looked at ten US cities from 2019 to 2024, and the pattern is hard to miss: where local arts funding grew, arts sectors recovered. Even a small municipal investment produced outsized results.

While municipal funding covered a modest share of organisations’ expenses, it had an outsized impact in cities that increased their cultural support, a new study from DataArts shows

08/04/2026

The National Endowment for the Arts, in partnership with Mid-America Arts Alliance, welcomes and congratulates the 2026 Creative Forces® Community Engagement grant recipients!

Creative Forces Community Engagement projects support non-clinical arts programming in the arts to foster creative expression, strengthen social connections, build resilience, and support successful transitions for military-connected individuals.

Today, we're excited to announce over $888,000 in grant funding for 48 organizations in 30 states, Puerto Rico, and Guam. Read more about program and this year's Creative Forces projects at https://www.maaa.org/programs-grants/creative-forces/

08/03/2026

“Water became everything once there was a lack of it,” Faye Duncan-Daniel says. “It became impossible not to write about water in a town located between rivers.”

After 2019 storms shut down the water system in Helena, Arkansas, the lack of safe water summoned a community response through poetry. https://www.maaa.org/news/river-revival-arkansas-poet-channels-water-stories-greater-good/

📸 by Andrea A. Gluckman

08/01/2026

Open calls, open doors.🚪🔑 Check out these opportunities!

Artists
◼️ Mark Arts' Juried Watercolor Exhibition. Submit our original works by August 7. markartsks.com/exhibitions

◼️ ArtsConnect Topeka wants to hear from musicians so they can better understand the challenges shaping their local music scene. Give your feedback by August 9. artstopeka.org/topeka-music-census

◼️ Eugene O'Neill Theater Center and the Jim Henson Foundation are offering a puppetry residency. Apply by August 9. theoneill.org/residencies

◼️ Music to Life's Musician Changemaker Accelerator Academy is accepting applications through August 14. musictolife.org/accelerator-academy

◼️ Eureka Springs School of the Arts' residency program is accepting applications through August 26. essa-art.org/artist-residencies/

◼️ Oregon State University is looking for original poems based on polar science papers! Submit work by August 26. prax.oregonstate.edu/poetry-polar-science

◼️ Artist INC's weekend-long professional development workshop for artists is coming to TX, AR, and KS! artistinc.art/programs/artist-inc-express

Artists and Orgs
◼️ Artistic Innovations is back August 20! Artists and orgs in M-AAA's region with new projects can apply. maaa.org/programs-grants/artistic-innovations

Orgs
◼️ The Academy of Country Music's ACM Lifting Lives grant program is open through August 7. Orgs with music therapy programming are eligible. acmliftinglives.org/grant-application

◼️ The Alice Kleberg Reynolds Foundation offers grants for arts, culture, and more in south central Texas. Their grant cycle closes August 26. akrfoundation.org

◼️ M-AAA's Regional Touring Program can help you bring performances, exhibitions, and more to your community. maaa.org/rtp

◼️ Oklahoma Arts Council's Rural Arts Opportunity Grants offer funding to rural counties of Oklahoma looking to increase their arts programming. arts.ok.gov

◼️ Arkansas Heritage is offering a grant to Arkansas orgs looking to increase community-based heritage/history programs. Apply by September 1. arkansasheritage.com/arkansas-heritage-grant

◼️ Forklift Danceworks' National convening on Community-Based Practice is September 23–25 in Austin, TX! Don't miss out on this chance to meet with potential collaborators and talk about how to connect the arts with civic systems. forkliftdanceworks.org

◼️ Nebraska Arts Council's Arts Project Grants offers $2K–$7K to support arts programming that's open to the public. Apply by October 1. artscouncil.nebraska.gov/arts-project-grant

◼️ Kansas Department of Commerce's Micro Arts Grants offers expedited funds for arts orgs with small budgets. Apply by October 31. https://www.kansascommerce.gov/grantscalendar/

See even more opportunities at https://www.maaa.org/news/artist-and-arts-organization-opportunities-and-deadlines/

07/29/2026

We're excited to share that we're now hiring a Grants Assistant to join our Development team! ✨ Do you know someone who can assist with grant submissions and maintain donor records? Are you that somebody?

This full-time, remote position is available to candidates located in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, or Texas.

We appreciate you sharing the opportunity with your colleagues and friends. 🤝

Applications will be accepted through August 21!

View the full job description at https://recruiting.paylocity.com/recruiting/jobs/Details/4349306/Mid-America-Arts-Alliance/Grants-Assistant

07/28/2026

Researchers are proving what artists have always known: art is good for you. 💪🧑‍🎨

Arts participation can increase your serotonin, boost innovative thinking, and reduce your stress.

Learn more about the health benefits of making art. https://www.maaa.org/news/art-is-good-for-you/