COMMUNITY GRANTS PROGRAM

At Prince George’s Arts and Humanities Council, we believe in the transformative power of the arts and humanities to shape vibrant communities. Our Community Grants Program is your gateway to turning creative visions into reality.

The Community Grants Program provides financial support to individuals, organizations, and other groups in Prince George’s County, for projects and programs that promote artistic excellence, that foster innovation, creativity, diversity, and engagement and that contribute to the cultural enrichment, economic empowerment, and wellbeing of the County’s creative community and residents.

 

THE FY25 COMMUNITY GRANTS PROGRAM PORTAL IS NOW OPEN.

Deadline for all categories is January 31, 2025 at 11:59 PM.

Applications for the FY25 Community Grant Program are being accepted in the following categories:

- Artist Fellowships (Individuals Only)
- County Arts (Non-profit Organizations Only)
- Arts in Education (Individuals, Organizations and K-12 Schools)

Project-based funding is available for eligible artists, arts/cultural organizations, community groups, and other educational institutions residing in Prince George’s County, and encompass a wide variety of arts and humanities disciplines including arts-in-education, visual and performing arts, literary arts, music, film, heritage preservation and inter/multidisciplinary programs. 

Applications ARE ONLY ACCEPTED ONLINE through the PGAHC Submittable grant portal. Registration is required if you are not already in the system. Please register at the link below.

INCLUSION AND ACCESSIBILITY:

PGAHC grant programs aim to promote accessibility in arts and humanities programming that is inclusive, mutually beneficial, and ensures meaningful participation for artists, cultural practitioners and audiences with diverse needs in all cultural and creative spaces by providing full access both physically, intellectually and programmatically. 

“Accessibility: creating an equal experience for everyone, even though those individual experiences may be different.” (Source, Rooted in Rights) 

The Community Grant Program also aims to advance equity, diversity, inclusion, and innovation in the County’s creative community and cultural organizations, and in their programs for County residents and visitors.

Please contact the Grants office at grants@pgahc.org if you require specific or additional accommodations to access any of the grant information, or for questions.  

NEW: UEI Number Required for ORGANIZATIONS applying to the Grants Program

The PGAHC Community Grants Program now requires that all organizations applying for funding from PGAHC to have a Unique Entity ID (UEI) from SAM.gov in alignment with requirements from the National Endowment for the Arts. PGAHC strongly encourages all applicant organizations without a UEI, who plan to apply for a grant, to apply for your UEI number as soon as possible before the deadline.

Individuals applying for PGAHC funding do NOT need to create a UEI. 

For further information about obtaining your new UEI, please refer to the webinar recording lined below OR or access the Quick Start Guide.  

 

GRANT PROGRAMS:

FY2025 GRANT PROGRAMS REQUIREMENTS – PLEASE READ 

  • Applicants must reside (residentially, studio space, organization’s main address) in Prince George’s County. Please refer to guidelines for additional requirements. 

  • Applicants may apply to ONE grant category per grant cycle. Please review the different categories and guidelines of interest and attend the information sessions. Contact the Grants staff at grants@pgahc.org if you need clarification on which one category may be best for you, and for any other questions you may have regarding the FY25 Community Grants Program. 

  • PREVIOUS GRANTEES: All previous grantees applying must be compliant with Final Report Requirements at the time of application deadline. Failure to comply will disqualify your application. 

  • CURRENT GRANTEES: Current grantees who have not completed their projects by the application deadline are encouraged to apply for the next grant cycle, unless approved. These will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Please contact the grants office prior to submission for clarification. 

  • GRANT PERIOD: The grant period will run, April 1, 2025 – March 31, 2026, unless otherwise agreed upon.

Arts-in-Education 

The Arts-In-Education Grant is designed to support artists, arts educators, and organizations in Prince George’s County that provide high-quality arts and cultural activities to County youth in traditional or untraditional educational settings from kindergarten through high school. There are five categories of support, and the maximum grant award is $5,000. The grant period will be from April 1, 2025 – March/May 31, 2026. Access Application & Guidelines Here.

Deadline: January 31, 2025, 11:59PM
Information Session: Tuesday, January 7, 2025 at 5:30PM - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

 

Artist Fellowships

The Artist Fellowship Grant provides PROJECT support for individual artists and cultural practitioners in Prince George’s County who significantly contribute to the arts, have an established body of work and substantively impact the lives of residents through artistic excellence. The focus of this grant is the creation of new work, or a project that expands artistic practice in a new way. Artists can receive a grant of up to $5,000. The grant period will be from April 1, 2025 – March/May 31, 2026. Access Application & Guidelines Here.

Deadline: January 31, 2025, 11:59PM
Information Session: Thursday, January 9, 2025 at 4:00PM - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

County Arts

The County Arts Grant Program provides PROJECT funding for organizations that provide high-quality arts and cultural activities that enhance the quality of life in Prince George’s County and reflect the collective creativity, diversity and collaborative spirit of the County’s arts, humanities, and cultural sectors. The grant period will be from April 1, 2025 – March 31, 2026. Access Application & Guidelines Here.

Deadline: January 31, 2025, 11:59PM
Information Session: Tuesday, January 7, 2025 at 4:00PM - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

 

CALL FOR PANELISTS:


The Prince George’s Arts and Humanities Council is seeking panelists for its upcoming FY25 Grants Programs which include Artist Fellowships; County Arts and Arts in Education.  

To make sure the needs of our community are being represented, we rely on members of the Prince George’s County creative community in the arts and humanities to make funding recommendations for PGAHC’s grantmaking.  The panels will be held in February 2024.   

Please apply before or by January 10, 2025 for best consideration. 

 

For questions about the PGAHC Community Grants Program, please view our FAQs page or contact staff at grants@pgahc.org.

 
 

Prince George’s Arts and Humanities Council Celebrates FY24 Community Grant Award Recipients 

The Prince George’s Arts and Humanities Council (PGAHC) is thrilled to announce the recipients of its highly anticipated FY24 Community Grants Program in the Arts in Education, County Arts and Artist Fellowships categories. These grants are designed to support local artists, cultural organizations, and initiatives that enrich the artistic and cultural landscape of our community. 

 

Following a competitive selection process, the PGAHC is pleased to award grants to the following recipients:

Artist Fellowship

The Artist Fellowship Grant provides project support for individual artists and cultural practitioners who significantly contribute to the arts, have and established body of work and substantively impact the lives of Prince George's County residents through artistic excellence.

Khadijah Ali-Coleman - District 8
Awarded $5,000 to create an audio book version of the artist's book, "The Summoning of Black Joy,"  accompanied by original music and a visually engaging video companion. 


Jose Luiz Martins - District 5
Awarded $5,000 to record the artist's fourth album, an inaugural documentation of the artist's U.S. band, playing music that fuses modern jazz with the rhythms, and warm tones characteristic of Brazilian music.


Opeyemi Owoeye “O-Slice” - District 5
Awarded $5,000 to support the artist's Inner Circle 9 project an interdisciplinary and collaborative concert series that features, live performances, poetry, music, and visual and media arts with County creatives. 


Woyneab Wondwossen - District 4
Awarded $5,000 to support completion of an EP, featuring 6 new recordings that fuse soul and R&B with elements of Ethiopian jazz and funk. The songwriting will be informed by the stories and experiences of women and the African diaspora,  African proverbs, and American soul.


Talaya Grimes - District 7
Awarded $5,000 to support the second phase of this documentary, which begins with the history of the South, from slavery to reconstruction, through the lens of Maryland’s history, using the Freedmen’s Bureau Schools in Prince George’s County as examples,


Abram Mamet - District 2
Awarded $5,000 to fund a new recorded work for septet featuring new original compositions based on jazz improvisation for 7 musicians, which included French , bass, drums, violin, flute, saxophone, and cello. 


Jennifer Shannon - District 1
Awarded $5,000 to support writing and production of a poetry chapbook, featuring the artists own photography and live performances. 


Krista Schlyer - District 2
Awarded $5,000 to fund a photographic and oral history project based on the almost forgotten tragedy of  Kelvin Tyrone Mock, a seven-year-old boy who burned to death in an open incineration dump, the Kenilworth Dump, on the banks of the Anacostia River in Washington DC in 1968.  


Ann Stoddard - District 2
Awarded $5,000 to support “WATER, LAND, SKY- Chesapeake Bay Watershed in Prince George’s County MD”, which consists of video installations and video art created by the artist based on videos she recorded from the bow of a canoe on the Patuxent River, Anacostia River, Upper Potomac River, and creeks/ tributaries ex. Indian Creek, Green Branch, Mill Branch, Dueling Creek, Mattawoman Creek, Piscataway Creek, Tridalphia.


Andre “Dre” Ferguson - District 8
Awarded $5,000 to support a documentary that depicts the extraordinary life of Chief Petty Officer Eddie Ferguson, a trailblazing African American Navy Frogman, and resident of Prince George's County -- untold history of his service in the elite Navy Underwater Demolition Team 21, a precursor to the esteemed Navy SEALs in the 1960's, a racially divisive time in America.


Cary Michael Robinson - District 7
Awarded $5,000 to support "Head Above the Water: Art and Awareness for Water and Environmental Justice" an interdisciplinary exhibition, installation and event series, highlighting the importance of water conservation, flood risk mitigation, and environmental justice, as well a explore the power and beauty of water and its role in our lives.


Billy Friebele - District 3
Awarded $5,000 to support a new work and installations and community series focussed on the Anacostia River, which incorporates video, with 3-D printing -- re-creating a  ecosystem that highlights connections  between humans, technology, and the natural world.


Luther Wright “Louie Wri” - District 1
Awarded $5,000 to support "Colors of Our Community", a collaborative project that aims to celebrate the diversity and vibrancy of Prince George's County, that co-creates with the community a series of colorful murals that depict the unique aspects of their communities in the county.


Christina Osheim “MÖBIUS KERAMIKK” - District 2
Awarded $4,900 to fund community-based programming and art program focussed on the artist's experience as a traumatic brain injury (TBI) survivor to include an artist talk/panel, open studio and screen printing demo, and promotion of TBI awareness. 


Erica Ginsberg - District 4
Awarded $4,500 to fund audiobook production and workshop series of artist's book CREATIVE RESILIENCE focused on accessibility and local outreach for those with vision disabilites, and whose learning styles are more the aural than visual


Candis Alicea Taylor - District 9
Awarded $4,500 to support new choreography and production of a new dance project and performance that will explore trauma, mental and emotional through the lens of dance and music generated from the Black American culture.


Erica Jalloh - District 2
Awarded $4,000 to support the Culture Street Fair, a community wide event part of the Carribbean Festival, it will feature local vendors, the artist's music, local African, Caribbean and Hispanic DJs, fitness groups, artists, and more highlighting the connectivity between the African, Caribbean and Lantinx communities.


Marcus Isaiah - District 7
Awarded $3,500 to support the expansion, completion and production of 'MANIFEST' a multidisciplinary production dance exhibition about transformative power of art for healing, while also addressing critical social issues, incorporating live music, vocals and video film to enhance storytelling.

 

Arts-In-Education

The Arts In Education Grant is designed to support artists, arts educators, and organizations that provide high-quality arts and cultural activities to youth in educational settings from kindergarten through high school.

Dontae Leon Hamlett - District 4
Community Based: Awarded $5,000 to support two consecutive 9-week sessions of after-school capoeira programming instructing students of all genders, grade levels, and various ability/disability status in percussive instrumentation; Brazilian Portuguese language, culture, and history, and particularly its relation to the diaspora; song; dance; acrobatics; and martial arts movement.


DMV Music Academy - District 2
Artist in Residency: Awarded $5,000 to support the 2024 Summer Workshop June 24-28 at The Shed DMV in Riverdale Park, MD, which provides middle and high school instrumental music students (percussion, brass, and woodwinds) with masterclasses, performances, and wellness training.


College Park Arts Exchange - District 3
Community Based: Awarded to $4,500 to support the College Park Youth Orchestra (CPYO), a program allowing instrumental string players from elementary through high school age to play together in an excellent community orchestra outside school hours. 


SOLE Defined, Inc - District 7
Artist in Residency: Awarded $4,000 to fund REMIX, an action-packed, interactive performance series that fuses Hip Hop music with Tap and Body Percussion, that explores percussive dance elements (rhythm, energy, musicality, improvisation, and our x-factor), in Title 1 schools in Prince George's County.


Tamara Henry/Bowie High School - District 4
Artist in Residency: Awarded $3,500 to fund a Modern in Motion Dance Residency for dance students at Bowie High School to broaden the perspective and instruction of students and teachers in choreography of Horton, Graham, Duncan and Dunham.


Ayesis Clay - District 9
Artist in Residency: Awarded $3,500 to support a  Young Dramatists Residency at Hyattsville Middle School Creative and Performing Arts for students in which includes playwriting, in-depth workshops and editorial support. 


Beltsville Academy - District 1
Artist in Residency: Awarded $3,000 to support residency with an Assembly with teaching artist  with 4 grade 6 Reading/Language Arts classes that integrates Reading/language with music using  rhyme.


Kettering Middle School - District 6
School Based: Awarded $3,000 to Support a residency program for 8 sixth grade classrooms with spoken word artist and educator Drew Anderson, who coverts lesson objectives and unit content into whole songs which engage students’ speaking, listening, paraphrasing, critical thinking.


Art Works Studio School Inc., dba Art Works Now - District 2
Public Art: Awarded $2,000 to support a free, 8-week immersive mural project on the AWN site with teens to foster arts learning , community connection, challenges perspectives,  and be a creative outlet for social justice advocacy.

 

County Arts

The County Arts Grant Program provides PROJECT funding for organizations that provide high-quality arts and cultural activities that enhance the quality of life in Prince George’s County and reflect the collective creativity, diversity and collaborative spirit of the County’s arts, humanities, and cultural sectors.

Cultural Academy for Excellence, Inc. (CAFE) - District 5
Awarded $10,000 to support CAFE's RHYTHM project, an 8-month music immersion and dance program in Oaklands and Rosa L. Parks elementary schools and at CAFÉ, with include instruction in African drumming, Step Dancing, and instrumental music, featuring the steelpan. 


The Foundation for the Advancement of Music & Education, Inc. (FAME) - District 4
Awarded $10,000 to support its South County program, The Summer Music Technology program which provides music technology & production training to middle & high school  students in South County to improve musicianship, composition, recording, & production.


Nepal America Film Society, Inc. - District 1
Awarded $10,000 to support Prince George's County programming at the 2024-Nepal America International Film Festival (NAIFF), an annual film event featuring filmmakers of Nepali backgrounds, alongside other international, American, and global diasporas

 

For more information about the Community Grant Program, you are encouraged to review the information below from FY24. For questions about the PGAHC Community Grants Program, please contact staff at grants@pgahc.org.