South Dakota Arts Council opens 2026 grant applications
The South Dakota Arts Council (SDAC) will open applications on January 1, 2026, for its next round of grants aimed at expanding access to high-quality arts across the state. The grants are available to South Dakota nonprofit organizations and individual artists and are funded through the National Endowment for the Arts and the State of South Dakota.
The upcoming grant cycle will support projects and operations during the funding period of July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027. Applications must be submitted online by March 1, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Central Time, with an optional draft review deadline of February 10, 2026. During the draft review process, SDAC staff will review applications and provide feedback to applicants.
Applications will be accepted through SDAC’s online system at sdac.gosmart.org, which goes live January 1. Additional application resources will be posted soon.
Opportunities for artists
The South Dakota Arts Council’s Artist Grants support artists at all career stages who demonstrate strong artistic merit and excellence. Artists may submit only one application per grant cycle and must choose the option that best fits their current work.
Available artist opportunities include:
- Career development grants ($2,000) to help artists build or advance their careers
- Collaboration grants ($6,000) to support projects involving two or more artists
- Fellowship grants ($5,000) for established artists with a strong body of word
- Project grants ($2,000) for creating or presenting specific arts programs, events, or activities that expand public access
- Traditional arts apprenticeship grants, which support master artists teaching traditional arts and cultural practices to qualified apprentices
To be eligible, artists must be at least 18 years old, live in South Dakota and have resided in the state for at least one year, and not be enrolled as a full-time student. Applicants must apply as individual artists, submit samples of their own work, and may not seek funding for the same project as an organization.
Opportunities for organizations
Nonprofit organizations may submit one application and choose between two funding paths:
- General Organizational Support (GOS), which provides operating funds to help arts and cultural organizations sustain daily operations, build capacity, and expand access to the arts
- Project grants, which support the creation or presentation of specific arts programs, events, or activities that benefit the public
Eligible applicants include South Dakota-based nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status, units of state or local government, and federally recognized tribal governments. Fiscal agents applying on behalf of organizations without nonprofit status are not eligible. As with artist grants, organizations may not apply for funding for the same project as an individual artist.
For more information and application resources, prospective applicants are encouraged to visit the South Dakota Arts Council website.
