With support from the Kentucky Historical Society, the Kentucky Arts Council is offering grant funds for individual artists, arts and cultural organizations, communities, or other nonprofit entities to fund public art projects, artwork creation, and other initiatives, events, and programs that provide a long-lasting legacy of the America250 commemoration to the people of the commonwealth.  

Program Purpose

Commemorate 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence through the creation and presentation of art that addresses America250KY focus areas and themes.

Goals

• Provide opportunities for artists, organizations, and communities to explore America’s history through the arts.
• Support the creation and presentation of artworks commemorating the nation’s semiquincentennial.
• Highlight the stories and histories of people and communities underrepresented in the historical record of Kentucky and the United States.

• Professional artists
• Arts and cultural organizations
• Community groups and nonprofit organizations working with professional artists or arts organizations to foster artwork creation and/or provide arts programming

Individual Artists 

Individual artist applicants must be United States citizens, lawfully admitted to the U.S. for permanent residence or have permission from the Department of Homeland Security to work permanently in the U.S. Applicants must be legal Kentucky residents and are required to provide the Kentucky Arts Council with proof of residency before payments will be issued. Provide one of the following acceptable proofs of tax-exempt status:

• Kentucky driver’s license or Commonwealth of Kentucky identification card that includes the date issued and expiration date. 

• A screenshot of Kentucky voter registration verification from the State Board of Elections’ Voter Information Center website. 

• 2023 or 2024 Kentucky state income tax form (740 series form for full-year residents). 

• A Kentucky utility bill (electric, gas or water) from one of the previous three months that includes the applicant’s name, current address and evidence of usage. 

Organizations 

Organizations must currently have, and maintain during the grant cycle, 501(c)(3) IRS tax-exempt status (or equivalent).Provide one of the following acceptable proofs of tax-exempt status:

• IRS Determination Letter (or equivalent) that includes date of determination and FEIN. The name on the document must match the organization legal name provided on the application and must remain valid through the entire grant period. 

• Most recent IRS Form 990 that includes FEIN and the legal name provided on the application. 

Kentucky Vendor Code and Unique Entity Identifier 

All applicants must be registered with the Kentucky Vendor Registration system at the time of application, and the address associated with vendor number must match those associated with the organization’s profile and grant agreement form. 

To register for or modify a free Kentucky Vendor Number, visit Kentucky’s Vendor Self-Service.

Organizations must also provide a current, valid Unique Entity Identifier in their GO Smart profile.  

1. Value and Feasibility of Project Activities – 30 percent 
2. Connection to the America250KY Focus Area and Themes – 20 percent 
3. Historical Research & Relevance – 20 percent  
4. Artistic Excellence – 30 percent 

For organizations: up to $10,000

For artists: up to $5,000

No person nor entity receiving America250KY funds directly from the Kentucky Historical Society, the America250KY Commission, or a subgrantee (i.e., the Kentucky Heritage Council, the African American Heritage Commission, the Native American Heritage Commission, Kentucky Educational Television, Kentucky Department of Education, The Kentucky Department of Tourism, or the Kentucky Department of Parks) may apply for this grant program.  

Funds may not be used for: 

• Indirect costs: personnel, payroll, benefits, building utility costs, maintenance and grounds keeping, non-project-specific insurance costs, requests designed to reduce or eliminate existing deficits, interest on loans, fines, penalties and/or litigation costs, or other projects that would fall under an organization’s day-to-day operations

• Fundraising events and other activities intended primarily for fundraising

• Purchase of equipment, property, library holdings or acquisitions 

• Capital improvements, facility construction, structural renovations and restorations

• Publications or recordings for commercial purposes

• Scholarships or other activities related to academic credit or degrees

• Food, beverages, or other refreshments

• Expenses incurred before the starting date of the period covered in the grant request

• Investments of any kind

• Performances not available to the public

• Programs that have sectarian purposes

• The application of new artistic work to historic buildings or structures unless approved by the state historic preservation office as being in compliance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. (Contact the Kentucky Heritage Council at 502-564-7005 or visit the Kentucky Heritage Council.)

The arts council staff is available to offer the following support, with prior notice and no later than two weeks before the deadline, to ensure program standards and goals are met: 

• Assistance from arts council program directors in selecting appropriate program categories, and in answering questions about programs

• Consultation regarding applicant eligibility, competitiveness for funding, budget issues, etc. 

• Referrals to potential partners for programs 

• Advice in locating appropriate technical assistance to evaluate and increase applicants’ accessibility and arts participation

Applications for this program are made through the Kentucky Arts Council GO Smart online grant system. 

When first accessing the GO Smart application system, applicants must create a profile, including a username and password for use whenever the account is accessed. The Kentucky Arts Council does not maintain username and password information. If you forget or lose your username or password, open the application, click on Login and use the prompt to reset your login information. Do not create a duplicate account.  

To begin the application, login to GO Smart and click on Current Programs & Applications. Go to America250KY FY25 and select “Begin Application.” Applicants who have started their application and logged out will login and then select “Edit.” 

• When working through the application, save each page before moving to the next page. Failure to save pages will result in the loss of information. 

• To navigate through the application, use either page links (to move around within the application) or the Previous/Next buttons (to move one page at a time). 

• Use the PDF button at the bottom of the page to view the application as the panelist will view it. 

• Use the Data F ield Explanation to complete the Profile (organization type, applicant status and applicant discipline) and Demographics sections.

1. Describe the project. Eligible activities include artwork creation, concert/performance/reading or similar presentation, exhibition, fair/festival, arts instructions, recording/filming/taping, publication, or school residency. Of what value is this project to participants and/or audiences?  

2. Which America250KY focus areas and themes will this project explore (at least one)? How does this project connect to the chosen area(s) or theme(s)?  

3. Describe the historical relevance of the project. What historical research will inform the project? Through what partnerships will you ensure the historical accuracy of the themes, subjects, events, etc., explored?  

Individual Artists must provide the following:  

Artist Statement: Enter a brief overview of your current work including artistic inspiration and philosophy, evolution of style, current directions, influences, your reason for creating in your discipline, etc. Artist statements should be written in first person. 

Resume: Upload a professional artist résumé that includes: 

• Education/training 
• Jobs as a professional artist 
• A short list of up to 10 awards from the past five years. Include the date and name of the award or recognition, the name of the presenting organization, and its location.  

Organizations must provide the following:  

• Mission Statement: Describe the work of the organization, including the audiences served.
• Description of recent programming: Describe the organization’s recent activities, including attendance estimates, internal assessment of quality, anecdotes and feedback, and other evidence of the value the programs provided.

If your project is a partnership, describe the partner’s recent professional background OR mission and programming.

For individual artists: provide three to five images, pdfs, sound files, and/or urls of artistic works. 

For organizations: provide three to five images, pdfs, sound files, and/or urls that illustrate the work of the organization, particularly arts programming.  

If your project is a partnership, include at least one work sample, per the previous instructions, for the partnering organization(s) or artist(s).

Provide a timeline for this project that includes beginning and end dates, with multiple measurable milestones. 

Provide a budget which meets or exceeds the grant funding ask. Grant Amounts are up to $10,000 for organizations and $5,000 for individual artists.  

Payment for services and artists’ time should include an hourly breakdown. Per the Kentucky Arts Council’s core values, artists’ services should represent the majority cost for competitive budgets. Do not include ineligible expenses. 

Projects that include partnerships, must provide a letter of commitment from the partner artist or organization. (This is document can be simple. A pdf of an email of affirmation from the partnering organization will suffice.) All applicants may upload up to two letters of support as pdf files, no longer than two pages each.

A panel of arts professionals and other individuals with relevant experience will review all applications according to the criteria.  

Applicants that receive a favorable recommendation enter into an agreement with the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Agreements cannot be altered without prior approval from the arts council’s appropriate program manager. The address associated with the Grant Agreement Form must match those associated with the organization’s profile and Kentucky Vendor Number. Grantees are required to promptly notify the arts council in writing of any changes in their grant activity. If grantees do not notify the arts council about changes before they file a final report, future funding will be jeopardized. Grants are for the period specified in the approved application. Funds must be spent or committed for activities taking place within the period stated unless an extension has been approved in writing. Funds spent before the period starts are not eligible and must not be included in the budget. 

Funds granted must be used solely for the activities described in the approved application, unless specific approval has been received in writing. Any funds granted but not spent must be returned to the arts council at the conclusion of the grant period. 

Grant agreements must be signed and returned within 30 days. Grant agreement forms received later than 30 days may result in forfeit of payment. 

If funded, all grantees must promptly notify the Kentucky Arts Council in writing of any changes in the artists’ or organizations’ physical or mailing address, phone numbers or email addresses, key project personnel, or any other circumstances that could affect the ability to complete the project by the Oct. 15, 2025, deadline.  

Grantees must clearly acknowledge support from the Kentucky Historical Society and the Kentucky Arts Council in their promotional material including publications, websites, social media, etc.

Acknowledgment line for America250KY: 

In addition to the Kentucky Arts Council and American250KY  logo, the grantee will include this language in all general information communications about the projects (i.e., press releases, social media, websites) and on all products related to the project:

“This project is supported with funding from the Kentucky Historical Society. For more information, see history.ky.gov.”

The final report for this grant can be found in the GO Smart online grant portal and is due 30 days after the end of project activities and no later than Nov. 15, 2025. Failure to provide a final report by the deadline will result in ineligibility for any KAC program until the report is received.