QuickFund$ grants support projects, activities, or professional development for individuals in all disciplines.

Fellowships provide awards that recognize outstanding work in media, literature, visual arts, and performing arts.

The Writer-in-Residence award bestows the highest literary honor in the state.

Traditional Arts Apprenticeships encourage the continuation of artistic and cultural traditions of Idaho's familial, ethnic, tribal, occupational, or regional groups or communities.

Directory of Teaching Artists is an online listing of artists who share their unique art forms in schools and communities. Every other year ICA accepts applications for new Teaching Artists. Application information here.

TumbleWords brings Idaho writers and their literature and craft to rural Idaho audiences.

Individuals may also work with organizations on Project Grants and on public art projects through Public Arts & Cultural Facilities.

The Commission assists Idaho artists through workshops, presentations, and individually with general information about the business aspects of making a living as an artist. In addition, the Commission often partners with organizations that exhibit or present the work of artists, such as Idaho art galleries and museums, literary and cultural centers, colleges and performance groups.

Collaborative Projects are encouraged as long as the majority of the artistic effort is that of the primary applicant. Be specific about your role, participation, and responsibilities in the collaboration. Individuals developing collaborative projects may apply, but one person will be considered the primary applicant, will receive the funds, and will be responsible for legal and contractual conditions of the grant. The application must be made in the name of one artist only, with the names of other participants listed in the project description. Support materials must be submitted for each collaborator.

Individuals who are normally part of a group may apply individually provided all artistic documentation are easily identifiable as solely his or her own.

ELIGIBILITY
Grants and awards are intended to support those who derive a significant portion of their livelihood from their artistic practice or identify themselves as professional artists or arts administrators; such individuals are expected to verify this status with a résumé and support materials. Traditional folk artists are encouraged to apply to any of the grant and award programs and may document their work through letters and recorded testimony. Funds are not intended for nonprofessionals who engage in art as a hobby or for primarily promotional projects.

An individual applicant must be:
an emerging or established artist in any discipline,
or an arts administrator,
or an educator,
or a traditional folk artist,
18 years or older at time of application, except for the Traditional Arts Apprenticeship program,
a citizen of the United States or a permanent legal resident or a refugee,
a resident of Idaho for at least one year before application date,
and have submitted all Final Reports for past Commission grants and awards.

Degree-seeking students may apply only if the project is not related to their degree program. In the category of Arts Education, teachers are exempt from this eligibility restriction because they often continue their education throughout their careers to maintain certification credentials.

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APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR INDIVIDUALS

Individuals from most artistic disciplines are eligible for grants and awards. If you have a question about your discipline, see the Glossary or call the Commission office.

Be sure to use to the checklist (word document) to identify any of the following materials that are required in addition to your application form and narrative responses.

RÉSUMÉ
Artists are required to submit a résumé of up to two pages. This résumé assists panelists in understanding how you have learned and how you have developed as an artist. In order to receive an award or a grant, a degree or academic training is not required; assuredly, you may be self-taught. A résumé illustrates your professional development as an artist or administrator; for example, you might include publications, honors, and awards, locations of exhibitions or performances. Folk and traditional artists may document their work through a short bio or recorded testimony.

ARTIST STATEMENT
(Artist statements of one-page are required for visual artists only.)

During the review process, panelists often refer to the artist statement. Thoughtful, well-written information can contribute to accessibility and understanding of your work. Conceptual and installation art usually benefit from an artist's statement. This is an opportunity to discuss the purpose of your work and to provide the reader with a personal perspective. Your work will be reviewed by panelists with broad knowledge and expertise in your discipline. Unless your technique is unusual, there is no need to elaborate.

SUPPORT MATERIALS
Support materials show the overall strength and artistic quality of your application and must be related to the project under review. They can demonstrate or give evidence of what is presented in the narrative and play a significant part in the evaluation process. Some examples include articles, brochures, printed publications, work samples, a letter of acceptance, résumés and work samples of mentor artists, and information about workshops, conferences, or seminars.

WORK SAMPLES
Work samples, such as tapes, slides, or CD should represent current work (within the past five years). Since panelists have a limited time to evaluate them, it is extremely important that the strongest example of any sample is presented first. Tapes improperly cued, or cued to sections that do not present strong artistic quality, reflect poorly on the application as a whole.

Since slides are usually the only means by which visual artists show their work to a panel, their quality cannot be overemphasized. See Preparing Work Samples for specific requirements.

The review panel cannot assess the artistic quality of your application without work samples.

Some of the sharpest traders we know are artists, and some of the best salesmen we know are writers.-- E. B. White

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