City to Launch Creative Growth Grant Program for Local Artists, Orgs
Allocations made for Fiscal Year '25 will finally reach indie and grassroots creatives they were meant for
The city of Charlotte will open the application process tomorrow for its 2025 Creative Growth Grants, comprising three types of grants ranging from $2,500 to $25,000 for grassroots arts nonprofits and individual creatives living and working in Mecklenburg County.
The program is open to individual artists shaping the Charlotte area’s cultural future through their work — poets and spoken word artists, dancers, musicians, storytellers, theatrical producers, textile artists and more, according to a release from the city this week.
Tomorrow’s launch will be marked by a virtual, bilingual info session held in partnership with Charlotte Is Creative (CIC), which in April was approved by Charlotte City Council to award $1,715,000 in grants from last year’s budget allocation of $2 million for independent creatives and arts organizations.
The info session will take place from noon-1:30 p.m. on Thursday, followed by other sessions that aim to help would-be applicants better understand the process before the deadline on Aug. 4.
Other events following Thursday’s launch include live Q&A sessions on June 27 and July 8 from noon-12:30 p.m., an in-person grant workshop at the Independent Picture House on July 14 from 6–9 p.m. at the Independent Picture House and a virtual grant workshop from July 16 from 6–8 p.m.
CIC will also offer individual grant coaching to potential applicants starting tomorrow on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration info for workshops and coaching can be found at the Creative Growth Grants website.
“The 2025 Creative Growth Grants are more than just funding — they’re investments in Charlotte’s creative ecosystem,” said Setu Raval, program director with CIC. “Charlotte Is Creative is proud to administer the application process, with a strong focus on grant coaching and long-term impact for local artists and arts organizations.”
What types of grants for arts funding are available?
The Creative Growth Grants program will comprise three categories of grants:
Professional Development: Up to $2,500 to participate in classes, residencies, conferences, exhibitions and other career-building opportunities. These opportunities may take place in person or online, inside or outside of Mecklenburg County. Individual artists, creative groups and nonprofit organizations may apply.
Project Support: Up to $20,000 for new or existing arts and culture initiatives that advance the priorities of the Charlotte Arts and Culture Plan, which was adopted in 2023. Individual artists, creative groups and nonprofit organizations may apply, though organizations that already received funding from the city through Foundation for the Carolinas (FFTC) in the fiscal years 2025-26 may only apply as collaborators, not leads.
Operational Support: Nonprofit organizations may apply for a grant covering up to 25% of their annual budget, maxing out at $25,000. This would cover operational expenses such as rent, staff and administrative fees. Organizations that already received funding from the city through FFTC in the fiscal years 2025-26 are not eligible for Operational Support grants.
Any grassroots arts and culture nonprofits based in Mecklenburg County who have not received funding from the city through FFTC are welcome to apply for grants. Individual creatives who live in Mecklenburg County can apply but must do so with a fiscal sponsor, defined as a nonprofit organization that agrees to provide its tax-exempt status, administrative support and financial management to another group or individual that does not have tax-exempt status. The fiscal sponsor does not need to be arts-related or local.
“These grants are reflective of the city’s ongoing and eager support of Charlotte’s creative community,” Mayor Vi Lyles stated in the release. “We are committed to strengthening our arts and culture ecosystem and fueling the creativity that exists in every corner of the Queen City.”
Where does the funding come from?
The $2 million in funding for the new Creative Growth Grants was meant to be awarded to grassroots organizations and individual creatives in the second half of 2024, as it was allocated in the Fiscal Year 2025 budget, approved by Charlotte City Council in June 2024 and effective on July 1 of that year.
Charlotte Is Creative (CIC) was originally named to award the grants but some council members called for an RFP process, which was started in February 2025, garnering six responses. On April 28, CIC was officially awarded the contract once again.
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During that meeting, council member LaWana Mayfield voiced her concern that too much of the $2-million allocation for independent artists and organizations would go to CIC and its subcontractors rather than into the grants themselves.
CIC will develop and administer the grant program for $285,000 — 14.25% of the $2-million arts allocation. Of that total, $59,200 (20.77%) will go to Charlotte-based minority and small business enterprises Bogues Group, Civility Localized, and Into Languages Global for media relations support, community engagement and translation services, respectively.
With the application process running through Aug. 4, the money will go out more than a year after it was allocated by council, leaving some local arts organizations struggling to make up for the money they had hoped to see from the city’s grants.
“I’ve had a number of creatives contact me saying, ‘What are you guys doing?’” said council member Ed Driggs during the April 28 meeting.
Moving forward, the city will allocate arts funding through a newly formed Arts, Science, and Culture Council (ASCC) Governance Board, which council approved the structure for during a meeting in February.
The ASCC Governance Board, which has not yet been appointed, will consist of 17 members: five county appointees, five city appointees, three Foundation for the Carolinas appointees, two appointees from surrounding Mecklenburg towns, and two appointees from the ASCC Grants Committee.
Visit the Creative Growth Grants website to download application guidelines, register for upcoming workshops or apply after the Thursday launch.
