Short Description

South Arts is pleased to announce the FY26 Emerging Traditional Artists Program (ETAP), a component of the In These Mountains, Central Appalachian Folk Arts and Culture initiative. This program recognizes and supports a new generation of traditional artists who have demonstrated a high level of skill in, commitment to, and leadership in their traditional art form. Artists must reside in an Appalachian Regional Commission-designated County in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, or Tennessee. Awards provide financial support to ETAP participants to ensure the continuation of traditional knowledge and artistic skills within their cultural communities. 

Eligibility

Applicants for the Emerging Traditional Artist Program must:

  • Be an individual folk or traditional artist.
  • Be in the early stages of your career/practice.
  • Be at least 18 years of age by the application deadline of September 30, 2025.
  • Be a United States citizen, 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.
  • Have been a resident of a county designated by the Appalachian Regional Commission in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, or Tennessee for a period of at least two years immediately before the application deadline.
  • Expect to maintain residency in an ARC county during the award period.
  • For artists in ARC counties in Kentucky, North Carolina, and Tennessee:
    • Practice music, handicrafts/material culture, and/or foodways.  
    • Interdisciplinary traditional artists are welcome to apply.
  • For artists in ARC counties in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and South Carolina:
    • Practice handicrafts/material culture.  

You must be a current, legal resident of one of the following counties for a period of at least two years prior to September 30, 2025.

  • Alabama: Bibb, Blount, Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee, Chilton, Clay, Cleburne, Colbert, Coosa, Cullman, De Kalb, Elmore, Etowah, Fayette, Franklin, Hale, Jackson, Jefferson, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Macon, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Morgan, Pickens, Randolph, St. Clair, Shelby, Talladega, Tallapoosa, Tuscaloosa, Walker, and Winston
  • Georgia: Banks, Barrow, Bartow, Carroll, Catoosa, Chattooga, Cherokee, Dade, Dawson, Douglas, Elbert, Fannin, Floyd, Forsyth, Franklin, Gilmer, Gordon, Gwinnett, Habersham, Hall, Haralson, Hart, Heard, Jackson, Lumpkin, Madison, Murray, Paulding, Pickens, Polk, Rabun, Stephens, Towns, Union, Walker, White, and Whitfield
  • Kentucky: Adair, Bath, Bell, Boyd, Breathitt, Carter, Casey, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Cumberland, Edmonson, Elliott, Estill, Fleming, Floyd, Garrard, Green, Greenup, Harlan, Hart, Jackson, Johnson, Knott, Knox, Laurel, Lawrence, Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Lewis, Lincoln, McCreary, Madison, Magoffin, Martin, Menifee, Metcalfe, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Nicholas, Owsley, Perry, Pike, Powell, Pulaski, Robertson, Rockcastle, Rowan, Russell, Wayne, Whitley, and Wolfe
  • Mississippi:  Alcorn, Benton, Calhoun, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Clay, Itawamba, Kemper, Lee, Lowndes, Marshall, Monroe, Montgomery, Noxubee, Oktibbeha, Panola, Pontotoc, Prentiss, Tippah, Tishomingo, Union, Webster, Winston, and Yalobusha
  • North Carolina: Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Cherokee, Clay, Davie, Forsyth, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, McDowell, Macon, Madison, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Stokes, Surry, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, Yadkin, and Yancey
  • South Carolina:  Anderson, Cherokee, Greenville, Oconee, Pickens, Spartanburg, and Union
  • Tennessee: Anderson, Bledsoe, Blount, Bradley, Campbell, Cannon, Carter, Claiborne, Clay, Cocke, Coffee, Cumberland, De Kalb, Fentress, Franklin, Grainger, Greene, Grundy, Hamblen, Hamilton, Hancock, Hawkins, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Knox, Lawrence, Lewis, Loudon, McMinn, Macon, Marion, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Overton, Pickett, Polk, Putnam, Rhea, Roane, Scott, Sequatchie, Sevier, Smith, Sullivan, Unicoi, Union, Van Buren, Warren, Washington, and White

Submission Requirements

Personal Information: As part of the application form, you will be asked, but not required, to include personal information such as birthplace, gender identity and pronouns, and race/ethnicity.

Work Samples: Reviewers will use your work samples to evaluate your skill in and dedication to your art form.

  • Photographs: Submit up to ten clearly labeled high resolution images of your work. Acceptable file formats include .jpeg and .pdf.  
  • Audio Recordings: If applicable, submit up to three examples of your work. While .mp3 is recommended, all standard file formats are acceptable. Publicly accessible URL links to YouTube, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Spotify, or other similar platforms are also acceptable.
  • Video Recordings: If applicable, submit up to three examples of your work. Publicly accessible URL links to YouTube, Vimeo, or other similar platforms are acceptable.

Support Materials (Optional): Support materials are optional, but strongly encouraged. These materials may be letters of support, newspaper articles, blog posts, podcasts, flyers, or other supplemental materials that speak to your proficiency in your art form, your dedication to the traditional culture of your community, the history and context of your art form within your community, etc. Please submit no more than five support materials.  

How to Apply

Online Application

Program Benefits & Awards

Selected ETAP artists will receive $5,000 awards (with limited restrictions) to support learning opportunities, including training, networking, and promotion. These opportunities should equip traditional artists to expand their own knowledge/practice and to increase the impact of their work within their communities.

In addition to cash awards, selected artists will participate in a series of networking and team-building workshops (both online and in-person) with other ETAP awardees, at no cost to themselves, and will be paired with a member of the 2024 ETAP cohort for peer mentorship. 

Entry Fee

None

Location

Atlanta, United States

Timeline

  • Application Deadline: 30 September 2025

Website Link: https://www.southarts.org/grants-opportunities/emerging-traditional-artists-program

FundGrant