Please, contact the Arts Council of Henderson County for information about the Education Resources and Grants listed here. Patricia James, Associate Director/Grant Manager, email: acofhc@bellsouth.net, 828-693-8504.

The Arts in Education program provides support to local schools in order to strengthen the students' arts experience in pre-K – 12 settings. Priority is given to funding the stipends of professional artists who establish instructional collaborations with classroom teachers. This program serves over 4,000 children in our community annually. Partial funding for this activity is sponsored by Henderson County.

During the summer of 2009, the Arts Council's Academy of the Arts will travel offsite for a special six-week program. This curriculum will place an art instructor and a Native American Storyteller into the Henderson County Summer Day Camp located at the Stoney Mountain Activity Center. For information please call The Arts Council of Henderson County: 828-693-8504.

Artists in the Schools is a program placing professional artists, dancers, storytellers, actors, musicians, etc. into the classroom for five days, five hours a day during an academic year, at the request of and collaboration with the principal and teacher. This program brings all aspects of the arts into the classroom. The students will be exposed to cultures and disciplines they may never have previously considered, encouraging them to investigate their creativity.

A proposal must be submitted from the principal of the school as well as one from a classroom teacher for any artist residency program, prior to the end of the 2009 school year for the 2010 academic year. The plan including all dates for the duration of the project and a detailed description of the tasks to be performed must be included.

Funding is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Mail all documents to the Arts Council of Henderson County, Attention: Patricia James, 538 North Main St, Hendersonville, NC 28792.

Balfour Education Center featuring professional artist Mister Mickey teaching sculpture to students.

In 1977, the North Carolina General Assembly established the Grassroots Grants Program to ensure that every citizen had access to quality arts experiences. The Arts Council of Henderson County serves as the Designated County Partner to administer Henderson County's arts allotment from the State, which is determined by population. Five percent of the allotment must be utilized to fund minority or underserved populations.

The funding supports a variety of arts and cultural activities every year, including community festivals, concerts, theatre productions and arts in education programs. Organizations receiving funds must match each grant dollar received. Funds from this program are distributed to a variety of local arts organizations serving the citizens of Henderson County through a competitive grant process.

The grant cycle is from July 1 through June 30. Applications and a grant writing workshop for the Fiscal Year 2010 will be available in June 2009. The application deadline will be August 1, 2009. Awards to organizations and individual artists for the 2010 Fiscal Year will be announced in October 2009.

All 2008 - 2009 grantees are to submit a Final Report on their project by May 30, 2009 by 5:00PM. A final report form will be forthcoming from the State. Be sure to include all press releases and any printed matter containing the credit line and logo for the North Carolina Arts Council and the Arts Council of Henderson County.

A grant-writing workshop will be held in June 2009 for the ‘09-10 Fiscal Year. Final report assistance is available from the Arts Council.

The RAPG supports professional artists in any discipline and at any stage in their careers who wish to pursue projects that further their artistic development. Artists residing for a minimum of a year in Haywood, Henderson, Polk, and Transylvania counties are eligible to apply. The Arts Council of Henderson County is the administrator of the grants for the four counties.

Types of projects, which may be considered for funding, include:

• Creation of New Work
• Purchase of Equipment
• Professional Development Workshops
• Traveling expenses associated with professional opportunity, such as participating in an exhibition or a conference
• Development or upgrading of professional materials, such as brochures, video tapes, compact discs, or slides

All 2008 - 2009 grantees are to submit a Final Report on their project by May 15, 2009 by 5:00PM. A narrative, budget expense and all public relations documents are to be mailed to the Arts Council of Henderson County, Attention: Patricia James, 538 North Main St, Hendersonville, NC 28792. Be sure to include all press releases and any printed matter containing the credit line and logo for the North Carolina Arts Council and the Arts Council of Henderson County. All grantees are required to send a letter of thanks and explanation of their project to their state legislator. A copy of this letter is to be submitted to the Arts Council with your Final Report.

Funds for this program are limited and are awarded through a competitive grant process. The North Carolina Arts Council with matching funding provided by the participating counties, support this program. For more information or to be placed on the list, please contact the Arts Council at 828-693-8504 or email: acofhc@bellsouth.net.

A grant-writing workshop will be held in June 2009 for the 2009 – 2010 Fiscal Year. Application and Final Report assistance is available from the Arts Council. The deadline for the RAPG application is August 1, 2009.