Folk Arts Mentorship Program

The Folk Arts Mentorship (FAM) Program is designed to support a mentoring relationship between an established ethnic, folk, or traditional artist and an apprentice that concludes with a free public presentation of achievements made by the apprentice during the apprenticeship period.

Ethnic, folk, and traditional arts and practices are the bedrock of artistic and cultural communities. They provide meaningful ways for individuals to connect with their past and build bridges to others and their surroundings in the present.

A goal of FAM is to support the one-on-one learning and relationship building between the established artist and the apprentice.

The FAM Program is supported by funds received from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Sign up here to be notified when this grant application opens. 

At the time of application, individual applicants must:

• Be at least 18 years of age.
• Certify that they are:
  • A U.S. citizen or have been granted permanent resident alien status.
  • Currently and have been a legal resident of the state of Illinois for at least 12 months prior to the application deadline.
• Submit a copy of one of the following:
  • A valid Illinois driver’s license which includes the date issued and expiration date (entire front and back).
  • A valid State of Illinois identification card which includes the date issued and expiration date; (entire front and back).
• NOT be enrolled in any degree or certificate granting program (including high school, bachelor, or masters-degree programs) at the time of application or during the award period. (Ph.D. candidates need to have completed their course work by the application deadline to be eligible.)
• Apply utilizing a Salesforce account registered to the applicant.

$3,000 awarded to the mentor

Question: Who is eligible to apply?

Both the established artist and the apprentice must:

• Meet Eligibility Requirements as described above.
• Submit an application to the IAC’s online grant system utilizing an account registered to the established artist. Applications submitted under an organizational account/name or under the apprentice’s name, will be immediately disqualified.
  
• Submit all requested application materials by the deadline.
• Submit no more than one FAM application per fiscal year from either person named on the application, i.e., the established artist or the apprentice. 

Who is not eligible to apply?

• Individuals enrolled in any degree or certificate granting program (including high school, bachelor, or masters-degree programs) at the time of application or during the award period. (Ph.D. candidates need to have completed their course work by the application deadline to be eligible.)
• A parent may not apply as the established artist to mentor their child as an apprentice.
• Organizations or schools. This grant is for individuals only.

Can I apply to teach more than one apprentice?

No. Established artists and apprentice artists may submit only one application to the FAM Program per fiscal year. 

What will the $3,000 grant cover – what can I spend it on?

• The bulk of the $3,000 should be set aside to pay the established artist for their time teaching the apprentice. 
• Additionally, funds can be used for supplies, tools, equipment and materials (valued at $500 or less) needed to teach the apprentice.
• Costs associated with setting up remote learning sessions.
  
• Expenses relating to documenting the sessions and the final public presentation.
  
• Expenses related to travel between the either the apprentice’s home or the established artist’s home to the learning site (not to exceed $250 combined).

What types of expenses are not allowed to be covered by this grant? 

Food and beverage costs, benefits, fundraisers, other social functions, production costs for a group activity where the established artist and/or the apprentice are not the focus of the event, out-of-state travel. 

Is the FAM grant taxable? 

Yes. The Internal Revenue Code provides that the full amount of the FAM grant is taxable to the recipient (the established artist).

Can established artists and apprentices receive more than one FAM Award? 

Yes. There is no restriction on how many FAM Awards any one individual (established artist or apprentice) can receive in their lifetime.  

FAM supports mentorships that perpetuate living arts that are practiced today. It does not support the teaching of art practices used in cultural revival or historical re-enactment ceremonies or festivals.

The FAM award may not be used to support an ongoing class or school. The IAC does not support an individual’s academic study of any kind.

The FAM award requires a Final Report be submitted at the end of the mentorship grant period.