Folk Arts Mentorship Program

Funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Illinois Arts Council’s (IAC) Folk Arts Mentorship (FAM) grant supports the mentoring relationship that develops between exemplary practitioners working with dedicated apprentices. This program allows for concentrated study and cultural transmission to preserve traditional practices important to the artists’ community, heritage, and identity. Ethnic, folk, and traditional arts provide meaningful ways for individuals to connect with their past and build bridges to others and their surroundings in the present. Ethnic, folk, and traditional arts are dynamic, reflecting change and individual innovation over generations of practitioners.

This is a $4,000 taxable award to the Mentor artist and a $1,000 taxable award to the Apprentice artist. Mentor and Apprentice artists must each submit their own applications.

The deadline to apply is Wednesday, December 18, 2024. All applications must be submitted via the applicant's IAC Salesforce account.

Mentor and Apprentice artists at the time of application must:

• Be age 18 or older.
• Be established as an Illinois resident prior to December 18, 2023.
• Not be currently enrolled full-time at a college or university in any undergraduate or graduate program. Ph.D. candidates need to have completed their course work by the application deadline to be eligible.
• Grandparent and grandchildren are eligible as a Mentor and Apprenticeship pair. Parents and children are not eligible to apply. 

• Read the Folk Arts Mentorship Guidelines.
• Use Chrome as your browser when working in Salesforce.
• Once logged into Salesforce, complete updates to the Applicant Information tab first.
• Submit all required application materials by 11:59pm on Wednesday, December 18, 2024.
• Questions? Watch the Webinar recording, participate in one of the Drop-ins, or contact your Program Director.

• Folk Arts Mentorship Application Webinar
  During this webinar, IAC staff discuss application tips and best practices including how to use the agency’s online Salesforce grant platform. Click the link below to watch the webinar

Folk Arts Mentorship Webinar 

• Folk Arts Mentorship Drop-Ins
  Drop-in sessions are one-hour sessions that have no agenda. Participants may ask questions of the participating Programs staff and get answers in real time. Drop-Ins do not require pre-registration, click the link below to join the meeting when it is time.

Friday, November 8th at noon
Thursday, November 21st at 10:30am
Tuesday, December 10 at 6:00pm

• For a complete listing of IAC Workshops, visit the IAC's Workshops & Webinars page.  

Question: Who is eligible to apply?

Both the Mentor artist and the Apprentice must:

• Meet Eligibility Requirements as described above.
• Apply to the IAC’s online grant portal utilizing an individual account under the artist’s name. Applications submitted under an organizational account/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 Mentor artist or the Apprentice.

Who is not eligible to apply?

• Individuals currently enrolled full-time at a college or university in any undergraduate or graduate program. Ph.D. candidates need to have completed their course work by the application deadline to be eligible.
• A parent may not apply as the Mentor 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. Mentor artists and Apprentice artists may submit only one application to the FAM Program per fiscal year.

What will the grant cover – what can I spend it on?

The award should cover artist fees.

Additionally, funds can be used for supplies, materials, in-state travel, public presentation expenses, and documentation expenses.

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

A full list is available on page 6 of the guidelines. Examples include: 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, political activities, etc..

Is the FAM grant taxable?

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

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.