The deadline for nonprofit organizations across North Carolina to request grant funds from the N.C. Arts Council is Monday, March 1, with the exception of a new artist residency grant offered this year.

The Artist Residency Level I grant is offered to schools, nonprofit arts and community organizations or partnership teams consisting of at least one school and one arts group to pay for an artist residency. The deadline for this application is April 2.

This grant provides support for a five-day, school-based residency led by a designated professional visual, literary or performing artist or group. This is a streamlined grant application to encourage first time applicants and organizations with little or no experience in hosting school-based artist residencies to apply.

The Arts Council has already negotiated the fee, cost of lodging, travel and supplies for the artist chosen from an approved list. These pre-packaged artist residencies feature some of the strongest and most experienced teaching artists in N.C.

Priority is given to first time applicants and applicants from Tier 1 counties and eastern North Carolina counties.

The N.C. Arts Council provides a wide array of arts experiences for residents and visitors of the state through grants to nonprofit organizations.

The Arts Council invested close to $7.7 million in grants for arts programming in all 100 counties in the state during the 20092010 fiscal year. Normally, every $1 spent by the state is matched by $18 from private and non-state funds giving residents an excellent return on their money.

These grants support exhibitions, concerts, theater and dance productions, festivals, literary reading series, artist residencies in schools, operating support for established arts organizations, community public art projects, and documentation of folk and traditional arts.

As we move into the next decade, the arts will continue to be a part of the fabric of a well-developed life. The arts enrich who we are as individuals and as a state. They redevelop our cities and encourage lifelong learning, said Mary B. Regan, executive director of the N.C. Arts Council. We are proud to work with so many organizations that recognize the value of the arts in all facets of our communities.

Organizations interested in applying for a grant should review the guidelines available on the Arts Councils Web site at www.ncarts.org and contact the staff member listed for their area of interest. Staff members are available to help organizations make their applications as competitive as possible.

With the exception of Arts in Education Level I Artist Residency grants, the deadline for submitting applications is Monday, March 1.

For more information on the N.C. Arts Council or application instructions for the organizational grants, visit www.ncarts.org or call 919-807-6500.