Artistic Assistance

Artistic Assistance provides direct support to individual artists and culture bearers in the US South to enhance their skills, create unique projects, and build community. The program has two funding areas: Professional Development, which opens in the spring, and Project Development, which opens in the fall.

Applications for the Spring 2026 round of Artistic Assistance Professional Development are now closed. Artistic Assistance Project Development applications open Fall 2026.

Professional Development

Alternate ROOTS supports Southern artists and culture bearers who work at the intersections of art, community, and justice. Artistic Assistance Professional Development provides direct support to ROOTS members to build professional and administrative capacity, hone artistic skills, and strengthen the sustainability of their practice. Professional Development awards are between $250-$3,000. New members – those who joined between January 30, 2025 and January 30, 2026 – are welcome to apply for up to $1,500.
Professional Development funding supports (but is not limited to):
  • Professional or artistic training
  • Work with consultants, coaches, and mentors; apprentice fees
  • Travel, lodging, and registration for conferences, convenings, and professionally relevant festivals
  • Professional membership or subscription fees (e.g. Canva, Teachable; APAP or WOCA fees)
  • General marketing costs, website and logo design, headshots
  • Technology or equipment that advances your craft
  • Costs incurred by making your practice or programming available virtually
  • Legal or immigration fees related to your practice
  • Archiving of an individual’s work

Professional Development funding does not support:

  • Development, completion, or presentation of artistic work or artist-facilitated workshops
  • Fundraisers
  • Compensation to the applicant
  • Overhead, general operating expenses, or lost income
  • Catering requests or meals
  • Rent, utilities, other personal expenses
  • Reimbursement for activities that occur before March 1, 2026
  • Travel or registration fees to an Alternate ROOTS event (e.g. ROOTS Week)
  • Archiving of organizational work

Requests for live presentations, projects, or performances without a clear learning component should not be submitted for Professional Development; they should be submitted for Project Development, which opens in the fall.

  • Tuesday, February 3:  Applications Open
  • Wednesdays in February: Office Hours with Program Manager, 3pm-6pm ET: 404-577-1079 x 2.
  • Wednesday, February 11: Live Application Assistance, 6:30-8:30pm ET. Register here. 
  • Friday, February 27: Application Deadline, 5pm ET
  • Early May: Award Notifications
To be eligible to apply for the Artistic Assistance Professional Development, ALL of the following must be true:
  • You are 18 years or older, living and working within the ROOTS service region by Friday, January 30, 2026. ROOTS service region includes: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington D.C.
  • You are a ROOTS general or voting member whose dues are up to date through April 30, 2026 by Friday, January 30, 2026 at 5pm ET. If your dues are set to expire before April 30, you will need to have renewed them by January 30 to be eligible. Not sure if you need to renew your dues? Contact membership through our contact form.
  • You have not received one of the following ROOTS funding awards: Artistic Assistance (Fall 2024, Spring 2025, or Fall 2025), Advancing Well-Being in the Arts (2025, 2026), Partners for Change (2025).
  • You have completed all final reports due for previous funding awards. Click here for the Professional Development final report; click here for the Project Development final report.
  • You are proposing activities that take place during the program period of March 1, 2026 – February 28, 2027.
To apply for Artistic Assistance Professional Development, you’ll need to submit the following materials via this application form by Friday, February 27 at 5pm ET:

Application Form

We recommend copying the application form questions onto a separate document, developing your answers there, and then copying them back to the application form. Questions 5-9 on the application form can be submitted in written, video, or audio format. See the Alternative Format section below for more information about video or audio submissions.

Work Samples

  • Work samples can be submitted as a hyperlink or uploaded as a PDF. You can link to a google doc, your website, YouTube, SoundCloud, or any other digital platform that contain examples of your work.
  • Please keep these short! Think quality over quantity.
  • Written samples should be no longer than three pages.
  • Audio and video samples should be no longer than five minutes; a minute-long clip is even better.
  • If your sample is longer, include instructions that point reviewers to the time where you’d like them to begin.

Expense Verification Documents

In lieu of a budget spreadsheet, you are required to submit expense verification documentation to support your request. You will be asked to attach a PDF document or documents that verify the amount of your request. Here’s an example of what this could look like. Examples of expense verification documentation include but are not limited to:
  • Invoices from teachers or facilitators
  • Shopping cart screenshots for equipment requests
  • Registration information from conference websites
  • Flight or hotel pricing screenshots
  • Quotes for services
Alternate ROOTS is committed to supporting our members throughout the application process for our funding programs. We encourage you to take advantage of these proposal support opportunities:

Office Hours

Got questions about Artistic Assistance Professional Development? Give Program Manager Ashlee Haze a call during her office hours, every Wednesday from 3-6pm ET in February. Times are also noted on our public calendar. You can reach Ashlee during this time at 404-577-1079 x 2. You may also request individual support outside of office hours by contacting Artistic Assistance via our contact form.

Live Application Assistance Session

Join Ashlee and your fellow members for a live application assistance session on Wednesday, February 11, from 6:30-8:30pm ET. This is a great way to get your questions about the Artistic Assistance application and selection process answered while connecting with other ROOTS members! Register here.

Additional Resources

Program Goals

ROOTS strives to be a resource for artists and communities throughout the U.S. South, and we award grants that align with the following program goals:
  • Strengthening the capacity and impact of artists and cultural organizers throughout the South by providing resources – including direct funding – to individual members
  • Building strong partnerships and collaborations with ROOTS members, in alignment with our mission
  • Helping ROOTS members extend or deepen their engagement and collaboration in their communities within the US South
  • Highlighting the assets or challenges of communities within the ROOTS Service Region that are impacted by social, economic, and environmental injustices

In addition to seeking applicants that reflect the goals of the program, ROOTS’ selection process considers geographic distribution, racial, ethnic, socio-economic, and ability diversity, as well as TLGBQ+ representation. This practice sets us apart from typical funding models.

In alignment with our values, preference is given to proposals centered around and created by eligible members of these communities:

  • Youth
  • Artists focused on climate justice and environmental advocacy
  • Applicants from Alabama, Arkansas, and West Virginia
  • Members who have hosted a Rhizome, served in a ROOTS Work Group (e.g., ROOTS Week, Finance, Uprooting Ableism, YOOTS), or served in a ROOTS Week Co-op (e.g., Heal/Teal, Hospitality) in the past 12 months.

Selection Process

The Artistic Assistance application review panels are made up of cross-disciplinary artists, organizers, ROOTS members, and individuals from peer organizations. We convene panels that reflect the diversity we seek to achieve. The panelists review applications and recommend recipients to ROOTS staff. Final decisions are made by staff to ensure that all program goals are met to the best of our ability. The panelists use the following criteria to evaluate all applications:

  • Articulation of Artistic Vision: did the applicant clearly articulate the artistic vision and aesthetic direction of their artistic practice or business?
  • Alignment with ROOTS Mission: is the proposal rooted in a particular community of place, tradition, or spirit? How does it connect to social, economic, and/or environmental justice?
  • Goals and Outcomes: did the proposal clearly define the goals and outcomes that the applicant will use to advance their artistic practice? Are the applicant’s goals and outcomes realistic and feasible within the proposed timeline?
  • Budget: are the proposed expenses clear and reasonable? Has the applicant provided adequate verification of proposed expenses?
Not applying for this round of funding but interested in serving as a panelist? Please complete this form to be considered as a panelist for a current or future program.
Are you a past Artistic Assistance recipient ready to fill out your final report?
  • Click HERE for the Fall 2024 Artistic Assistance Project Development final report form.
  • Click HERE for the Spring 2025 Artistic Assistance Professional Development final report form.
  • Click HERE for the Fall 2025 Artistic Assistance Project Development final report form.
If you have any questions about Artistic Assistance, please contact Artistic Assistance, via our contact form or call 404-577-1079 x 2.