INDIANA ARTS COMMISSION
 

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Indiana Arts Commission Accepting Applications for America250 Grant Program

(INDIANAPOLIS) The Indiana Arts Commission announced today that the agency is accepting applications for arts projects, in any discipline, that celebrate American history and connect participants to that history in anticipation of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Applicants can request up to $5,000 through the America250 Grant Program.  No matching funds are required.

The America250 Grant Program is a one-time program made possible through funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Indiana General Assembly.

“We are grateful for the support of the National Endowment for the Arts to celebrate the nation’s Semiquincentennial here in Indiana,” said Miah Michaelsen, Executive Director of the Indiana Arts Commission. “Arts and creativity have played a vital role in shaping our nation’s culture and history, and we look forward to marking this milestone alongside our creative sector through grant-supported programming.”

The grant program is open to 501(c)(3) organizations, units of government, libraries, and schools. Applications are open through Monday, December 15, 2025 for projects that take place between March 1, 2026 and December 31, 2026. An Informational Webinar about the program will be held on Thursday, November 20 at 10AM ET. Register to attend the informational webinar.

Learn more about the America250 Grant Program and how to apply.

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Arts Commission Launches Program for Newly Established Creative Small Businesses

(INDIANAPOLIS) The Indiana Arts Commission (IAC) is now accepting applications for Vision & Venture, a new, six-week virtual workshop series focused on business processes and essential start-up tasks for creatives with less than one year of business experience. Dr. Elaine Grogan Luttrull of Minerva Financial Arts will lead interactive workshops designed for a cohort of no more than 15 creatives. 

Vision & Venture is the third program in the IAC’s Business Development suite of offerings. The program joins the On-Ramp Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator, which started in 2018, and The Creative Leap Workshop Series, which launched earlier in 2025. Vision & Venture is designed to be the entry program for artists starting a creative small business. The On-Ramp program is designed for emerging small businesses who are scaling to a new level, and The Creative Leap is the culminating program, designed for artists who have been in business for a minimum of five to seven years and looking to inject strategic energy into their existing practices. 

In the fall of 2023, the Indiana Arts Commission launched a statewide Artist Needs Assessment to inform new and refined services and programming for artists and creative small businesses in Indiana. Vision & Venture was designed to meet needs identified by the assessment process, including a need for financial education and need for increased networking and mentoring for artists.  

“Indiana’s creatives bring vibrancy and ingenuity to our local economies,” said Jordan Adams, Artist Services Program Manager with the IAC. “Vision & Venture will help support the next generation of creative entrepreneurs in our state, launching businesses that will strengthen our Main Streets and Indiana’s economy.” 

Applications are open now and will close on Thursday, January 8, 2026. Workshops will take place in February and March 2026. Learn more about the program and how to apply.  

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