The Community Archive READ BEFORE YOU APPLY TO THE East St. Louis Regional Arts Partners Grants 2026

READ BEFORE YOU APPLY TO THE East St. Louis Regional Arts Partners Grants 2026

East St. Louis Regional Arts Partners Grants 2026 

The East St. Louis Regional Arts Partners (RAP) grant program, previously known as the  Community Arts Access, a re-granting program, awards grants to local cultural organizations and nonprofits offering arts programming. Schools and individual artists are also eligible for funding. The RAP program is made possible by funding from the Illinois Arts Council (IAC), and the  program is managed by Dr. Redmond, Executive Director of The Community Archive. The  Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation was IAC’s regranting program partner from 2020 to 2024. 

The RAP program seeks to provide East St. Louis residents with more opportunities to participate  in quality visual, literary, and performing arts experiences. Through project-based funding, the  program supports public engagement with, and access to, various arts disciplines, the creation of  art, learning in the arts at all stages of life, and the integration of the arts into the fabric of  community life. 

An East RAP project may consist of one or more specific events or activities performed or  presented to engage or benefit the residents of greater East St. Louis. The projects may be a new  initiative or part of the applicant’s regular season or activities. 

The East St. Louis RAP program has a total of $15,000 in grant dollars to distribute in 2025.  Maximum grant awards are expected to be no more than $1,500 per project. Note: the 10% cash  match is no longer required. 

The application deadline is March 10. For questions or technical support related to the grant  application, please contact drredmond@thecommunityarchive.org. An independent community-based panel will review  the proposals and select the recipients. 

Calendar 

January 27 Launch announcement 

February 17 Virtual Application writing workshop, 5:30 PM 

March 3 Optional courtesy review (project description) deadline 

March 10 Applications due by 5:00 PM  

March 24 Panel review and allocation recommendations 

March 26 Awards announced by email 

April 7 Contracts issued 

April 15 Signed contracts and W9s due back 

May 5 Funds available 

August 29 Project completion date 

September 12 Final report deadline

 

ONLY APPLICANTS WITH ARTS PROGRAMS BEGINNING NO EARLIER THAN MAY 1, 2026 AND COMPLETED BY AUGUST 31, 2026 MAY APPLY. 

The application deadline is March 10, 2026.

Find the application form here: 

https://forms.gle/XE1eWvoP13Bj8KUM9

Funding Priorities 

  • Supporting the quality, quantity and visibility of the arts in the greater East St. Louis  community 
  • Increasing access to the arts for underserved populations 
  • Elevating artists as integral and essential to a healthy and vibrant community 

Eligibility and Policies 

  • Nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations must be in good standing with the Illinois Secretary  of State. 
  • Individual practicing artists and collectives may apply for community-based projects that  are open to the general public. 
  • K-12 schools and school-affiliated organizations may apply for after-school or summer  arts programs that involve paid professional artists working with a target group of  learners. 
  • Programs must take place in greater East St. Louis. 
  • Programs must begin no earlier than May 1, 2026, and be completed by August 31, 2026. 
  • East St. Louis RAP grant funds must be used for arts programming or project  costs. Funds cannot be used for capital expenditures; permanent equipment; private events that are closed to the general public; fundraising events; political  activities such as contributions, lobbying, or fundraisers purchasing alcoholic  beverages; projects that serve only congregations of a religious organization; scholarships or academic study; programs already directly funded by the Illinois Arts Council or the  National Endowment for the Arts; deficit or debt reduction; and/or projects completed or  in process before May 1, 2026. 
  • Proposals must be submitted using the online form. Late or incomplete applications will  not be accepted. 
  • Applicants may apply for only one East St. Louis RAP grant per year. 
  • Funded applicants that fail to return a complete and correct grant agreement within 30  days of the date on the award letter will have their grant recommendation rescinded. 
  • Grant recipients must credit IAC in all promotional material and public notices. 
  • Grantees will be required to complete and submit a final report no later than September  12, 2026. Failure to submit this report will be reported to the 2026 application review  panel and could jeopardize future funding. 

Evaluation Criteria 

  • Clarity of the program description  
  • Commitment to creativity, artistic excellence and community engagement 
  • Involvement of paid local artists  
  • Consistency of the proposed program with the mission of the applying organization, if  applicable 
  • A feasible and balanced budget  
  • Evidence that the applicant is part of the East St. Louis community fabric 
  • Plan for raising the required matching funds 
  • Plan for effective promotion and publicity 
  • Completeness of the application 

If you would like assistance with the application or have questions, please contact drredmond@thecommunityarchive.org. 

The mission of the Illinois Arts Council (IAC) is to build a strong,  

creative, and connected Illinois through the arts. IAC serves the people  

of Illinois through a variety of grant programs and special  

initiatives meant to: support Illinois’ arts sector, advance arts education and foster creativity and  the work of individual artists. Resources to support the Illinois Arts Council are provided by the  Governor and General Assembly of Illinois and the National Endowment for the Arts. arts.illinois.gov 

The Community Archive was founded to collect the stories of African-American communities and provide an educational platform for teaching how to preserve disappearing oral histories. The Community Archive uses free-to-all podcast technology in order to provide open source access to everyone.

 

East St. Louis Regional Arts Partners (RAP) Grant Program 

2026 GRANT APPLICATION 

Please review the funding priorities, eligibility, and evaluation criteria before you start the application. This information is posted on www.thecommunityarchive.org. [ABOVE]

Hint: Write your narrative responses in a separate Word document before copying and pasting them into this online application. Pay attention to word count limits. 

Applicants are strongly encouraged to complete this application at least three business days in advance of the March 10 deadline to ensure successful submission. For assistance, contact 

drredmond@thecommunityarchive.org.