If you have questions about our grants process, please take a look at the Grants Help Page. It contains information about preparing your application, the application process, navigating the Grants Portal, award management, and has links to forms you may need. If you are unable to find answers to your questions from the Help Page please contact program staff by email or phone for assistance. 

All applications and Final Reports must be submitted through the Grants Portal. To access the portal you will need create a (free) account for yourself and/or your organization. You will also need a Vendor Code for yourself and/or your organization to receive an award. If you do not have a Vendor Code, you can get one by filling out a Vendor Form and submitting it to the Agency prior to the application deadline. We will process the form and attach the code to your account once it is assigned.

Please make sure you meet the eligibility requirements before you decide to apply for a grant. For organization applicants, a primary requirement is having 501c3 status (unless applying as an education institution or municipality). The Maine Arts Commission does not accept applications from non 501c3 organizations nor from fiscal sponsors applying on behalf of non 501c3 organizations. Non-501c3 organizations may have an individual from the organization apply for an artist grant, or could collaborate with a 501c3 organization and have the 501c3 organization apply on behalf of the collaborative project.

Applicants may only request funding for expenses that will occur within the funding cycle and requests should not exceed the maximum award amount. The agency does not offer multi-year funding. However, awardees are welcome to apply every year and are able to receive grants multiple years in a row (unless otherwise stated).

Application restrictions are clarified in the grant guidelines. There are three general restrictions. 

• An applicant may only submit one application, per grant program, per funding cycle. 
• An applicant may only receive one agency grant award, per funding cycle. (unless otherwise indicated). 
• Multiple applicants may not seek funding for the same part of the same project (only one project, per grant, per funding cycle).

Restrictions relate to the Agency core grants and may not relate to non-grants funding (Apprenticeships, Fellowships, etc.), relief funding, and grants that we administer for other State agencies.