The Kentucky Governor’s School for the Arts (GSA) is proud to offer GSA alumni the opportunity to apply for the brand new GSA Alumni Fund! The goal of the fund is to support GSA alumni in their artistic development. This can include a professional development opportunity or creation and implementation of a project.
Deadlines and Notification Dates
Spring Application Deadline: April 3rd, 2026, 11:59 p.m. ET
Fall Award Notification: May 2026
All funds are distributed upon receipt of a signed contract from the grant recipient. All applicants will be notified of their award status.
Who is Eligible?
- Alumni of Kentucky's Govenor's School for the Arts, individual and group applications are acceptable.
Please Note:
- Recipients must wait one year after receipt of their grant to reapply.
- Grantees are only eligbile to receive the award a maximum of 3 times.
What is Funded?
- Costs associated with a training opportunity: tuition, printing, instructional fees, equipment, supplies, lodging, meals, travel, etc.
- Projects providing training opportunities for artists, e.g., a music training program for elementary aged students in a community, acting classes for adult actors, etc.
- Costs associated with the development of an arts-based project: equipment, space rental, marketing, artist fees, etc. Creation of materials to further promote the artist.
- Please note, no more than 50% of your proposed budget can be devoted to artist fees.
- In order to ensure grant recipients receive their funds prior to beginning their project/training, all proposals should begin in June 2026 or later.
What is Not Funded?
- Post-secondary tuition (i.e., college tuition)
- Re-imbursements for expenses that have already occurred or a project that has already been completed.
Awards; Maximum monies awarded in the Spring 2026 grant cycle is $ 5,000.00
- Minimum award per applicant: $100
- Maximum award per applicant: $2,500
- Partial funding of the request amount is at the discretion of the grant review panel.
- Applicants may apply for one grant per grant cycle.
- A final grant report is required within six months of the completion of the professional development/project.
What You Need to Submit
- Application Form.
- A narrative maximum of 2 pages.
- Describe the professional development/project.
- Clearly state the goals of the professional development/project.
- State the timeline for the professional development/project.
- State how the professional development/project will further your development as an artist
- A comprehensive budget.
- List the total cost of the project.
- List any additional funding required for this project. Please indicate any already-secured funds with an asterisk by the name of the funder.
- List all costs requested pertaining to the GSA Alumni Fund request.
- List any indirect (additional) costs required for the project/professional development.
- If this project is revenue generating, please list the projected income.
- Budget Justification: If your overall costs exceed the total request and you have listed additional funds that are not secured, please state how you intend to cover the unsecured costs.
Please note: applicants are not required to have additional costs, additional funding if there are additional costs, or projected revenue in order to be eligible to apply.
- Artist(s) Resume(s) that clearly reflects potential in the art form.
- Applicant Bio: if the project is awarded funding, the bio will be utilized when announcing the award.
- 2-4 samples of applicant’s work completed within the past 4 years that are relevant to the project described in the application, e.g., digital images, links to video or audio, writing samples (not to exceed eight pages) etc., as well as a brief description of each sample.
- Contact information for two references who can speak to applicant’s abilities to execute the activity for which funding is requested.
Applications are reviewed and scored by a grant review panel consisting of Kentucky Performing Arts employees. Applicants who are relatives of a Kentucky Performing Arts employee should contact GSA in advance of applying.
Questions? Please contact Samantha Wren Durstock, GSA Alumni Coordinator, at wdurstock@kentuckyperformingarts.org or 502-562-0100 EXT. 415