The Kent Cultural Alliance serves the residents of Kent County supporting and creating equitable access to artistic and cultural experiences designed to connect communities through shared conversations.

It is the vision of the Kent Cultural Alliance that all residents of Kent County are able to engage in important civic and social conversation using artistic and cultural experiences as a conduit for connection.

General Operating Grants are only available to Kent County based nonprofit arts organizations whose primary mission is the delivery of arts programming.  Currently, this includes:

Garfield Center for the Arts
Chestertown RiverArts
The Mainstay
The National Music Festival
The Chester River Chorale
The Kent County Community Band
The Eastern Shore Wind Ensemble

If your organization is not listed here, please apply for a Project Grant.

The KCA cannot fund any political or advocacy events/programs, nor expressly religious events/programs.

General Operating Grants are capped at either, 50% of the amount of any MSAC Grants or Organizations (GFO) grant an applicant might have received — or $7,500 — whichever is lower. An increase in support from the Maryland State Arts Council has allowed us to continue at this cap level, rather than reducing it to $5,000 as was announced in 2023.  

Community service and financial stewardship are key factors in evaluating all grant applications.  General Operating grant recipients will again be allowed to apply for Project Grant funding twice in the fiscal year with a total project grant limit of $2,000.  This additional opportunity is for the expressed purpose of funding a new or expanding outreach program that does not happen in your current space/location.

If you do not receive an MSAC GFO grant, the Board subcommittee will determine your grant based on the amount available for funding in a given year, your organization’s operating budget, other financial support, and the degree of your organization’s community engagement.

DEADLINE - The Deadline for the submission of ALL General Operating Grant Applications is October 6, 2023 by 5 p.m.