America's 250th Celebration Grants For Creatives
A special pot of money no one's talking about.
As the United States prepares to celebrate 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, a wave of new grants is emerging to support creatives who want to mark this historic celebration in 2026.
After 20+ hours of deep research (yes, I fell down the rabbit hole), I’ve combed through all 50 states’ America 250 websites to identify artist and cultural funding opportunities.
From Kentucky to South Carolina, this list highlights opportunities for creatives to get paid to tell our shared American stories. But time is running out to access funding.
Curating this list took approximately 20 hours of research and we plan to dedicate even more hours tracking new opportunities as they pop up throughout the next year.
To keep this research going, I’d love your support.
Even if you’re not ready to join our paid subscription, you can still support our work by buying us a coffee ☕ — a small, one-time donation that fuels hours of ongoing research and keeps Grants For Creators alive and thriving.
Now, take a look at what grant opportunities are open and active right now for the 250th celebration!
✔️ Mississippi
✔️ South Carolina
1. The 2026-2027 NEA Big Read Program - For Nonprofits
This is a national program that offers matching grants ranging from $5,000 to $20,000 to support community-wide reading programs. This year’s NEA Big Read will center on the theme America250, honoring the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and marking America’s Semiquincentennial.
The 24 NEA Big Read books available for programming this cycle celebrate America’s culture, history, and resilience through the eyes of its people. Using a book selection as inspiration, applicants will facilitate discussions, writing workshops, and creative programming activities that explore this theme and celebrate the unique aspects of their communities. Applying organizations must be located and operate within the United States or the Native Nations that share this geography.
Deadline: January 15, 2026
2. The America250 Public Art Grant - For Mississippi Nonprofits
The Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC) invites eligible applicants to celebrate Mississippi’s stories through the America250 Public Art Grant to mark the nation’s 250th anniversary. Grants of $12,000 (for eligible applicants with FY26 operating budgets over $250,000) and $8,000 (for budgets under $250,000) will be awarded. Projects should reflect one or more of the following themes:
We the People: The American Ideal & Fundamental Rights
Power of People & Place: Mississippi in the American Story
The Future of Mississippi: A World of Possibilities
Deadline: January 15, 2025
3. Research, Publication, Genealogy, & Digitization Grants- For South Carolina Residents
Grants ranging from $15,000 to $125,000 will advance research in SC’s role in the American Revolution. SC250 is looking to support well-researched and written pamphlets and monographs, commercial and scholarly articles, and books associated with South Carolina’s 250th Anniversaries. Books and digital assets to aid in researching American Revolution era (1770-1783) genealogy and digitization projects can also be considered under this grant type.
Deadline: Monthly until June 2026
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