The Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs offers many competitive grants that can support the development of your community, organization or career in the arts, film and media, history and the humanities.

However, you may want to pursue additional funding opportunities from other governmental, corporate and private organizations – including the ones mentioned below.

Arts

ArtUp: Grantseeking for Individuals in the Arts
This webinar, presented by the Foundation Center, explains how to search and apply for arts funding.

Grants for Individuals
The Foundation Center maintains a broad database of public and private grants for individual artists.

New York Foundation for the Arts
The NYFA Source is a searchable database of more than 12,000 awards, grants and other opportunities for artists.

Craft Emergency Relief Funds
Billed as “the artists’ safety net,” CERF offers grants for professional artists who suffer career-threatening emergencies.

Film and Media Production

For Iowa filmmakers ready for the national scale, check out the links and resources below.

Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences
American Documentary Funds and Residencies
Catapult Film Fund
Center for Asian American Media
The Fledgling Fund
Ford Foundation
The Gotham (formerly IFP: Independent Filmmaker Project)
International Documentary Association
Independent Television Service
National Association of Latino Independent Producers
National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Humanities
New York Television Festival
Roy W. Dean Grants/From the Heart Productions
Sundance Institute
Tribeca Film Institute
Zoetrope

History and Historic Preservation

Derelict Building Program
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources offers grants for Iowa towns of 5,000 or fewer residents’ to address neglected commercial or public structures that have sat vacant for at least six months.

Iowa Barn Foundation
This nonprofit foundation offers a range of grants to help preserve Iowa’s historic rural buildings, which symbolize the state’s agricultural heritage.

Main Street Iowa
Operated by the Iowa Economic Development Authority, Main Street Iowa invests funding and resources to help communities capitalize on the unique identity, assets and character of the historic commercial districts.

National Trust for Historic Preservation
The National Trust awards grants to nonprofit organizations and public agencies, primarily for planning and education projects.

State and Federal Historic Preservation Tax Credits
Tax credits and exemptions are available to encourage the reuse of historic properties, while retaining historic character-defining features