Every County Funded

In the spring of 2025, the Indiana Arts Commission offered invitation-based grants to organizations in the following counties: DeKalb, Noble, Montgomery, Newton, White, Blackford, Rush, Union, Sullivan, Martin, Franklin, Daviess, Perry, Pike, and Washington.

The funded projects included:

• Kendallville (Noble County) - The Creative Art Space at the Community Learning Center will offer a unique environment designed to inspire and support artistic growth. This collaborative hub will provide access to essential materials, equipment, and guidance for emerging artists, entrepreneurs, and community members eager to expand their creative skills. With dedicated areas tailored to fine arts and sewing, participants will find the resources they need to explore new techniques, refine their craft, and connect with others in a supportive setting.
• Ladoga Library (Montgomery County) - The Ladoga Clark Township Public Library (LCTPL) will host a month-long Summer Reading program, inviting community members of all ages to explore ceramic painting. In partnership with the Tannenbaum Cultural Center (TCC), the library will provide all necessary materials - including glaze, brushes, and ceramics—and offer a workshop highlighting the art form and its benefits for mental health. This initiative aims to promote wellness through creative expression and introduce participants to new artistic mediums.
• The Ligonier Marshmallow Festival (Noble County) - The Ligonier Marshmallow Festival is a citywide tradition held over Labor Day weekend, offering four days of entertainment including fireworks, a parade, carnival rides, a car show, and live performances. With the support of grant funding, family-friendly events will remain accessible at little to no cost, ensuring that everyone can participate.
• Linden Carnegie Public Library (Montgomery County) - The Linden Carnegie Public Library will launch Art for Everyone, a program designed to expand access to creative instruction for community members who may not otherwise have the opportunity. With support from the Every County Funded grant, the library will cover artist fees and provide supplies for participants in a series of instructional classes across diverse art forms. Each participant will not only gain hands-on experience but also leave with materials to continue their creativity at home.
• Pike County Public Library- A Messy Art series invites children to explore creativity through hands-on, multi-sensory experiences. Grant funds will provide all necessary supplies, giving participants the freedom to fully engage with their art and discover the joy of self-expression. The program will feature two one-week sessions, each offering daily hour-long instruction from a local artist. At the end of each week, participants will celebrate their accomplishments in an Art “Messtival” showcase, where they can proudly display their creations.
• Hartford City (Blackford County) - Hartford City is seeking a unifying identity to propel the community into the future. Once defined by the gas boom and a thriving downtown, its story has since faded. The city now aims to reclaim that narrative through 1,000 images in the 1,000 Pictures to Tell Our Story Project. Using the art of photography, Hartford City’s story will unfold visually, guided by photos and videos that connect the past with the future. Through community collaborations, residents will work together to discover a new story - one that will launch Hartford City into its next chapter.
• Goodstock Music Festival (Newton County) - The Goodstock Music Festival celebrates musical talent by showcasing a diverse lineup of artists in an accessible, community-driven event. Grant funding will be used to compensate participating musicians and bands. This support strengthens the local arts scene, fosters cultural engagement, and ensures that more residents have the opportunity to experience and connect with homegrown talent.
• Washington County Family YMCA - The Washington County Family YMCA will provide a series of free art programs and community events throughout the year. Grant funding will support the existing youth initiative, The Artist Within You, which offers young people in Washington County opportunities to engage with peers, develop new skills, and explore creative expression. In addition, funding will be used to sustain Substance-Free Alternative Events, ensuring that the broader community has access to recreational activities in safe, supportive environments free from harmful substances.
• Town of Montgomery (Daviess County) - The Town of Montgomery is working to revive its historic downtown through the creation of a Main Street mural. The project will brighten the streetscape, bring new energy to the area, and strengthen community pride.
• Visit DeKalb (DeKalb County) - As costs for festivals, parades, and community events continue to rise, Visit DeKalb plans to purchase sound system equipment that will be lent free of charge to any non-profit entity in the county for use at events. In addition, the grant will support five different cities and towns by helping cover the cost of musical acts to perform using the equipment during community gatherings.
• Winslow Elementary School (Pike County) - Winslow Elementary School is enhancing its outdoor playground with a new musical play area featuring flower bells, standing drums, and a xylophone. This addition will provide students with opportunities to express themselves through music while engaging in creative play. The project aims to enrich the school environment by fostering creativity, collaboration, and joy through musical exploration.
• Union County Foundation - The UC Foundation, in partnership with Union County High School students, will host a unique art contest designed to bring creativity to the heart of downtown. Four talented student artists will have the opportunity to transform picnic tables into vibrant works of art, adding color and personality to public spaces. This project will not only enhance the downtown environment but also foster community pride and encourage young artists to leave their mark.
• Brook Public Library (Newton County) - The Brook Iroquois Washington Public Library will host a variety of arts-based activities designed for all age groups. These offerings will foster creativity and strengthen community engagement through adult and children’s craft classes as well as family-friendly performances featuring interactive arts experiences.
• Sullivan County Players - Sullivan County Players will present Big on Broadway, a series of summer camps and workshops running from June 2 through December 31, 2025, at the Merom Camp and Retreat Center. This free program ensures families can participate without financial burden, offering young performers opportunities to learn and grow in a supportive environment. In addition to the camps and workshops, the initiative will feature open community performances at no cost.
• Crawfordsville Public Library (Montgomery County) - Crawfordsville Public Library aims to support local artists by creating paid opportunities that encourage visitors to engage with the arts during its reading program kickoff. This free, public event will invite participants of all ages to experience the artist’s life by making and exhibiting artworks with guidance from artists and library staff.
• Heart of Rushville Main Street (Rush County) - The Heart of Rushville plans to support live performances by professional artists at Discovery Park and the historic Princess Theatre in downtown Rushville. Grant funding will cover artist fees, production costs, and promotional efforts to ensure broad public engagement. The project is designed to provide residents and visitors with memorable experiences that strengthen community pride and highlight Rushville’s vibrant cultural scene.
• Washington County 4-H Council - Barn Quilt Creation Workshops will provide hands-on experiences where youth and adults learn measuring, graphing, painting, and patience while designing and creating barn quilts. Participants engage with geometry, color theory, history, and storytelling as they craft quilts that reflect their personal histories. Grant funding will support materials and instruction, ensuring accessibility and meaningful impact for all who take part.

In the 2024, the Indiana Arts Commission offered invitation-based grants to organizations in counties not recieving IAC funding.

The funded projects included:

• Hagios, Inc. - Hagios Film Camp (Blackford County) - Hagios Film Camp will provide education and instruction on the process of filmmaking- from cinematography, to lighting, and sound- to thirty students. To become a filmmaker may seem like an unrealistic dream, but Hagios' mission is to make this dream a real possibility by giving the youth of Blackford and surrounding counties the opportunity to engage with this medium. Grant funding will provide allow for student scholarships and access to the equipment needed.
• Hartford City Arts Council - Musical Concert Series and Art Activities Free to the Public (Blackford County) - The Hartford City Arts Council will offer a series of free public programs throughout the year. The grant funding will support Summer Concerts for the summer season (for the Heritage Day Festival and Fourth of July), a concert in mid-July for a regional band that has been performing there for 20 years, a puppeteer and music for children in late summer with arts crafts, a Halloween Spooktacular that attracts over 2,000+ from the small community, a Jingle all the Way December event for children with Santa, Story Book Time, and Carols, and an  Arts and Quilting show in the spring.
• Leavenworth Arts & Craft Association - Facility Expense & Art Supply Fund (Crawford County) - Leavenworth Arts and Crafts is an educational institution that promotes local arts and crafts for people of all ages. The funds for this project will go towards marketing, rent, tables, chairs, utilities, and a new outdoor sign. The funds will also be used for art supplies & artist salaries.
• Pekin Community Betterment Organization - Pekin Community Building Mural (Washington County) - The Pekin Community Betterment Organization will create a mural on the community building, in the Pekin Park, to celebrate the local culture and history. The mural will be painted by a local artist in collaboration with residents, reflecting the community's values and fostering a sense of pride and connection. Grant funds will be used to purchase materials, provide artist stipends, and conduct workshops that engage the community in the mural’s creation.
• Perry County Public Library - Perry County Public Library's Musical Playground (Perry County) - The Perry County Public Library (PCPL), in collaboration with the Tell City Regional Arts, will install a musical playground in the greenspace on the grounds of the Tell City location of PCPL. This will be phase one of a much larger project to revitalize the library's greenspace into a destination for entertainment, education, and creativity. This space will also eventually include further pieces of art, a pavilion for performing arts, and other public pieces for the community to share and use.
• Streets of Monticello Association - Art on the Move, Crosswalk Beautification Project (White County) - Streets of Monticello Association's Art on the Move, Crosswalk Beautification Project will provide the perfect canvas for local art students and artists who will be invited to submit their own designs for this public art initiative. This project will help the community advocate for the arts within their community and support local artists.  The artwork will be seen by anyone that walks, drives, or bikes on Monticello streets. Grant funds will be used to provide all the materials needed for the artists - included but not limited to prep materials, paint, rollers, safety equipment, and other supplies to achieve the project goals.
• Sullivan County Public Library - Speaker Series, Revamping Theater, and Bringing Creatives into the Community (Sullivan County) - The Sullivan County Public Library and The Merom Bluff Camp and Retreat Center will be partnering for an upcoming Speakers Series. The Every County Funded grant will be used for restoration of the Merom Center Theater's sound system. This will allow the library to have a space to host new speakers in the coming year. The long-term impact will provide another space for the arts in the Sullivan County Community.
• Town of Mount Ayr - Mount Ayr Mural Project (Newton County) - The Town of Mount Ayr owns a property that are the ruins of a 100-year-old grain elevator.  Only a concrete foundation from an old quonset hut, the original scales, and concrete pads from several grain bins remain.  Rather than remove the concrete remains, the Town will reuse the ruins with a mural project with artist Trenton Musch to document the town’s history.
• Union County 4-H Association - 4-H Art Program (Union County) - The Union County 4-H Association will offer programming in the arts to youth in grades K-12 to foster an appreciation for art amongst youth in Union County.  This programming will promote the health and well being of youth by allowing them to gain life skills amongst caring adults.  Being able to find stress relief through the arts will prevent at risk behaviors.
• Vermillion County 4-H  - Clay & Connection  (Vermillion County) - Vermillion County 4-H will utilize the grant for the establishment of "Clay & Connection," a ceramics studio space dedicated to providing youth & adults with a therapeutic outlet through the transformative power of art. The goal is to create an inclusive environment where individuals can explore their artistic expression, build community, and prioritize their mental wellbeing through the hands-on practice of pottery.

• For questions about application, eligibility, and guidelines: Contact the Community Services Program Manager, Anne Johansson at AJohansson@iac.IN.gov.
• For help or technical assistance with the Online Grant System: Contact IAC grants and operations team at grantsadmin@iac.in.gov.
• For accessibility accommodations or questions about accessibility at an organization or for a project: Contact accessibility@iac.in.gov.

In the spring of 2026, the Indiana Arts Commission offered invitation-based grants to organizations in the following counties: Blackford, Lawrence, Parke, Newton, Rush, Sullivan, Washington, and White.

The funded projects include:

• Arts Place, Blackford County - Grant funds will support the launch of Blackford County’s first ceramics program, including installation of a donated kiln, equipment, supplies, and fees for a local ceramicist. The program will offer classes, workshops, open studio time, and kiln firing services for all ages.
• Bedford Public Library, Lawrence County -  Bedford Public Library will host a free four-hour Community Culture Fair in mid-Winter 2027, featuring local glassmaking demonstrations, live jazz, typewriter poetry, storytelling by the Bloomington Storyteller’s Guild, and a culinary arts station.
• Bedford Revitalization, Inc., Lawrence County -  Bedford Revitalization Inc. will host the Second Saturdays Concert Series, which will include four outdoor concerts at Harp Commons in downtown Bedford, running June 12 through September 12, 2026, featuring Indiana musicians. The series is free and open to all.
• Brook-Iroquois Washington Public Library, Newton County -  The Brook Public Library will implement a year-long series of free arts workshops and live performances for all ages, including ceramics, fiber arts, mosaic design, mixed-media projects, sculptural art, and a concert performance. Grant funds will cover supplies, materials, and performer fees.
• Newton County Community Services, Newton County -  Newton County Community Services will support the Art Wall — Artist of the Month Gallery, a rotating community gallery featuring a monthly featured artist who will host a free public “Spotlight Tea” for community members to engage with the artist and learn about their creative process.
• Historic Ritz Theater, Parke County - Grant funds will support the Parke Players’ summer musical at the Historic Ritz Theater, covering set construction, costumes, technical equipment, marketing, and facility operations, while keeping ticket prices accessible to all.
• Imagine:nation Rush, Rush County -  Imagine:nation Rush will utilize grant funding to support the Rush County Community Gallery, a permanent, interactive gallery within the ADA-accessible Love Community Center in Rush County, featuring rotating exhibitions, community-submitted artwork, and artist-led workshops for youth, adults, and seniors.
• Sullivan County Public Library, Sullivan County - The Sullivan County Public Library will launch Handmade Heritage: A Sullivan County Folk Arts Initiative, a series of workshops, performances, and educational programs celebrating local and regional artistic traditions. Working with community partners including the Sullivan Area Art Guild, Sullivan County History Museum, local artists, and area schools, the project will provide arts experiences for residents of all ages.
• Washington County Community Action Coalition, Washington County - Grant funding will support The Sentinel Project, a monthly healing art circle open to all community members, centered on themes of resilience and creative expression. The project includes installation of a permanent “Woman Warrior” sentinel, stipends for artist-facilitators, and art supplies for participants.
• Streets of Monticello, White County -  Streets of Monticello will support Art & Music in Motion — Monticello, a creative placemaking initiative activating Monticello’s Art Alley and Riverwalk through public art installations and live music performances, celebrating local artists and enhancing the cultural identity of downtown.