Durham Arts Council is piloting the Creative Space Grants as a new method for making the Durham Arts Council building available to arts nonprofits and individual artists based in Durham County NC. Guidelines or application questions may be adjusted as we learn from the experience of administering these grants.  Creative Space Grants include Creative Hours Grants, Creative Showcase Grants and Creative Residency Grants.

Who May Apply? 

• Arts and cultural nonprofits incorporated as a 501(c)(3) and based in Durham County, NC
• individual artists residing in Durham County, NC
• Arts Administrators organizing an event on behalf of an arts nonprofit 501c(3) based in Durham County, NC.
•  If a project is bring produced by an unincorporated group of artists, one artist may apply on behalf of the group.  
• All applicants must be at least 18 years old.   

What Can I Request?   

• This grant supports short term public facing arts and cultural activities—such as performances, showings and presentations. Short term is definied as 40 hours or less of room use.  The request may include rehearsals and production meetings related to the public performance or event.  Applicant can receive one Creative Showcase grant per year.

What Can I Not Request?

• This grant does not support fund raising events.
• This grant does not support commercial enterprises, except for ticketed performances or events.
• Gallery exhibition in DAC gallery spaces.  
•  For closed events—such as rehearsals and meetings—please apply through the DAC Creative Hours Grant.  
•  For year round use or events requiring more than 40 hours of space within a 12-month period, including office space, use the DAC Creative Residency Grant.

 What Does the Creative Sharing Grant Cover?

• The grant covers rental costs.
• A cleaning/maintenance fee is charged for each use. 
• For activities taking place outside regular building hours, an hourly security fee will be added.   
• For activites taking place in the PSI Theatre, an hourly tech fee will be added. 

 Your grant will appear as a credit against the total cost of your request. When your grant is awarded, you will receive a contract and invoice that itemizes all fees and grant credits. 

 What Factors Are Considered When Evaluating a Grant Application?

•   Applicant eligibility.   
•  Quality of the arts or arts experience and evidence of sustained commitment to arts programming or artistic practice.  
•  Appropriateness of the activity for the DAC building.
• How the project activates the DAC building.

More details about the entire grant process are available on the Durham Arts Council webpage for Creative Space Grants.

This page provides an overview of the performer application. To access the application, use the link at the bottom of the page to set up a free account. 

APPLICATION DEADLINE - Monday, June 1st 2026 

 The 51st Annual CenterFest is the longest running outdoor juried arts festival in North Carolina. The festival boasts juried visual artists from near and far, great entertainment, lots of food and fun, and educational activities for kids. Located in Downtown Durham's vibrant city center district, CenterFest performers, artists and visitors will enjoy a setting filled with restaurants, shops and studios: a perfect space for an event that will bring 30,000+ visitors over the weekend. CenterFest 2026 will include several performance stages showcasing music, dance, street performers, and community groups. We are looking for a diverse array of performance groups and entertainers. The Durham Arts Council's goal is to showcase community artists, with a focus on performers who may not be represented in the wider arts sector. Performance artists and groups who identify as BIPOC are encouraged to apply. 

Durham Arts Council will be using themes from America250 in festival programming. We are looking at performances which responds to the chosen themes.  More information will be provided in the acceptance materials.   

CenterFest is Sunshine Artist's #1 Fine Arts Festival in North Carolina and is ranked #22 nationally.

https://durhamarts.org/centerfest/ 

Centerfest dates and times: September 19 from 10am-6pm and September 20 from 11am-5pm   

   APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

• Complete contact information 
• Attach your technical needs sheet (upload file as word 'docx, doc' or pdf document, not exceeding 1MB) 
• Provide description of your group 
• Provide web link to online performance sample 
• Upload press quality photo (png, gif, and jpeg files accepted, with file size not exceeding 1MB)
• Opportunities available for featured performers, well-loved bands, ensembles, singer/songwriters, dance groups, puppet shows, processions, juggling, music, marching  bands and more.

 BENEFITS, SCREENING, AND REGULATIONS  BENEFITS :

  If selected to perform, you will receive the following festival benefits: 

• Posting on the CenterFest website. 
• Exposure through various local marketing, such as streaming, radio, tv, and social media.
• Inclusion in publicity campaign and social media. 
• Payment of up to $100 for your 20 - 50-minute performance. More established bands may be considered for higher performance fees.  
• A designated area for performers to sell and distribute CD's and merchandise. Performers are responsible for managing their own sales. 

 SCREENING                   

 All applicants will be screened by the Centerfest 2026 Management Team and entertainment committee. The screening process will take into account technical and scheduling needs, diversity in performances, and record of previous performances. 

All 2026 Applicants will be notified in Submittable by Monday, July 20th, 2026, if they are selected or not selected. 

*Once artists receive a contract, please review and sign by Monday, August 17th, 2026, at the latest. Failure to sign contract in timely manner may result in contract termination.* 

REGULATIONS 

• All performers and their crew must follow all rules and regulations for parking, load-in, load-out, and performance as outlined in the performer information packet and performer contract.  Failure to follow the rules and/or follow directions from CenterFest staff onsite may result in being asked to leave the festival.
• Artists must perform work for which they were invited.  
• Artists must provide technical specifications with the application.  
• The DAC retains the right to use any festival documentation and photos to be used in future promotion of CenterFest without compensation to the artist.  
• The DAC retains the right to use photos submitted by performer to be used in promotion of CenterFest 2026 without compensation to the artist.  
• Stage performances will generally be 20 to 50 minutes.
•  DAC provides professional quality sound systems, drum kits at main stages.  No cymbals or amps provided.
• All staging areas will be outdoors and two will have coverings. No "green room" dressing room, or rugs will be provided.  
• No application fee to apply. 
• Load in areas, parking passes and information and festival map will be included in a formal contract between you and the DAC upon selection to perform.  
• Rainout: CenterFest is a Rain or Shine event. Performers will be asked to proceed in the event of light rain when it is safe to do so. No compensation will be paid due to performers decision not to participate; performers will be paid in the event of rain if they are present and ready to perform.