Artists with Disabilities Access Program (ADAP)

April 13, 2023 | Agency 2022 ADAP recipient Matthew Moore. Photo by OAC staff member Andrew Paa Professional Development Support for Artists with Disabilities The Artists with Disabilities Access Program (ADAP) provides funding that gives individual artists with disabilities the resources they need to further their artistic development. Creative expression by artists of all abilities is essential to building dynamic and diverse communities throughout Ohio. ADAP awards help artists with disabilities advance their artistic practices, making Ohio a more accessible and inclusive place to build an artistic career. GRANT AWARDS Grants are awarded to individual artists at both the emerging artist level ($500) and professional artist level (up to $2,500), with no cash match required. Applicants may receive only one ADAP award per year. Artists with Disabilities Access Program grantees generally receive their full request. Note: For the purposes of the ADAP program, emerging artists are individuals who have consistently worked in their chosen art form for more than three years, have demonstrated strong artistic potential, and want to develop their careers. Professional artists are individuals who devote a major portion of their time to creating, practicing, performing, or teaching their chosen artform and receive some type of monetary support from this endeavor. ELIGIBILITY All applying artists must: Be at least 18 years of age. Applicants must have lived in Ohio for one year prior to the September 1 deadline and must remain a resident of the state throughout the grant period. Have exhibited, performed, or published work as an artist within the past three years. Have a disability (the OAC uses the definition of disability contained in Sec. 12102 of the ADA, as amended by the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-325), which went into effect on January 1, 2009). Both creative and performing artists who have a disability may apply to this program. Applicants may not: Be a student attending high school or pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree at the time of application. Apply for both an Artists with Disabilities Access Program grant and an Artist Opportunities grant in the same fiscal year. Apply to support day-to-day expenses of an arts-related for-profit business (i.e., awards must be used for expenses related to an artist’s growth and development). Apply to support the duplication of previous work or experiences (i.e., projects must focus on a new professional endeavor; duplication of previous work or experiences will be deemed ineligible). Apply to travel to an out-of-state exhibition or performance. NOTE: Artists who have received an Individual Excellence Award (in any discipline; beginning FY 2026) are ineligible to apply for an Artist with Disabilities Access Program award for five years. Please refer to Appendix B for OAC other funding restrictions that may affect your eligibility. HOW THE PROGRAM WORKS The Artists with Disabilities Access Program provides support to individual artists with disabilities to: introduce their work to new audiences and to raise their artistic profile, through exhibitions, performances, publications, or screenings. develop a new artistic skill through participation in activities such as conferences, artist residencies, workshops, fellowships, master classes, or apprenticeships. advance their career through activities like production of marketing materials, website development, equipment purchases (not to exceed $1,500), materials, services, or rental fees for equipment or facilities. After accepting a grant award in ARTIE, grantees will automatically receive a partial payment of 50% of their total grant award. Final payment of the grant will be processed once a final report is received and approved. OAC staff may request additional information regarding grant activities prior to approving the final payment. HOW TO APPLY Interested applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the program coordinator to initiate the application process. Accommodations can be made for the application process. ADAP applications are submitted electronically via the ARTIE system. Please refer to Appendix G for a step-by-step look at applying for, accepting, and managing a grant through this program. If an applicant needs support in applying (in-person explanation, data entry, transcription, technology, etc.) the applicant or his or her designee can contact the OAC. Applicants are strongly encouraged to include as much information as possible in their responses to narrative questions in order to provide panelists with a complete picture of how the grant funding will advance the artists’ professional pursuits. SUPPORT MATERIALS Applications for this program must include support materials, including work samples, in order to be accepted. The following support materials are required for emerging artists: Artist résumé or biography Work samples – may include up to 12 images, or at least two audio, video, or writing samples, not more than three years old The following support materials are required for professional artists: Artist résumé Professional biography or artist statement Work samples – may include up to 12 images, or at least two audio, video, or writing samples, not more than three years old Note: If applicable, materials describing proposed class, conference, or workshop, as well as résumé(s) of proposed instructor(s), teaching artist(s), or consultant(s), may also be submitted. EVALUATION AND SCORING A panel of arts and cultural professionals, educators, artists, and other community members evaluate and score ADAP grant applications. Panel meetings are open to the public through a free video conferencing platform. Applicants are strongly encouraged to listen online. For details on panel meeting dates, times, and instructions for listening, visit the OAC online grants calendar. At the panel meeting, panelists discuss how well each application satisfies the program’s evalua