The America250 Mississippi Commission and the Mississippi Arts Commission are offering a one-time public art grant to celebrate Mississippi’s stories in honor of the nation’s 250th celebration in 2026. Funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Mississippi Legislature, $100,000 is dedicated to public art grants for ten eligible applicants in Mississippi.
“MAC is expanding the state’s arts and culture landscape through new public art initiatives,” said David Lewis, Executive Director of the Mississippi Arts Commission. “Earlier this year, we announced our new Public Art in Community Grant, which we developed in partnership with the Levitt Foundation. Building on that success, we are now thrilled to partner through the America250 Mississippi Commission to create a one-time America250 Public Art Grant to celebrate Mississippi stories that reflect the broader American experience during the nation’s semi-quincentennial.”
MAC will award grants of $12,000 (for eligible applicants with FY26 operating budgets over $250,000) and $8,000 (for budgets under $250,000). One of each grant will be awarded across the state’s five regions: the Gulf Coast, Capital-Rivers, the Pines, the Hills, and the Delta.
With a focus on celebrating Mississippi’s stories in connection to the nation’s 250th, 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
Eligible applicants are Mississippi-based 501(c)(3) nonprofits and units of government, such as a school, library, county, or municipal agency. Organizations that have received $30,000 or more from MAC in FY26 are ineligible. Projects must feature original public art with free public access. The MAC America250 Public Art Grant is a 1:1 match, with a cash match minimum requirement of 10%. The remaining 90% match can be in-kind.
Applications open on November 17, 2025, at 12:00 a.m. CST and close on January 15, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. CST.
To learn more about the MAC’s America250 Public Art Grant, contact Simone Cottrell, Special Initiatives Director, Mississippi Arts Commission, scottrell@arts.ms.gov, or visit https://arts.ms.gov/