The Salisbury Wicomico Arts Council - SWAC
1967 57th2024
SWAC has awarded over 176 scholarships for higher education, and/or youth art education, granted over $402,900 to local arts organizations.
Scholarships
Herbert D Brent Paul S Hyde Instrument Barn SWAC's Choice Blooming Artist Award
(use the same application as Brent & Hyde)
In 1982, the Salisbury Wicomico Arts Council decided to honor the late Herbert D. Brent, a Salisbury businessman who was known for his support and dedication to the arts, by raising funds to create a scholarship fund in his name. The purpose of the Herbert D. Brent Arts Scholarship Award is to recognize and financially assist talented young artists from this county who are pursuing academic careers in the arts.
The first scholarship award was given out in 1983, and in the fall of 1991, the Arts Council placed the Herbert D. Brent Scholarship Fund at Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore. This enables the fund to receive professional financial management, greater community visibility, and still allow the Arts Council to determine the recipients of the annual scholarship fund.
Paul S. Hyde was an educator and teacher all his life, serving 45 years as a professional educator and living 86 years as a guiding, questioning teacher. When he passed away in April of 1997, he bequeathed a scholarship in his name to the Salisbury Wicomico Arts Council to support young performers and playwrights.
The purpose of the Paul S. Hyde Scholarship Award is to recognize and financially assist talented young artists from this region who are pursuing academic careers in the performing arts or in playwriting. High school seniors or college students who will be or are graduates from a Wicomico public school, and are residents of Wicomico County are eligible.
The Paul S. Hyde Scholarship Fund resides with the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore. This enables the fund to receive professional financial management, greater community visibility, and still allow the Arts Council to determine the recipients of the annual scholarship.
The Instrument Barn program seeks to facilitate the collection of unused instruments from Wicomico County residents and then re-distribute them to qualifying, disadvantaged students. Every student should be entitled to music education despite his or her social or economic status. Approximately 47% of all local public school attendees are below the poverty line standard. Therefore, almost half of our public school student demographic is
unable to buy or rent an instrument and is not afforded the same level of accessibility and
equality in their academic endeavors. According to Wicomico County Schools Arts Administration, local instrumental music teachers work an average of 20
additional hours a week to fundraise for their respective programs. This constant pressure of
fundraising outside of school is directly contributing to low teacher retention in the arts, as
well as a significant strain in attracting talented and qualified teachers to the region.
Paramount to this project is the fact that student participation in the arts is not an
issue of aesthetics, but rather of equality. Research shows that young people who participate
in the arts for at least three days each week for one full year are: 4 times more likely to be
recognized for academic achievement, 3 times more likely to be elected to class office, 4
times more likely to participate in a math or science fair, 3 times more likely to win an award
for attendance, and 4 times more likely to win an award for writing an essay or poem. In
addition, young arts participants as compared with their peers are likely to: read for pleasure
nearly twice as often, participate in youth groups nearly four times as frequently, and perform
community service twice as often.
The mission of the Salisbury Wicomico Arts Council is: “To enhance the quality
of life in Wicomico County and the surrounding region by developing arts awareness through
educational programs and community outreach, promoting artistic experiences for diverse
ages and cultures, and facilitating communication among area artists and art organizations,
thereby establishing our community as a vital cultural center.”
The Instrument Barn coalesces all three prongs of our mission statement into a
singular project. To give an under-privileged child the gift of music will positively affect him
or her in a way that will be of benefit to the entire community. This project will assist
students of all races and ethnicities. At-risk students will be afforded the opportunity to
participate in band/strings; an endeavor that requires practice, discipline and cooperation.
This project may tangentially reduce Wicomico County’s achievement gap and reduce youth
crime and gang activity by providing a positive, creative alternative in and outside of the
classroom. As well, many of the students come from single-parent homes. Having a student
participate in band may engage or further engage the single parent in their child’s life as they
attend their son’s/daughter’s concerts and other band/string events. The social and behavioral
impact of this project will be significant. Children aren’t seeking to be involved in gangs or
drug addiction. What they are seeking is a sense of belonging. Participating in band gives a
student that very opportunity in a safe, positive environment.
The Instrument Barn is funded by grants from the Community Foundation of the
Eastern Shore, Wicomico County Partnership for Families and Children, and The Roothbert
Fund. This project is being undertaken with no promise of financial contribution from the
Wicomico Board of Education.
It's always an honor to award the Dr. Douglas I. Smith Memorial Grant, in memory of Doug, a past SWAC Board Member and Officer, Musician, Teacher and Friend. Unlike other SWAC grants to older students for higher education, the Smith Memorial Grant is intended for children age 16 and younger to pursue their training in the arts such as attending dance camps, music and art lessons, or can be awarded to a teacher, youth group minister or instructor to benefit a group project such as a youth group arts activity, group arts travel, and/or group events.
Keeping the arts alive for
youth SWAC encourages
young artists to apply every year!
The Salisbury Wicomico Arts Council has money available! The AEE Program is a competitive inter-disciplinary grant made possible through the Maryland State Arts Council. Teachers can apply individually, or as a "team." A team should be made up of one arts discipline teacher (music, theatre or visual) and one core discipline teacher (math, science, reading, social studies etc). This option has been made available to encourage teachers to work together to develop new, creative project ideas, using the arts as a tool to teach their curricula.
Individuals may only apply for SWAC grants if they seek and receive the support of a non-profit organization that will accept the financial and legal responsibility for the project. The grant will be made to the organization which can then, in turn, support the individual's project.
In 2019 SWAC was happy to present $7593 in Arts Enhanced Education Grants to 9 Wicomico County Schools to keep the arts alive in the school system. With the economic challenges facing the school system, funding for the arts in schools can be difficult. Helping to fulfill the SWAC mission SWAC gave grants to enhance art education to the following projects:
The mission of the Salisbury Wicomico Arts Council (SWAC) is to enhance the quality of life in our community by fostering arts awareness and education and by promoting a rich diversity of artistic experiences for all ages, all of which will be accomplished through leadership, support and funding of the arts.
To provide for the funding part of that mission SWAC has three arts grants programs available to any incorporated, non-profit 501(c)3 organization in Wicomico County.
Individuals may apply for SWAC grants if they seek and receive the support of a non-profit organization that will accept the financial and legal responsibility for the project. The grant will be made to the organization which can then, in turn, support the individual's project.
These grants are made available through SWAC and originate from the Community Arts Development program of the Maryland State Arts Council.
Arts Project Grant is for Wicomico County performances, exhibits, activities and services in all the arts fields and disciplines. Awards can range between $100 to $1250 each.
Project grants have to be matched on a 1:1 cash basis (SWAC can fund no more than one half of the total cost).
For ongoing support of Wicomico's larger, more active arts organizations that produce programs year-round. Awards can range between $100-$2,500 annually.
• Operating grants have to be matched on a 2:1 cash basis (SWAC can fund no more than a third of the total cost).
Operating grants will be awarded in a two (2) year funding cycle. This means your application is made for 2 years of funding support for events taking place between July 1- June 30. If awarded, your organization will receive a check for the first year of funding (July 1- June 30). Then, you must file an interim report by June 30 to receive a second check for the next fiscal year, provided that the level and scope of the organization’s activities remain the same. (NOTE: While 2nd cycle funding checks are contingent upon the requirements stated, SWAC reserves the right for 2nd cycle funding to be contingent upon SWAC financial resources, should any unforeseen financial hardship occur.)
SWAC reserves the right to award an Operating grant on a one (1) year cycle to an applicant organization in the midst of organizational transition.
To be eligible for an Operating grant agencies must:
Operating Grant Final Report:
Operating Grant Interim Report:
• For emergency financial needs to cover unforeseen circumstances.
• Emergency grants have to be matched on a 1:1 cash basis (SWAC can fund no more than half of the total cost).
Community leaders in their field of expertise, serve as Judges for Scholarship Audition day
The late Mrs. Helen Brent enjoyed participating with student auditions.
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