Johnston County Arts Council Awarded $77,839 State Grant

SMITHFIELD, N.C. – The Johnston County Arts Council has been awarded $77,839 in state funding to support arts programs and administrative costs during the 2026-27 fiscal year.

The money comes through the N.C. Arts Council’s Grassroots Arts Program, which provides funding to local arts organizations across the state.

The Johnston County grant is part of nearly $11 million in arts funding announced statewide for the coming fiscal year.

The N.C. Arts Council, a division of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, awarded 340 grants to nonprofit organizations, schools, after-school programs, municipalities and artists in all 100 counties.

Individual grants range from $2,000 to more than $350,000.

The state said this year’s funding priorities include increasing community participation in the arts, strengthening local arts organizations, expanding arts opportunities for students and supporting partnerships that combine state, federal and local funding.

The grants are also intended to ensure residents in every North Carolina county have access to arts programming.

Additional Opportunity For Johnston Artists

Johnston County artists may also benefit from a separate regional program administered through the United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County.

That organization received $19,000 through the Artist Support Grant program to provide professional development opportunities for artists in Johnston, Harnett, Chatham, Lee and Wake counties.