Grant Program Guidelines

MAFA awards new grants annually. MAFA Member Guilds, Associate Member organizations, and unaffiliated fiber arts non-profits are eligible to apply. 501(c)(3) status is not required.

MAFA invites collaboration among fiber arts organizations, but a single organization must be designated as grant recipient. Priority will be given to applicants that have not received a MAFA Grant in the past five years.

Successful applicants will propose a project that advances one or more of MAFA’s objectives:

  • to promote education in the fiber arts
  • to plan, organize and conduct fiber arts conferences and
  • to facilitate communication among member guilds

In addition, each project must incorporate a clear public impact or benefit, for example, to raise public awareness of MAFA’s (or the Guild’s) activities and resources. The Grant program is not intended to fund individual work, research or study, or to benefit a Guild’s membership exclusively. At a minimum, registration for MAFA-funded events shall be open to non-members and their participation may not be unreasonably restricted.

Grant funds are distributed 50 percent at time of award and 50 percent upon approval of the final report.

General Requirements

  • Projects must be completed within the time specified. Grant projects should take no more than 12 months, but may be shorter.
  • Grant funds may only be used as defined in the project plan and proposed budget. Any unspent funds will be returned to MAFA.
  • Expense receipts are not required, but must be made available to MAFA upon request for a period of five (5) years from completion of the grant project.
  • Credit must be given to The MidAtlantic Fiber Association in any publicity or public relations (PR) material about the project.
  • The project director must submit a final report within 60 days of project completion.

Application Process

MAFA accepts applications for the upcoming year beginning in September.  Every effort will be made to complete the decision-making process and notify applicants of grant awards by the end of the fourth month after submission.

To apply, submit the online MAFA Grant Application, including a proposed project budget and up to three supporting documents or photographs.  Online submission is required.  You may save your work and return to it later.  All submissions will be acknowledged.

A downloadable Grant Application Preview  is available.

The Grants Committee reviews project proposals, and recommends one or more awards. The Committee may recommend less than the requested amount. All grant awards are approved by the MAFA Board.

Note: Members of the Grants Committee do not participate in reviewing or approval of applications and reports from any guild to which they belong.

Final Report

A final report is due within 60 days of project completion, but no later than January 15 of the following year. Final reports are available for public inspection and will be posted on the MAFA website. They should not contain personal addresses, phone numbers or other private information.

This report should include:

  • A description of the project;
  • An analysis of project goals versus actual outcomes;
  • A summary of lessons learned and advice for future grantees; and
  • Actual vs. proposed project budget, and an explanation of any differences.

Along with the report, the Grantee must submit 3 to 6 photograph(s) or video for use on the MAFA website, publications, and/or social media, and photo release form(s) giving permission to publish. The balance of grant funds will not be paid until photos and appropriate releases are received.

See Photo Release Guidelines for downloadable release form.

The Grants Committee reviews final reports for completeness and recommends approval to the MAFA Board. The remaining 50 percent of funds are released upon the Board’s approval of the final report.

Send questions to: grants@mafafiber.org.