The deadline to apply for one of six $5,000 fellowship awards from the S.C. Arts Commission is October 1.

Here's a bit about the program from the commission's press release:
S.C. Arts Commission Executive Director Suzette Surkamer sees the program as a way to acknowledge outstanding artistic accomplishment and promote public awareness and appreciation for the role of the artist in South Carolina. The latter is a benefit ranked highly by many fellows.

...

Since 1976, the Arts Commission has awarded 194 fellowship awards to actors, craftsmen, poets, screenwriters, musicians and more in recognition of exemplary artistic talent. Fellowship awards have no restriction on use of funds.

"The fellowship program allows artists the freedom to choose how they will use the award," said John Benjamin Gilliam, a 2007-2008 craft fellow from Greenville. Gilliam used his grant to attend a workshop in Ireland this summer. "Without the award, I wouldn't have had the resources to make the trip," he said.

Specific information about the grant and application process is available.