Resources for artists and arts-related businesses
Start and run an arts business.
A sculptor, a string band, a dance company and the lawyer, accountant or framer who serves them start the same way: a name, a registration, a tax ID and a plan to get paid.
NC North Carolina resource National works anywhere in the U.S.
We link to government agencies, nonprofits and member organizations so you can go straight to the source. We are not lawyers or accountants, and nothing here is legal or tax advice. Links checked October 2026.
Start here · every art form
Register your business
Selling your work, teaching classes or taking commissions makes you a business. These offices make it official in North Carolina, and most of the help is free.
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NC Secretary of State: Business Registration (opens in a new tab)
Form an LLC, corporation or nonprofit, file your annual report and look up business names already taken.
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NC Secretary of State: Assumed business names (opens in a new tab)
Working under a band, studio or shop name that isn’t your legal name? How to register that name.
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IRS: Get an Employer Identification Number (opens in a new tab)
A free federal tax ID for your band, label, studio or practice. Apply directly with the IRS.
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NC Small Business and Technology Development Center (opens in a new tab)
One-on-one business counseling for North Carolina businesses, from the UNC System.
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NC Community Colleges Small Business Center Network (opens in a new tab)
Free, confidential counseling and low-cost seminars at a Small Business Center in every community college.
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SCORE (opens in a new tab)
Free mentoring and workshops from experienced business volunteers. Search by ZIP code for a mentor near you.
Start here · every art form
Sort out taxes
Selling art, books, recordings or tickets in North Carolina usually means collecting sales tax. Freelance income means paying self-employment tax.
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NC Department of Revenue: Business Registration (opens in a new tab)
Register online for sales and use tax (selling merch, art or tickets) and payroll withholding.
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NC Department of Revenue: Admission charges (opens in a new tab)
Selling tickets? Sales tax applies to admission charges for entertainment in North Carolina.
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IRS: Self-employed individuals tax center (opens in a new tab)
Gig and freelance income, self-employment tax, estimated payments and deductions, explained by the IRS.
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IRS: Free tax return preparation (opens in a new tab)
Free tax help from IRS-certified volunteers for people who qualify.
Start here · every art form
Keep the books
Keep a record of every sale, fee and receipt from the first day. Good records make tax time shorter and grant applications easier. The help below is free or low-cost.
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IRS: Recordkeeping (opens in a new tab)
What records to keep, why, and for how long: income, expenses, receipts and property.
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IRS: Small business and self-employed tax center (opens in a new tab)
The IRS starting point for small businesses and the self-employed: filing, deductions, estimated tax and forms.
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NC Department of Revenue: Taxes and forms (opens in a new tab)
North Carolina individual income, sales and use and withholding tax: rules, forms and filing.
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NC Community Colleges Small Business Center Network (opens in a new tab)
Free, confidential counseling and low-cost seminars at a Small Business Center in every community college.
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NC Small Business and Technology Development Center (opens in a new tab)
One-on-one business counseling for North Carolina businesses, from the UNC System.
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SCORE (opens in a new tab)
Free mentoring and workshops from experienced business volunteers. Search by ZIP code for a mentor near you.
Start here · every art form
Protect your work
Paintings, poems, photographs, choreography, films and songs are all covered by copyright. Registering makes your rights easier to enforce, and a trademark protects your name.
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U.S. Copyright Office (opens in a new tab)
What copyright covers, how to register, and a public records system for searching existing registrations.
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Copyright Claims Board (opens in a new tab)
A small-claims alternative to federal court for copyright disputes of up to $30,000.
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USPTO: Trademarks (opens in a new tab)
Protect a band name, logo or brand across the country with a federal trademark.
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NC Secretary of State: Trademarks (opens in a new tab)
Register a trademark or service mark with the state, and search marks already registered in North Carolina.
Start here · every art form
Find legal help
Contracts, commissions, leases and disputes: start with the entertainment lawyers in our directory, or use a referral service. Some help is free if your income qualifies.
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Entertainment lawyers in the directory
Attorneys we list who work with artists, bands and arts businesses.
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NC Bar Association: Lawyer Referral Service (opens in a new tab)
Get matched with a North Carolina lawyer. Referred clients pay $50 for a first 30-minute consultation.
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NC Free Legal Answers (opens in a new tab)
Post a civil legal question online and a volunteer lawyer answers it, free, if your income qualifies.
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Legal Aid of North Carolina (opens in a new tab)
Free civil legal help with housing, benefits, consumer and workers’ rights, from the state’s nonprofit law firm.
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National Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts directory (opens in a new tab)
State-by-state list of volunteer-lawyers-for-the-arts programs that offer free or low-cost legal help to artists.
Start here · every art form
Grants and funding
Public arts money for individual artists in North Carolina mostly flows through county and regional arts councils. Start with yours.
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NC Arts Council: Grants (opens in a new tab)
Artist Support Grants of $500 to $2,000, run region by region, plus folklife apprenticeships and grants for groups.
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NC Arts Council: Directory of local arts agencies (opens in a new tab)
Find your county’s arts council. Local arts councils run the state’s Artist Support Grants and Grassroots Arts funding in their area.
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NC Arts Council: Artist opportunities (opens in a new tab)
A free listing of calls for art, grants, residencies and more, posted by organizations across the state.
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South Arts (opens in a new tab)
Regional arts organization for nine Southern states, North Carolina among them. Grants, fellowships and touring programs.
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National Endowment for the Arts: Grants (opens in a new tab)
Federal arts grants. The main programs fund organizations and arts agencies, so check each program’s guidelines.
Start here · every art form
Health coverage
Self-employed artists can buy coverage on the federal marketplace, and North Carolina has free local help to choose a plan.
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NC Navigator Consortium (opens in a new tab)
Free, unbiased local help signing up for Marketplace coverage or Medicaid in North Carolina.
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HealthCare.gov (opens in a new tab)
Compare and buy health coverage on the federal marketplace.
Know a resource we missed?
Suggest a resource
Tell us about a North Carolina program, office or nonprofit that helps artists and arts-related businesses. We check every link before it goes up.
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