Handed Down at Home
Handed Down at Home is a monthly activity series from Texas Folklife that brings the heart of folklife into everyday life. Each lesson features a simple, low-to-no-cost activity that families, classrooms, and community members can do with materials they already have. Through storytelling, food traditions, music, and creative expression, these lessons help families explore what folklife means — and discover the traditions they already practice at home.Every activity includes:
- A clear objective
- Background on a folklife theme (like storytelling or foodways)
- A hands-on activity
- Ways to expand the lesson
- A fun fact
New lessons are released monthly and made available as free, print-ready PDFs here.
November Lesson
The Stories We Eat Lesson
The Stories We Eat Lesson Graphic
RESOURCES (latest update November 2025):
Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA): arts.texas.gov
Description: Offers various grants for individual artists, arts organizations, and community-based projects as well as job opening, including Call for Artists.
Houston Arts Alliance: houstonartsalliance.com
Description: Provides grants, resources (including an event calendar or Get Ready for Disaster page), and workshops dedicated to supporting the arts in Houston.
Austin Cultural Arts Funding: austintexas.gov/department/cultural-funding
Description: The Economic Development Department’s Cultural Arts Funding Program supports cultural arts programs for the Austin community by contracting with arts organizations for specific services.
San Antonio Artist Grants: getcreativesanantonio.com/Grants#239474088-artist-grants Description: offers grants to qualifying artists based in San Antonio. Artists Grants are annual and available for individual artists as well as those working in collaborations, collectives, and ensembles.
Dallas Funding Programs for Individual Artists:
dallasculture.org/cultural-funding-programs/funding-programs-for-individual-artists/
Description: provides three distinct grants (CVP, CPP, and CVP). Each grant is designed to support the growth of a vibrant cultural ecosystem in Dallas.
MCAD: https://epmcad.org/find-opportunities/arts-funding/
Description: provides support annually to El Paso artists, area non-profit arts organizations and creative entrepreneurs through a competitive granting process in six categories.
The Idea Fund: theideafund.org
Description: A re-granting program funded by the Andy Warhol Foundation that supports new and unconventional Greater Houston Area artists
Big Medium: bigmedium.org
Description: Known for organizing the East Austin Studio Tour and the Texas Biennial, they frequently offer calls for artists.
Art League Houston: artleaguehouston.org
Description: Invites artists to submit their works for solo or group exhibits.
Lawndale Art Center: lawndaleartcenter.org/
Description: focuses on presenting exhibitions proposed by artists and curators from within the Houston and Gulf Coast region.
Kerrville Folk Festival Foundation: https://www.kerrvillefolkfestival.org/newfolk
Description: offers a major song contest that is a career-builder for New Folk Finalists and Winners.
Old Settler’s Youth Talent Competition: oldsettlersmusicfest.org/youth-talent-competition/
Description: YTC encourages a new generation of American roots musicians by offering performance opportunities and exposure at the Old Settler’s Music Festival in
South by Southwest (SXSW): sxsw.com/apply/showcase-applications/
Description: artists can take advantage of career-changing showcase opportunities and unprecedented access to the amazing mix of influential industry participants who attend SXSW every year.
Main Street Arts Festival: mainstreetartsfest.org/
Description: Located in Fort Worth, it’s one of the largest continuous arts festivals in Texas. Please note that the Dallas Fort Worth Professional Musicians Union books the majority of Main’s local and Texas bands and musical entertainment.
SWRFA: swfolkalliance.org/home
Description: The Southwestern chapter of Folk Alliance International’s mission is to build and strengthen the community around folk music and songwriting. Each year, SWRFA presents a conference in Austin, TX which connects artists, presenters, radio DJs, and fans to the rich, living tradition of folk music in our region, which covers Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Mexico. Artist can apply for an Official Showcase at the annual conference.
FAI: folk.org/
Description: Folk Alliance International (FAI) is an international arts nonprofit. Founded in 1989, we’re a community of passionate and driven artists, managers, agents, DJs, festivals, record labels, fans, and more. We exist to keep the tradition of folk music thriving through preservation, presentation, and promotion. Folk artists can apply to the FAI Official Showcases. Each Official Showcase is a 30-minute set performed on a full production stage at the in-person conference.