Three Fellowships That Provide Funding For Visual Artists

Fellowships give artists valuable financial means and other opportunities to advance their artistic development. They are essential programs devoted to rewarding artistic excellence. We often see the larger foundations getting the most publicity. In this article I provide three fellowships that provide funding for visual artists that you may not know about. They include A.I.R. Gallery Fellowship Program, The Awesome Foundation, and The McNight Fellowships For Visual Artists.

Let me know if you would like me to continue posting these kinds of opportunities for artists in future articles. And, please share this information with fellow artists.

Also read  Money For Artists During Challenging Times.

Read Funding Resources and Grants For Individual Artists .

The Awesome Foundation

The Awesome Foundation is “a global community advancing the interest of awesome in the universe, $1,000 at a time.” Created in 2009 in Boston the Foundation distributes these grants, “no strings attached”, to projects and their creators.

The Awesome Foundation has 85 chapters in 19 different countries. Each autonomous chapter supports projects through these $1,000 micro-grants. They are usually given out monthly.

Every chapter interprets “awesome” for itself. Awesome projects include initiatives in a wide range of areas including arts, technology, community development, and more.

Anyone is eligible for the Awesome Foundation grant including individuals, groups, and organizations. There is an application form on the website.

For more information visit awesomefoundation.org

The McNight Fellowships For Visual Artists

The McKnight Foundation’s arts program was established in 1981 and is is one of the oldest and largest of its kind in the United States.  They provide annual, unrestricted cash awards to outstanding mid-career Minnesota artists. The goal of the Fellowships for Visual Artists program is “to identify talented Minnesota visual artists whose work is of exceptional artistic merit and who are at a career stage beyond emerging.”

There are a total of eight $25,000 fellowships awarded each year.

The Arts program believes “the arts cannot flourish or enhance community life without the ideas, energy, and drive of individual artists, and that artists cannot make these contributions without unfettered creative time.”

The Fellowship connects fellows to six visiting critics, participating in a McKnight Discussion Series, and working with each fellow to further pursue professional development opportunities.

For more information visit mcad.edu/about-mcad/fellowships/mcknight-artist-fellowships

Artist Trust Fellowships

The Artist Trust Fellowship Awards are merit-based awards of $10,000 to practicing professional artists of exceptional talent and ability residing in Washington State. These unrestricted awards are open to artists of all disciplines and are given annually to 8+ artists of in recognition of artistic excellence and dedication to their practice. This includes The Vadon Foundation Fellowship Award for Native Artists, the Fellowship Award for Black Artists, the Greg Kucera & Larry Yocom Fellowship Award, and The Lillian Miller Foundation Fellowship for Trans* and Indigiqueer Artists. These fellowships are designed to recognize artistic achievement, dedication to an artistic discipline, and potential for further professional development. For more information visit artisttrust.org/grants/fellowship/