Artist Funding Guide: $1.5M+ for April & May 2025
- Forbidden Fruit
- 2 days ago
- 7 min read
Funding Opportunities for Artists: April & May 2025
Spring is here, and with it comes a flourishing season of funding opportunities for the artistic community. This Artist Funding Guide for April and May brings over $1.5 million in exciting possibilities for creating new work and sharing your artistic vision with broader audiences. Whether you're seeking financial support, creative residencies, or exhibition platforms, this roundup highlights pathways to advance your artistic practice this season.
Remember :
Read the full guidelines – Requirements can change from year to year.
Check eligibility – Many grants have location or discipline-specific criteria.
Prepare your materials early – Some applications require work samples, proposals, or letters of recommendation.
Artist Funding Guide Spring 2025
Financial support remains one of the most critical resources for artistic development. Like Spring's bloom, these grants offer fertile ground for various creative needs, from securing stable housing to cultivating ambitious new projects across disciplines.
April Grant Deadlines:
April 8: WFF Housing Stability Grant – Provides $30,000 (distributed over three years) to NYC-based visual artists seeking stable housing support. Five artists will receive funding in this inaugural cycle for new housing, guaranteed leases, or improved live/work spaces.
April 13: Prix Viviane Esders – Recognizes European photographers over 60 years old with established careers spanning decades. One photographer receives €50,000, with two finalists receiving €5,000 each.
April 15: Anonymous Was A Woman Environmental Art Grants – Distributing up to $20,000 per project for environmental art initiatives led by women-identifying artists throughout the United States and U.S. Territories.
April 22: Vital Impacts Flash Grant – National Geographic photographer Annie Griffiths supports this $2,000+ grant for photographers documenting and uplifting the natural world through their imagery.
April 30: Woden Activations Quick Response Arts Funding – Provides up to $5,000 for individual artists or $10,000 for collectives to activate spaces in the Woden area with community-engaged creative projects.
May Grant Deadlines
May 1: Ohio Arts Council Artist Opportunities – Supports Ohio artists of all disciplines and career stages whose projects will significantly impact their professional growth or contribute to community vitality.
May 1: Artists with Disabilities Access Program (ADAP) – Provides funding specifically for Ohio-based artists with disabilities to advance their artistic development and create a more accessible creative environment.
May 2: The U.S. Writers Aid Initiative (USWAI) – Offers financial assistance to professional U.S.-based writers including authors, poets, playwrights, translators, and journalists facing short-term emergencies.
May 5: Yéigo Action Grant – Provides $100-$5,000 for individual Native artists and culture bearers needing support for professional development or addressing hardships that hinder their creative practice.
Rolling: Adobe Creative Residency Community Fund (Ukraine) – Commissions visual artists to create company projects with awards ranging from $500 to $5,000 on a rolling basis.
Rolling: The Adolf and Esther Gottlieb Emergency Grant (International) – One-time financial assistance (typically $5,000, up to $15,000) for qualified painters, printmakers, and sculptors facing unforeseen catastrophic incidents who lack resources to meet that situation.
Rolling: Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant (International) – Grants up to $50,000 for painters, sculptors, and artists working on paper. Grant size determined by artist's circumstances, with consideration of exhibition history.
Residencies + Fellowships
Just as spring provides the ideal conditions for renewal, residencies and fellowships offer the perfect environment for creative transformation. These opportunities provide the time, space, and community that allow artists to bloom beyond the constraints of everyday demands
April 4: New York Theatre Workshop 2050 Administrative Fellowship – A year-long, paid, part-time fellowship for emerging theatre administrators interested in various specialties from artistic workshop to production management.
April 7: The Dome House Al & Mickey Quinlan Artist Residency – An 8-week program in Wisconsin designed for emerging and mid-career Midwest artists focused on drawing, painting, printmaking, and photography from August to September 2025.
April 7: Windgate Artist Residency at University of Arkansas Little Rock – Semester-long residency for Fall 2025 offering a $30,000 stipend, housing, materials funding, and access to extensive university studios.
April 13: Velvetpark LGBTQ+ Visual Artist Residency 2025 – Provides dedicated live/work studio space in Brooklyn for LGBTQ+ artists across the United States with two options: a 6-week summer term or a 4-month fall term.
April 15: Brashnar Artist-in-Residence Summer 2025 – Artist-led urban residency in Skopje, North Macedonia offering a communal living environment while engaging with local culture and community.
April 15: Individual and Collaborative Fellowships | The Cultural Foundation Schloss Wiepersdorf – Offers a monthly stipend of €1,200 plus €480 for materials during three-month residency periods in Brandenburg, Germany. Open to international artists across multiple disciplines.
April 15: Hambidge Residency - 2025 Fall Session – Self-directed program on 600 forested acres in Georgia providing private studio living spaces and natural surroundings with no required activities or critiques.
April 16: Mudflat Studio Artist Residency – Competitive one-year position in Boston for clay artists, offering private studio space, facility access, and monthly stipends for materials and housing.
April 18: SOZO Fellowship – Coaching program designed for mid-career independent artists focusing on sustainability and entrepreneurship skills, culminating in a $1,500 honorarium upon completion.
April 21: McColl Center: The John O. Calmore Creative Activism Artist Residency – Supports artists addressing social justice issues through their creative practice, culminating in an exhibition in Toronto showcasing art as activism.
April 22: Works & Process Open Call For Residencies – Week-long residencies for NYC movement-based artists with daily fees up to $150/artist (maximum $8,400), housing, transportation stipend, and 24/7 studio access.
April 28: Lux Center for The Arts Call for Entries – Supports community connection through exhibitions featuring artists at all career stages, from students to professionals, with a focus on accessibility.
April 30: Chianti Artist in Residence – Two-month residencies providing an apartment, downtown studio, collection access, and a $4,000 stipend for artists working across audio, performance, visual, and other disciplines.
May 4: ArtPort Kingston Emerging Hudson Valley Filmmakers Open Call – Screening opportunity for emerging filmmakers from Hudson Valley or NYC area as part of a community-driven, donation-based Summer Film Series.
May 9: Frank Lloyd Wright's Martin House Creative Residency Program – Offers a 2-4 week residency with $5,000 stipend plus travel expenses for projects relating to the historic Martin House site. Applications open April 14.
Open Calls
Spring brings opportunities for visibility as nature showcases its beauty, and similarly, these open calls provide platforms for artists to emerge and share their work. Through exhibitions, competitions, and public art commissions, creators can connect their vision with new audiences ready to engage with fresh perspectives.
April 6: Print Center New York Curatorial Open Call – Opportunity for emerging curators to develop printmaking exhibitions with substantial support including a $5,000+ fee, expert mentorship, and comprehensive production assistance.
April 7: RFQ Permanent Public Art at Reno-Tahoe International Airport – $300,000 budget for public art installations at either four elevator tower stairwells or five exterior canopies at RNO's newly upgraded Loop Road. This major commission seeks to enhance the passenger experience in Reno, Nevada.
April 11: The Union Park Hoarding Art Project - Wembley Park – Commission for a 70-meter landmark mural in London celebrating themes of belonging, culture, and celebration, to be showcased for 3-4 years.
April 11: "Walk With Me" Exhibition – Seeking proposals for large-scale, nature-inspired sculptures exploring environmental harmony themes at South Mountain Reservation in New Jersey.
April 11: Sunnyvale Affordable Housing Interior Mural – Seeking Bay Area artists to create a two-story mural honoring Ira D. Hall's legacy of public service and artistic interest, visible from the street.
April 13: SESQUISEMIQUINCENTENNIAL (America 250/Colorado 150) – $250,000 budget for a permanent sculpture/installation commemorating Colorado's 150th and America's 250th anniversaries in Aurora, CO.
April 15: Beauty Of The Water – The Quiet Atelier seeks works in any medium exploring water through physical, cultural, environmental, or metaphorical lenses for a group exhibition.
April 29: RITUALS - Call for Exhibition – LoosenArt is seeking photographic, digital, and video works exploring ritual practices from sacred to social contexts for a July 2025 collective exhibition.
May 1: The Better Angels Society Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film – Documentary film competition focusing on American history offering a $200,000 top prize, $50,000 for runner-up, and $25,000 for four finalists.
May 9: FREE International Call for Art - 6x6 – Exhibition opportunity for 6x6 inch original artworks in any medium, to be sold for $20 each to benefit Rochester Contemporary Art Center.
May 15: James Laughlin Award – $5,000 plus a Miami Beach residency and distribution to Academy of American Poets members for poets publishing their second book in the coming year.
May 15: Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize – $25,000 award recognizing the most outstanding poetry book published in the U.S. during the previous calendar year, including a ten-day residency.
Ready to Apply?
Your portfolio is the visual résumé of your artistic practice - a curated window into your creative world that speaks volumes before you say a word. A thoughtfully assembled portfolio reveals your artistic identity and potential. Here's how to make yours stand out:
Tailor your portfolio for each opportunity: Select work that best aligns with the specific mission & values of each program rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.
Showcase your evolution: Include pieces demonstrating your artistic development & growth trajectory so reviewers understand your creative journey.
Quality over quantity: Focus on your strongest 8-12 pieces that tell a coherent story about your practice rather than overwhelming reviewers with volume.
Provide context: Include brief descriptions with title, year, medium, dimensions, & a 1-2 sentence explanation that frames each piece within your practice.
Invest in professional documentation: High-quality photography or media presentation demonstrates professionalism & significantly impacts how reviewers perceive your work.
Before applying, carefully review each opportunity's full guidelines - many have specific eligibility requirements related to geography, career stage, or artistic medium. Remember that many funders are looking not just for artistic excellence but also for work that resonates with their specific mission or contemporary concerns.
Want to increase your chances of success? Join us on April 15th at Culture Works for our grant writing workshop where we'll cover creating professional materials, portfolio development strategies, and offer an open Q&A session to address your specific questions. Space is limited, so reserve your spot today!
Stay connected! Follow us on social media or join our mailing list to receive:
Updates about future funding opportunities
Notifications when workshop registration opens
Resources for artists and creators
Community news and events
Best of luck with your submissions - we can't wait to see what you create!
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