FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
Search here for local, regional, and national funding opportunities. If you notice any funding agencies or opportunities that are missing, please submit your information to [email protected] and we would be glad to add it to our page. Please note that listings without deadlines indicate applications that are accepted on a rolling basis. For more information on any of these opportunities, please contact the foundation or funding agency directly. Additional resources:
Funding Opportunities for Organizations:
The Actors’ Equity Foundation’s Theatre Grants are awarded to theaters which have a current 501(c)(3) tax exempt status, an established artistic and administrative track record, a history of fiscal responsibility, and have worked to improve the state of the theater.
Deadline: November 30, 2024
The AFP WNY Chapter is pleased to provide several scholarships for membership. These scholarships are available for Young Professionals, IDEA Scholar, New Chapter Membership, and Renewals.
Deadline: November 22, 2024
The Chautauqua Region Community Foundation annually awards over $1M through its competitive grant processes to charitable organizations working to make a difference across the region. General grants are offered bi-monthly and are intended to assist with emerging needs or one-time costs. Requests can be made up to $4,000. Organizations can only submit two requests per year. Range: $1,000- $4,000
Deadlines: Bi-monthly; last Wednesday of even months
Supports programming and capital improvement projects that seek to address a community need or deliver broad community benefit. Range: $4,000- $20,000
Deadlines: March 1 & August 1, annually
The Chautauqua Region Community Foundation hosts two cycles per year, intending to fund larger initiatives with wide-reaching and longer term community impact. The process occurs in two stages for each cycle, beginning with submission of a Letter of Intent (LOI) and followed by an invitation to submit a full application. Priority given to requests that indicate support from multiple funding sources, demonstrate plans for sustainability, indicate collaborative partnerships and employ evidence-based approaches with measurable outcomes (where applicable).
Annual Deadlines: June 1 or December 1, Annually
In 2015, The Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation established endowment funds at the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo to provide annual support for programs and initiatives that reflect the personal passions of Mr. Wilson. These areas of interest that grants will support are: Caregivers, Community Assets, Design and Access, and Youth Sports.
- Caregivers: Support caregivers – whether paid, voluntary or family – of persons who are unable to fully care for themselves and are part of an underserved community. Preference will be given to requests that provide support to caregivers of older adults.
- Community Assets: Support significant cultural and historic assets and/or increase access to long-term arts instruction for youth. For Community Assets grants, only 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations that reside in Erie County may apply.
- Design and Access: Support enhancement of community access to spaces and programs that support healthy living.
- Youth Sports: Provide opportunities for all children to be active through sport.
Applicants must be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization located within the eight counties of Western New York (Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans and Wyoming). For Caregivers grants, Design and Access grants, and Youth Sports grants, government agencies also may apply.
Deadline: December 2, 2024
Exclusively offered to past Cullen performing arts grantees seeking less than $7,500 per year*, an expedited application option is available, the performing arts “Action Grant.” This is a streamlined, one-step application process (i.e. no LOI). Requests can be made for one to three years of funding for capacity building, general operating, program, or capital projects.
To be eligible for the Action Grant category, your organization must be a past Cullen performing arts grantee (since 2015) and not have an open grant with Cullen Foundation. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and processed within six (6) weeks of receipt.
All Cullen eligibility requirements and criteria must still be met when applying for an Action Grant, including submittal of reviewed or fully audited financial statements from the applicant’s most recently completed fiscal year. Visit Responsive Grants – Performing Arts to review the eligibility criteria.
Requests for the following will NOT be considered:
- Arts education programs
- Art therapy programs
- Sponsorships including galas, fundraising events, conferences, and travel opportunities
- Programs and events with a performing arts component that are hosted by organizations that are not members of the performing arts sector
- Activities of organizations serving primarily their own membership
- Programs and events that will occur less than 100 days from the date the application is fully submitted to our portal
- * The recommended request size is up to $5,000 from organizations with revenues under $75K; and up to $7,500 from organizations with revenues over $75K.
Upcoming trainings and info sessions (Fall 2024):
- Fall Session 3: Tuesday November 19 from 1 pm to 4 pm: Internal Controls for Small & Mid-Sized Nonprofits
- Register here: https://www.nycon.org/news-events/events/event/550
Deadline: Rolling
The Regional Development Corporation (RDC), is the lending arm of the Erie County Industrial Development Agency (ECIDA). The RDC Loan Program enhances the competitiveness of local businesses, promotes local ownership of firms employing local residents, and assists with the formation of new companies, including the technology sector and businesses in designated economic development zones.
The RDC Business Loan program supports underserved markets, including borrowers with little to no credit history, low income borrowers, and minority and women entrepreneurs in distressed rural and urban areas, who may not qualify for more conventional loans. M/WBE businesses may qualify for special loan terms.
The RDC offers business loans from $50,000 to $2,000,000 to businesses operating in Erie County, NY.
RDC Loans may be used for:
- permanent working capital
- machinery and equipment purchases
- property acquisition
- pollution control improvements
- loans to effect changes is local ownership when the employment base of the company would otherwise be in jeopardy
Deadline: Rolling
Empire State Development announced the launch of the NY Entertainment Workforce Diversity Grant Program, which will provide over $1 million annually in matching funds to support diversity and inclusivity in job creation and training programs in New York’s film and television industries. The grant program is funded through the Empire State Entertainment Diversity Job Training Development Fund which, at the suggestion of industry leaders, is financed by an allocated percentage from New York State’s film tax credit program. Grants from $25,000 to $500,000 will be available for job creation and training programs that support efforts to: recruit, hire, promote, retain, develop, and train a diverse and inclusive workforce for New York’s motion picture and television production and post-production industries.
Deadline: Rolling
The Foundation for Advancement in Conservation (FAIC) offers awards of up to $1,000 to support projects and activities that improve public understanding of conservation and support under resourced institutions in meeting their collection care needs.
This could include collaborating with an institution on rehousing of collections or giving a public lecture to help advance awareness of the conservation field. Priority will be given to projects and programming that develop community awareness of conservation, engage media coverage of conservation activities, and create connections between conservation practitioners and allied practitioners and/or the public. This funding opportunity is open to creative and innovative projects, but is not intended to support focused conservation treatment, large scale initiatives such as a collections assessment or ongoing programming, or activities at the AIC Annual Meeting.
Deadline: February 15 & September 15, annually
Good Neighbor Fund is dedicated to leveling the playing field for entrepreneurship by providing $1,000 micro-grants to under-resourced and underrepresented founders, primarily at the ideation stage. Inspired by Buffalo’s nickname “The City of Good Neighbors,” we offer not just financial support, but belief capital and mentorship to empower new and diverse founders.
Deadline: Rolling
Program Overview:
The Native American Basic Grants (NAB) program assists Native American Tribes in establishing, sustaining, and improving library services and operations with their communities. As information needs change, Tribal libraries must be able to serve as knowledge and resource centers to benefit their users and the wellness of their communities. The NAB program supports Tribes across the country to address their individual information needs and priorities.
NAB grants are noncompetitive one-year grants of $6,000 to $10,000. The grants are available to Federally recognized Native American Tribes and Alaska Native villages, corporations, and regional corporations.
Deadline: February 4, 2025
The CRA Grant provided by Lake Shore Savings Bank supports community development initiatives that benefit low-to-moderate income individuals and areas. This fund is intended for organizations and projects that aim to enhance housing, economic development, and educational opportunities within the community. The grant is designed to foster improvements and create positive impacts in areas that align with the CRA’s mission to support community growth and well-being.
The largest contribution made will be $2,500 with most of the contributions in smaller amounts. Further consideration will be given to factors like availability of funds, donations to date in a particular category or region, and the impact to the community.
Deadline: December 1, 2024
Digital Ready superfans, share your story for a chance to earn a trip to Super Bowl LIX and a $25,000 grant. Three Digital Ready superfans will be chosen as grantees to take part in a special small business event during February’s Super Bowl LIX Week and attend the big game. Grantees will also receive a $25,000 grant from LISC.
Deadline: November 22, 2024
Microsoft Tech for Social Impact is dedicated to providing affordable and accessible technology and tools to help nonprofits of all sizes achieve their missions. That’s why we offer grants and discounts of our products and services to eligible nonprofits around the world, including cloud solutions like Azure, Dynamics 365, and Microsoft 365, as well as solutions custom-built for nonprofits like Fundraising and Engagement for Dynamics 365 Sales.
Microsoft 365 with Microsoft Teams can help your nonprofit improve cybersecurity, reduce costs and empower staff and volunteers to work from anywhere.
Deadline: Rolling
OVERVIEW:
ArtsCONNECT supports performing arts touring projects collaboratively developed by presenters working together in the mid-Atlantic region.
The tours include performances as well as complementary engagement activities designed to create greater understanding or connections between artists, audiences, and communities.
Three or more located in the mid-Atlantic region who partner to present the same artist/company during the project period can each receive up to 50% subsidy for that artist/company’s compensation plus support for other eligible project expenses. Projects that demonstrate clear mission impact, strong artistry, well-rounded community and artist engagements, and thoughtful and inclusive efforts to engage audiences systemically underserved by the arts are encouraged to apply.
Grant support range: Engagement support of up to 50% of artists fees. Maximum of $10,000. Other eligible expenses of up to $2,000 to support direct project expenses.
ELIGIBILITY:
To be eligible for an ArtsCONNECT grant award, presenters must:
- Be based in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Virginia, West Virginia, and the Native nations that share this geography;
- Be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization or be a unit of state or local government or Federally recognized Indian tribal government;
- Demonstrate organizational administrative capacity to complete all required project components;
- Be in good standing with Mid Atlantic Arts at the time of application, with no overdue or outstanding required reports and/or grant documents
Deadline: February 25, 2025
OVERVIEW:
Cultural Sustainability, a new grant program offered by the six U.S. Regional Arts Organizations (USRAOs) in partnership with The Wallace Foundation, provides general operating support to arts organizations rooted in communities of color with annual operating expenses under $500,000.
Mid Atlantic Arts’ Cultural Sustainability: Community Roots program provides unrestricted operational funding to arts organizations founded by, with, and for communities of color, allowing them to sustain and expand their practices, benefiting the communities they serve. It also supports cross-cultural arts experiences and fosters stronger collaboration between artists, communities, and the RAO’s.
The program provides general operating support to arts and culture organizations serving BIPOC communities with budgets under $500,000 and at least three years of programming. Mid Atlantic Arts will select up to 20 grantees from the ten states and territories we serve (DC, DE, MD, NJ, NY, PA, PR, USVI, VA, and WV).
ELIGIBILITY:
- To be eligible for this grant, your organization needs to meet the following criteria:
- Budget: Operating budget under $500,000 (excluding emergency funding like COVID relief, CARES Act, ARPA).
- Experience: At least three years of arts and cultural programming. These years don’t have to be consecutive or tied to your incorporation date.
- Community Focus: Your programming should show a strong commitment to supporting historically underserved communities of color.
- Leadership: Your leadership team must be closely connected to the communities they serve, whether artistically or administratively.
- Mission: Your mission should prioritize serving arts organizations founded by, with, and for communities of color.
- Your organization is working to address systemic inequities through their practices.
- Your organization must also be one of the following:
- 501(c)(3) nonprofit
- For-profit entity (LLC, S-corp, etc.)
- Artist collective (either incorporated with a tax ID or with a fiscal sponsor from an established for-profit or non-profit entity that has a tax ID)
- Not have received ArtsHERE funding from your RAO
Deadline: January 6, 2024
PROGRAM OVERVIEW:
Mid Atlantic Arts’ Folk and Traditional Arts Community Projects grants fund projects that support the vitality of traditional arts and cultures in the mid-Atlantic region.
Folk and Traditional Arts Community Projects grants fund projects that support the vitality of traditional arts and cultures in the mid-Atlantic region. Non-profit organizations in DC, DE, MD, NJ, NY, PA, VA, USVI, PR, or WV may apply for $1,000 to $7,000 grants. A 1:1 match is required.
Eligible project activities may include performances, public art collaborations, workshops/trainings, exhibitions, fieldwork/documentation, and creation of new traditional work. Mid Atlantic Arts encourages projects that cross state/territory borders, as well as projects that support or engage underserved or underrepresented artists, practitioners, traditions, or constituents.
Grant support range: $1,000 – $7,000
ELIGIBILITY:
In order to receive Community Projects grants, an organization must:
- Be located in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Virginia, West Virginia, and Native nations that share this geography;
- Be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, a unit of state or local government, or a Federally-recognized Indian tribal government. Units of state or local government must provide a document on official letterhead to confirm status as a government entity. Fiscal sponsorship is not permitted for this program;
- Be in good standing with Mid Atlantic Arts, with no overdue or outstanding required reports and/or grant documents.
Deadline: March 10, 2025
USArtists International® supports in-person performances by artists from any state or territory in the U.S. at engagements at international festivals, global presenting arts markets, and other eligible engagements outside of the United States. The program funds individuals and ensembles across all performing arts practices and disciplines.
Mid Atlantic Arts is committed to the development and expansion of both the careers and artistic goals of U.S. performers by providing connections to audiences, presenters, curators, and their peers through the USAI program. By elevating the voices that reflect a vibrant array of creative expression, we are able to celebrate and share the diversity and imagination of the United States.
Grant support range: Matching grants of up to $11,000 toward eligible travel expenses.
ELIGIBILITY
Applications to USAI must meet eligibility criteria in each of the following three areas to be eligible for the program:
- Artist Eligibility
- International Tour Eligibility
- Engagement Eligibility
SCHEDULE
- Deadline: February 26, 2025
- For projects taking place between June 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026.
- Fiscal Sponsor approval and letters of invitation are due by March 5, 2025.
Applications are now open for NEA Big Read grants to support community-wide reading programs between September 2025 and June 2026 under the new theme, “Our Nature: How Our Physical Environment Can Lead Us to Seek Hope, Courage, and Connection.” An initiative of the NEA in partnership with Arts Midwest, the NEA Big Read supports a range of events and activities designed around a single NEA Big Read book. The goal of this program is to inspire meaningful conversations, celebrate local creativity, elevate a wide variety of voices and perspectives, encourage cross-sector collaboration, and build stronger connections in each community. Matching grants range from $5,000 to $20,000 each.
LOI Deadline: January 23, 2025
The NEA, in partnership with Arts Midwest, is pleased to announce exciting updates to the Shakespeare in American Communities initiative. For more than two decades, the program has brought high-quality theater productions and educational activities inspired by the works of William Shakespeare to communities across the United States. For the 2025-26 cycle, nonprofit theater organizations can also apply for a new apprenticeship program and opportunities for engaging audiences in non-traditional settings.
“We are excited to work with our partners at Arts Midwest to expand the longstanding Shakespeare in American Communities initiative as part of the NEA’s continued investment in the future of the theater landscape,” said Chair Jackson. “By supporting both apprenticeships and community-focused theater initiatives, we aim to create equitable opportunities for emerging professionals and foster deeper connections between theater organizations and the communities they serve.”
LOI Deadline: January 30, 2025.
Preservation Assistance Grants for designated for Smaller Institutions
Maximum award amount: Up to $10,000 for organizations in the contiguous U.S. Organizations located in a non-contiguous state or jurisdiction may request an additional $5,000 for consultants’ travel and shipping costs.
Expected Output: Format Surveys and Inventories; Preservation and Collections Care Policies; Preservation Assessment Reports; Preservation Supplies/Equipment; Preservation and Collections Care Workshops.
Project start date September 1, 2025 – December 1, 2025
Deadline: January 9, 2025
Grant Overview
The National Park Service is pleased to announce that the Save America’s Treasures (SAT) grant program is now accepting applications. The Save America’s Treasures grant program was established in 1998 and first awarded grants in 1999 to help preserve nationally significant historic properties and collections that convey our nation’s rich heritage to future generations.
The program is administered by the NPS in cooperation with its partners, Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).The NPS manages the Preservation grants and the IMLS administers Collections grants. Congress has appropriated $25.5 million in FY2024 funding for Collections and Preservation projects.
Available Grant Funding
Grants are available to fund two type of projects: “Collections” and “Preservation”. Collections projects must be determined to be of national significance based on the supportive description of its significance within the application. Collections include artifacts, documents, sculptures, and other works of art. Preservation projects fund planning and “bricks and mortar” preservation/conservation work on historic buildings and structures.
Eligible Preservation projects must be:
- Individually listed in the National Register of Historic Places for national significance (not state or local); or
- A contributing property within a NR Historic District listed at the national level of significance (not state or local).
Deadline: December 12, 2024
On September 25, 2024, Governor Kathy Hochul announced that up to $80 million in capital funding is available to nonprofit arts and culture organizations through the New York State Council on the Arts’ Capital Projects Fund! Read the full announcement here.
Download the Capital Opportunity guidelines here. Please note, the application deadline is Tuesday, Jan 14, 2025, 4pm EST. No application extensions will be granted.
In addition to Large and Small and Midsized Capital Projects grants, a new opportunity for Design Grants (for projects in mid and advanced design stages) is also available.
The kickoff webinar will be held on October 1, 2024 at 11 am. Sign up here to attend.
Deadline: January 14, 2024
The NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship is an $8,000 unrestricted cash grant available to artists living in New York State and/or one of the Tribal Nations located therein.
This grant is awarded in 15 different disciplines over a three-year period (five categories a year) and the application is free to complete.
The following categories will be reviewed for 2025:
- Architecture/Environmental Structures/Design
- Choreography
- Music/Sound
- Photography
- Playwriting/Screenwriting
Deadline: December 17, 2024
The Community Reinvestment Program issues grants to communities disproportionately affected by prior federal and state drug policies in order to redress a wide range of community needs—from housing to childcare to job skills training and many areas in between. The grants are not limited to activities related to cannabis.
Taxes from legal adult-use cannabis sales in New York State go into the Cannabis Revenue Fund. Per the Cannabis Law (§ 99-ii), 40% of Cannabis Tax Revenue goes back to the communities most disproportionately affected by prior drug policies in the form of grants overseen by the Cannabis Advisory Board (CAB) via the Community Grants Reinvestment Fund. Through these grants, it is the goal of OCM and the CAB to distribute impactful funding to areas of the state that have been historically under-resourced, underserved, and over-policed. The future programmatic focus of the Community Reinvestment Program can change according to the guidance provided by the Cannabis Advisory Board.
Deadline: December 13, 2024
The Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation was established in 1986 for the betterment of all community residents. To us, northern Chautauqua is more than a geographic region – it’s the place we call home. Because of that, we have worked hard to build a strong understanding of how it can be improved. Over the years, the NCCF has helped to create and fund many projects that enhance the lives of those who live here. Our interest areas span from arts and culture to the environment, to health and human services, to neighborhood revitalization, and beyond.
We seek to make strategic investments in the community and look to partner with nonprofit organizations to help create enduring solutions to often complex problems and to capitalize on promising opportunities. Effecting change requires both passion and measured thought, and we work hard to find proposals that encompass both.
We are keenly interested in what inspires you and look forward to hearing your ideas for transforming our vision of a healthy and prosperous community into reality.
Deadlines:
- March 1st (for the spring round)
- September 1st (for the fall round)
The Oishei Foundation provides support to nonprofits that align with their five focus areas: Strengthen the P-20 education continuum, Enhance options for self-sufficiency, Build livable, stable neighborhoods; Promote health and improve systems of care; and Expand the role of arts, culture and heritage in regional development. They encourage all applicants to discuss applications with their program officers before submitting a Letter of Inquiry (LOI) and throughout the application process.
Support is primarily focused on activities in Erie and Niagara counties (NY), however, we will consider requests from other WNY counties including Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Genesee, Orleans, and Wyoming.
Deadline: Letters of Interest are accepted on a rolling basis
TPP support early stage grassroots volunteers, many of whom may have just a glimmer of an idea. Often, these ideas are seen as too small or too risky to attract other support.
The Daily Grant program makes $1000 micro grants 365 days a year. These grants are designed to kick start an organization or individual’s work and give them the lift they need to thrive and grow. accept applications from individuals, groups and startup not-for-profit organizations based anywhere in the world. To be considered, all applications must meet the following criteria:
- Your group/organization’s annual budget must be $50,000 or less.
- The total budget for your project must be less than $10,000. You can request up to $1,000 in seed funding from TPP.
- Individual, group and/or organization (including co-leaders and project team members) must not have received previous funding from TPP.
- Your group/organization must not have paid staff.
The Resilience & Recovery Fund (RRF) Grant exists to support projects designed by volunteers in the immediate aftermath of emergencies such as natural disaster, civil unrest, pandemic, or other unforeseen events. The RRF Grant provides expeditious, one-time funding of up to $1,000 to projects responding to an emergency.
Deadline: Rolling
The Sheldon Foundation devotes financial assistance to advance the physical, educational and cultural well-being of the people of the southerly portion of Chautauqua County, New York; and honors the memory of its founder, Isabella M. Sheldon and her husband, Ralph C. Sheldon.
Program interests include: Charitable, Health Care, Education, Youth, Arts and Humanities, and Environment
Types of Support: general/operating, capital campaigns, building/renovation, equipment, matching/challenge support
Range of Grant Award: $100 – $2,000,000
Deadline: March 1, August 1, and December 1, annually
Have an idea for a project? Thinking about that video you’ve been meaning to shoot? Considering a new perspective on a familiar idea? Squeaky Wheel is offering Equipment Access Grants to those looking to create specific projects that require the tools and time sometimes difficult or unavailable in daily life. Recipients will receive up to $1,000 worth of equipment usage and facilities time. Amount: $1,000 in-kind equipment rentals.
Deadline: Rolling
Founded in 2020, the Stenclik Family Charitable Fund promotes the advancement of Buffalo Niagara through philanthropic commitments to the area’s most promising educational, cultural, scientific, and community initiatives. The Fund seeks to strengthen the region’s existing assets while clearing new paths for innovation that promote prosperity and vitality in our neighborhoods. They want to support projects that improve the lives of people now and make a lasting difference.
The Stenclik Family Charitable Fund supports the following three priority areas:
- Culture & Science
- Educational Opportunities
- Thriving Communities
Deadline: Rolling
Through the Travel, Tourism & Outdoor Recreation program, EDA is focused on accelerating the recovery of communities that rely on the travel, tourism and outdoor recreation sectors. $750 million of EDA’s American Rescue Plan funds are allocated to support the following efforts:
- State Tourism Grants: $510 million in non-competitive awards to help states quickly invest in marketing, infrastructure, workforce and other projects to rejuvenate safe leisure, business and international travel.
- Competitive Grants: $240 million to help communities that have been hardest hit by challenges facing the travel, tourism and outdoor recreation sectors to invest in infrastructure, workforce or other projects to support the recovery of the industry and economic resilience of the community in the future.
Deadline: Rolling
Last updated: November 15, 2024
Funding Opportunities for Individuals:
A $35,000 unrestricted grant can cover more than six months of living expenses so Fellows can focus full-time on their careers.
Fellowship Benefits;
- Weekly conversations with leading showrunners, writers, producers and creative executives help Fellows get bespoke advice and build new connections.
- Ongoing writing workshops and check-ins with the Inevitable team allow Fellows to sharpen their writing and pitching skills.
- Our personalized Concierge service links Fellows with Showrunners and Creative Executives for development and staffing opportunities.
- Connecting with other disabled screenwriters both inside and outside of the Fellowship program will build a supportive community that will stay with Fellows as they grow.
Deadline: Rolling
The Authors League Fund is an emergency fund providing non-taxable charitable support in times of urgent need, when a writer cannot afford to pay for necessities. Common circumstances include:
- Illness, or supporting a dependent family member in ill health.
- Overwhelming medical or dental bills.
- Imminent eviction and other forms of housing insecurity.
- Struggling after a natural disaster.
- Major income loss, including due to COVID-19.
They help writers at all stage of life, though priority is given to sick and/or older writers, and to mid- and late-career writers. There are limited funds for younger and/or emerging writers whose emergency is solely related to insufficient income.
The Authors League Fund helps authors, dramatists, journalists, critics, short story writers, and poets. They do accept applications from indie authors with a record of financial or critical success.
The Fund cannot assist writers whose sole credits are self-published or released by a press that charges for publication. The Fund does not help TV/film writers or lyricists and cannot help writers whose sole credits are from copywriting, blogging, public relations, technical writing, and writing for corporate clients.
Support cannot be used for professional expenses, e.g., time to write, computer purchase, book publicity, hiring an editor, airline tickets to a residency, book tour costs, theater production costs, starting a business.
Deadline: Rolling
Launched in April 2017, Awesome Disability is an independent chapter of the Awesome Foundation, a global community that provides micro-grants with no strings attached. The trustees of Awesome Disability are people with disabilities that want to support ideas and projects in our community. Awards are based on need – valuing up to $1,000 per month. There’s no limit to the number of grants and other sources you can apply to. Amount $1,000.
Deadline: Application open 1st to the 15th of every month
SMALL THINGS ARE IN. Microbrewing, microdosing, microcomputing — so we’re giving out microgrants. Artists and curators are frequently asked to donate their time, labor, and money to make exhibitions or performances happen. We hope this grant will help offset some of that.
What it is:
- A $300 good-faith grant for artists and curators who are realizing a project in the greater Buffalo area. This is no-strings-attached money that an artist or curator can use in whatever way they feel it’s needed.
What we fund:
- Exhibitions, performances, or other projects that contribute to the visual arts in Buffalo.
Your project must:
- Include at least one public event (an opening, a performance, etc)
- Take place within three months (in the past or forthcoming) from the application date. IE: You could apply with a project that took place up to three months ago or a project that will take place in up to three months.
Rolling Deadline: January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1, annually
Founded in 1985, Career Transition For Dancers enables dancers to define their career possibilities and develop the skills necessary to excel in a variety of disciplines outside of dance.
Professional Development Scholarship: The Professional Development Scholarship provides a one-time award of up to $1,000 for occupational skills training in a certification or licensure program in a field outside of dance, to initiate a post-dance career.
Deadline: The 12th of every month
Undergraduate Studies Scholarship: The Undergraduate Studies Scholarship assists current and former dancers in meeting the substantial financial commitments that come with the pursuit of a college-level degree. A limited number of scholarships in amounts up to $2,000 will be awarded to eligible applicants towards their tuition.
Deadline: October 15 and June 15, annually
Learn more.
Created in 1993 to further FCA’s mission to encourage, sponsor, and promote work of a contemporary, experimental nature, Emergency Grants provide urgent funding for visual and performing artists who:
- Have sudden, unanticipated opportunities to present their work to the public when there is insufficient time to seek other sources of funding
- Incur unexpected or unbudgeted expenses for projects close to completion with committed exhibition or performance dates
Emergency Grants is the only active, multi-disciplinary program that offers immediate, project-based assistance of this kind to artists living and working anywhere in the United States, for projects occurring in the U.S. and abroad.
Each month FCA receives an average of 100 Emergency Grant applications and makes approximately 12-21 grants. Grants range in amount from $500 to $3,000, and the average grant is now $1,900.
Deadline: Rolling
Good Neighbor Fund is dedicated to leveling the playing field for entrepreneurship by providing $1,000 micro-grants to under-resourced and underrepresented founders, primarily at the ideation stage. Inspired by Buffalo’s nickname “The City of Good Neighbors,” we offer not just financial support, but belief capital and mentorship to empower new and diverse founders.
Deadline: Rolling
The Foundation wishes to encourage artists who have dedicated their lives to developing their art, regardless of their level of commercial success.
Please note that these grants are available only to individual painters, sculptors, and printmakers who have worked in a mature phase of art for 20 years or more.
The Gottlieb Foundation does not fund organizations, educational institutions, students, graphic artists, or those working in crafts. The disciplines of photography, film, video, or related forms are not eligible unless the work directly involves, or can be interpreted as, painting or sculpture. The Foundation does not fund exhibitions, installations, or projects of any kind.
Last year, the Foundation awarded grants of $25,000 each to 20 artists.
This program was conceived in order to recognize and support the serious, fully-committed artist, and we hope these individuals will consider applying. 20 grants are awarded each year. Applications are reviewed by a panel of five professionals in the arts who have no affiliation with the Foundation. In this program, the following criteria must be met:
Deadline: January 15, 2025
The International Documentary Association (IDA) supports the vital work of documentary storytellers and champions a thriving and inclusive documentary culture. They have compiled a directory of all grants supporting documentary efforts at the link below.
USArtists International® supports in-person performances by artists from any state or territory in the U.S. at engagements at international festivals, global presenting arts markets, and other eligible engagements outside of the United States. The program funds individuals and ensembles across all performing arts practices and disciplines.
Mid Atlantic Arts is committed to the development and expansion of both the careers and artistic goals of U.S. performers by providing connections to audiences, presenters, curators, and their peers through the USAI program. By elevating the voices that reflect a vibrant array of creative expression, we are able to celebrate and share the diversity and imagination of the United States.
Grant support range: Matching grants of up to $11,000 toward eligible travel expenses.
ELIGIBILITY
Applications to USAI must meet eligibility criteria in each of the following three areas to be eligible for the program:
- Artist Eligibility
- International Tour Eligibility
- Engagement Eligibility
SCHEDULE
- Deadline: February 26, 2025
- For projects taking place between June 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026.
- Fiscal Sponsor approval and letters of invitation are due by March 5, 2025.
The Musicians Foundation offers one-time financial assistance grants to professional musicians across all genres. You must be a professional music performer, composer/arranger, or educator in a specific time of need caused by an unexpected hardship (e.g. medical or dental situation, natural disaster, or certain housing crisis). You must have worked and filed taxes as a professional musician in the United States for five or more years and currently reside in the U.S.
Deadline: Rolling
The National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowships program offers $25,000 grants in prose (fiction and creative nonfiction) and poetry to published creative writers that enable the recipients to set aside time for writing, research, travel, and general career advancement.
This program operates on a two-year cycle with fellowships in prose and poetry available in alternating years. In 2024, we will be accepting applications in poetry.
Deadline: Rolling (Poetry vs. prose focus rotates annually)
New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA), in partnership with the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, offer two grant programs for artists in emergency situations: the Rauschenberg Dancer Emergency Grants and Rauschenberg Medical Emergency Grants program.
Grant cycles for July 2023-June 2024 are listed on each program’s page. These national emergency grant programs reflect Robert Rauschenberg’s concern for the well-being of fellow creative practitioners and were created in the tradition of Change, Inc., a non-profit foundation established in 1970 by Robert Rauschenberg to assist professional artists of all disciplines in need.
Rauschenberg Dancer Emergency Grants
- Provides one-time grants of up to $3,000 to professional dancers in need who have a dire financial emergency as a result of a loss or lack of current live performance work, because of circumstances beyond your control.
- Provides up to three months of essential expenses.
- You must demonstrate an urgent and critical need for emergency support in order to apply.
- Click here to learn more.
Rauschenberg Medical Emergency Grants
- Provides one-time grants of up to $5,000 for recent unexpected medical, dental, and mental health emergencies.
- Open to artists in financial need who are practicing in the visual arts, film/video/electronic/digital arts, and choreography.
- Period covered: Related, eligible expenses incurred for up to 12 months from the date of the emergency.
- Click here to learn more.
Deadline: Rolling, quarterly application cycle (check unique grant links)
General information available here.
The NYS Choreographers Initiative is designed to help choreographers develop their skills by providing them with resources to advance their creative practice. The awardees each receive a $2,500 stipend, access to a mentor, and support for 20 hours of creative time with dancers and other collaborators of their choice. Each project is essentially a mini-residency, designed to fit the specific needs of each artist. Originally targeted at the Western New York region, the Choreographers Initiative expanded in 2022 to include the 55 upstate counties of New York State, and now serves choreographers who reside in the regions of Western NY, Central NY, Capital District/North Country, and Hudson Valley/Long Island.
TIMELINE:
- October 1, 2024 – The application portal opens
- December 7, 2024 – Proposals due
INFORMATION SESSIONS:
- Saturday, Sep 21, 9:30-10:30am
- Thursday, Sep 26, 7:00-8:00pm
- Tuesday, Oct 8, noon-1pm
The NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship is an $8,000 unrestricted cash grant available to artists living in New York State and/or one of the Tribal Nations located therein.
This grant is awarded in fifteen different disciplines over a three-year period (five categories a year) and the application is free to complete. The NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship is not a project grant, but is intended to fund an artist’s vision or voice, at all levels of their artistic development.
Timeline:
- Applications Close: Tuesday, December 17, 5:00 PM ET*
- Applicants Notified: Summer 2025
2025 AWARD CYCLE – The following categories will be reviewed:
- Architecture/Environmental Structures/Design
- Choreography
- Music/Sound
- Photography
- Playwriting/Screenwriting
Deadline: December 17, 2025
Named after a line in Lucille Clifton’s poem “I am not done yet”, the award from Orange Tangent Study seeks to fund artists not just for the production of work but for circumstances, mindsets, temporary relief, and/or environments to create work. The award funds can be used for anything, acknowledging the wide-ranging needs of artists and providing a humble, yet sincere infusion of money and support.
Deadline: November 21, 2024
$1,000 is awarded to poets and their collaborators for venturesome, interdisciplinary work combining poetry and any other art or discipline. Fee: $10.
Deadline: December 31, 2024
The Foundation welcomes applications from visual artists who are painters, sculptors and artists who work on paper, including printmakers. The Foundation provides financial resources up to $50,000 to create new work, acquire supplies, rent studio space, prepare for exhibitions, attend a residency and offset living expenses. Grants are intended for a one-year period of time. Artists must be actively exhibiting their current work in professional artistic venues, such as gallery and museum spaces.
Deadline: Rolling
Have an idea for a project? Thinking about that video you’ve been meaning to shoot? Considering a new perspective on a familiar idea? Squeaky Wheel is offering Equipment Access Grants to those looking to create specific projects that require the tools and time sometimes difficult or unavailable in daily life. Recipients will receive up to $1,000 worth of equipment usage and facilities time. Amount: $1,000 in-kind equipment rentals.
Deadline: Rolling
Last updated: November 15, 2024
Help keep our opportunities free! We ask that you consider donating $25, $50, $100, or whatever you can do to sustain this important resource for WNY creatives.
CORPORATE
FOUNDATIONS
GOVERNMENT
