Artist Funding Guide: $1 Million+ for May & June 2025
- Forbidden Fruit
- May 1
- 7 min read
Funding Opportunities for Artists: April & May 2025
As summer approaches, the artistic landscape blossoms with an exceptional array of funding possibilities designed to nurture creative expression across disciplines. This artist funding guide for May and June 2025 brings over $1.1 million in exciting opportunities for creating new work, finding dedicated creative spaces, and sharing your artistic vision with broader audiences. Whether you're looking to launch a new project, secure time for focused development, or connect with communities through your art, this curated selection offers resources to advance your artistic practice during this vibrant 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.
Grants to Fund Your Creative Work
These vital financial resources serve as the foundation for artistic innovation and development, providing the support needed to bring creative visions to life during the abundant summer months ahead.
May Deadlines
May 7: Andy Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant – Supports writing about contemporary art with grants ranging from $15,000 to $50,000. Open to art historians, artists, critics, curators, journalists, and writers engaging with contemporary visual arts.
May 7: The Southern Arts Recovery Fund – Provides $2,000 grants to artists residing in FEMA disaster areas of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
May 9: 2025 Abbey Mural Prize – Awards grants typically ranging from $10,000 to $40,000 to create or restore public murals in the United States, especially those promoting accessibility and serving local audiences.
May 10: Yéigo Action Grant – Offers $100-$5,000 for individual Native artists and culture bearers needing financial assistance with professional development opportunities or addressing hardships hindering their creative practice.
May 13: The Hopper Prize – Provides unrestricted cash grants of $3,500 and $1,000 to visual artists globally, selected solely on artistic excellence and future potential.
May 15: Jazz Road Tours – Offers grants up to $15,000 to develop 3-6 site tours across various venue types, often in rural communities and areas traditionally underserved by the jazz genre.
May 15: Working Assumptions Project Grants – Six $10,000 grants supporting visual storytelling projects that inspire audiences to look at family in new ways through photography or photo-based art.
May 15: McMillen Artist Community Reverse Scholarship Program – Competitive grants up to $25,000 for debt relief to support artistic excellence in visual arts for Washington State artists.
May 31: Jonathan and Barbara Silver Foundation 2025 Grant for Sculpture – Awards $20,000 to a sculptor demonstrating exceptional commitment to sculpture and imaginative engagement with its materials and histories.
June Deadlines
June 1: The Larch Creative Fund – Supports innovative arts projects encouraging creative thinking and community participation in Georgia. Funding amounts determined by project scope and impact.
June 1: Artadia San Francisco – Provides unrestricted financial support, exposure, and recognition to contemporary visual artists working in San Francisco.
June 1: Anolic Family Awards – Offers $1,000 for Early Career Visual Arts to Jewish artists 25-35 years old and $1,500 for Jewish Book Arts towards creating unique or limited-edition works.
June 1: Florida Division of Arts and Culture Specific Cultural Projects – Funds single cultural projects, programs, exhibitions, or series that support organizational missions and state cultural objectives.
June 8: Great Meadows Foundation Artist Professional Development Grants – Provides $500-$6,000 to artists residing in Kentucky and the Greater Louisville area of Clark and Floyd counties in Indiana.
June 10: Artist Get Ready Grants – CERF+ offers grants up to $1,000 for craft artists to safeguard studios, protect practices, and prepare for emergencies.
Open Calls for Exhibitions & Competitions
Summer brings heightened visibility as these open calls provide platforms for artists to connect their work with new audiences through exhibitions, competitions, and public art commissions.
May & June Deadlines
May 4: The Lennox St. Gallery Art Award – Celebrates contemporary visual art with a $25,000 prize pool for artists under 35 living in Australia.
May 11: Big Bull Creek Park Permanent Art – Commissions a site-specific, large-scale permanent sculpture or series of sculptures with a $170,000 budget to coincide with 2026 FIFA World Cup in Kansas City.
May 11: Waverley Art Prize 2025 – Offers $18,500 in prizes for early to mid-career artists working in painting, drawing, print, and mixed media.
May 15: Sculpture Missoula Call for Public Sculpture – Seeks five sculptures for an inaugural sculpture garden with a $2,000 stipend plus $250 for shipping/travel expenses and accommodation.
May 15: Ploughshares Emerging Writer's Contest – Recognizes work by emerging writers in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry with $2,000 and publication for each genre winner.
May 15: 2025 Aurora Polaris Award in Creative Nonfiction – Open to all living authors with winners receiving $1,000, twenty copies of their book, and marketing assistance.
May 19: RFQ/RFP Call for Murals: Buffalo Bills Highmark Stadium – Seeks professional visual artists to create site-specific wall-based mural artwork with budgets up to $30,000 per mural.
May 20: Monument Connector Trail Artwork – Seeks artists to create a shade shelter with artistic elements for installation along a paved trail with a $14,000 budget.
June 9: 2026 Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise – Awards six prizes of $50,000 each in Fashion & Design and Fashion & Culture categories for young immigrant fashion professionals.
Residencies + Fellowships: Time and Space to Create
These summer residencies offer the perfect environment for creative growth, providing dedicated time, space, and supportive communities for artists to flourish in their practice.
May Deadlines
May 5: Englewood Arts (EA) Artist Residency – Offers semi-private studio space, a stipend, paid teaching opportunities, and exhibition venues for artists across multiple disciplines.
May 7: Banff Centre for Arts & Creativity | Indigenous Arts – A five-week hybrid residency for 12 visual artists focusing on land-based themes, environmental sustainability, and Indigenous narratives.
May 9: Martin House Creative Residency Program – Provides a 2-4 week environment with a $5,000 stipend plus up to $1,000 in travel expenses for projects related to Frank Lloyd Wright's Martin House.
May 10: Guatemalan Artist Residency At Studio Luce – A hands-off residency allowing artists and writers freedom to manage their own schedules while engaging with the local community.
May 13: CultureHub Residency – Offers at least one week of studio time, public showing opportunities, and a stipend for artists experimenting with technology in NYC and LA.
May 14: Josephine Sculpture Park (JSP) Residency – Provides up to two artists a funded opportunity to create large-scale outdoor work over a 10-week period in 2026.
May 15: Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize – Recognizes outstanding poetry books with $25,000, a ten-day residency, and distribution to hundreds of Academy members.
May 15: Sawtooth 2025-2026 Artist-in-Residence Programs – Year-long residencies in ceramics, printmaking, and woodworking offering studio access, material stipends, and teaching experience.
May 15: James Laughlin Award – Supports second poetry books with $5,000, a weeklong residency, and distribution to Academy of American Poets members.
May 19: Anne LaBastille Memorial Writers Residency – A free, two-week autumn residency for six writers at a lodge in the Adirondack Mountains.
May 20: Film Independent Documentary Labs – Supports filmmakers in post-production on feature-length documentaries through specialized labs focusing on story development and producing.
May 20: Center for Craft – 2025 Craft Archive Fellowship – Six $5,000 awards for research on underrepresented craft histories, culminating in a featured article and virtual program.
May 27: Austin Film Festival's Script Competition – Invites screenwriters to submit original scripts with winners receiving up to $1,000 and the AFF Bronze Typewriter Award.
May 28: Tulsa Artist Fellowship – A place-based award supporting visionary arts practitioners with a $150,000 stipend paid over three years.
May 31: Oak Spring Garden Foundation – 2026 Interdisciplinary Residency – Provides $2,000 or $800 grants and stays in Northern Virginia for projects addressing plants, landscapes, or gardens.
May 31: Eliza Moore Fellowship for Artistic Excellence – Awards $10,000 to one early-career artist developing works addressing plants, gardens, or landscapes across various disciplines.
May 31: Art Omi Critics/Curators-in-Residence – Offers a travel grant and $1,500 honorarium to experienced critics, curators, and art writers.
May 31: Olympic Heritage | Artists in Residence – Selects two artists for two-month residencies creating digital art inspired by Olympic history for permanent museum collections.
June Deadlines
June 2: Headlands Center for the Arts - Artist in Residence (AIR) – Offers fully sponsored residencies and studios to artists working across all disciplines.
June 5: The Chamberlain Award – Provides a residency and $10,000 prize supporting artists employing non-traditional media to engage with social concerns.
June 5: The Chiaro Award – Offers a residency and $15,000 prize supporting mid-career painters residing in the United States.
Ready to Apply?
Creating realistic, well-structured budgets is often the most challenging aspect of grant applications, yet it's crucial for demonstrating your project's viability to funders. Here's how to build budgets that work:
Research true costs: Contact vendors for quotes and speak with other artists who've completed similar projects to get realistic figures instead of relying on guesswork.
Value your time appropriately: Calculate your time at a professional rate, including planning, execution, and administrative hours—not just the visible creative work.
Build in contingencies: Include a 10-15% buffer for unexpected expenses in each budget category to demonstrate foresight and planning.
Consider ongoing expenses: Factor in costs like insurance, equipment maintenance, documentation, promotion, and accounting services that extend beyond the main creative phase.
Align with funder expectations: Study previous grants to understand typical funding ranges while staying true to your project's actual needs.
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 Asimina Chremos, Crux, & Stonez for a hands-on session at our next grant writing workshop in June. This workshop will cover organizing your budget & timeline (highly important!) plus an open Q&A session. Bring a notebook and/or a laptop or tablet to participate + your questions and big ideas!
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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