Artist Funding Opportunities September 2025: Over $750K+ Available
- Forbidden Fruit
- Sep 2
- 9 min read
Funding Opportunities for Artists: September 2025
As fall launches across the creative world, September brings a powerful array of funding opportunities perfectly timed for artists ready to dive deeper into their practice. This month delivers over $750K in artist funding opportunities that span from emergency support to prestigious six-figure fellowships and immersive creative residencies. The timing couldn't be better for artists looking to transition summer momentum into sustained creative development.
September's funding landscape offers something for every stage of artistic growth. From $500 project grants to $93,000 fellowship stipends, the artist funding opportunities in September 2025 create pathways for breakthrough work, provide essential breathing room, and open doors to transformative creative experiences that can define the next chapter of your practice.
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
September delivers everything from major project grants to targeted support for underrepresented artists, plus emergency assistance when unexpected challenges arise.
September Deadlines
September 1: Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts Grant Program – Supports curatorial programs at museums, artists' organizations, and cultural institutions with grants for curatorial research fellowships, exhibition support, and multiyear program grants.
September 5: Bronx Cultural Visions Fund – Awards meaningful funding to Bronx-based emerging and mid-career individual artists and organizations with budgets up to $250,000 for performing arts projects including dance, music, theater, performance art, and multi-disciplinary work.
September 7: 1858 Prize for Contemporary Southern Art – The Gibbes Museum of Art offers this $10,000 prize for artists who reside, work in, or are from southern states including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, or West Virginia. $35 application fee required.
September 8: Catapult Development Fund for Filmmakers – Provides early-stage support with fifteen grants of up to $25,000 for documentary filmmakers in development with feature or short films when funding is hardest to find.
September 9: Rauschenberg Medical Emergency Grant – One-time grants of up to $5,000 for recent unexpected medical, dental, and mental health emergencies for artists in visual arts, film/video/electronic/digital arts, and choreography.
September 12: Burlington County Parks Arts, Culture, & Heritage Local Arts Grant – The Burlington County Board of County Commissioners provides General Operating Support and Special Projects grants to qualified arts organizations through the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.
September 15: Robert Lehman Foundation Grant – Supports museums, arts organizations, educational institutions, and cultural organizations with the goal of enhancing the role of visual arts within American and world culture.
September 15: ETD New Choreographer Grant – Eryc Taylor Dance offers three $1,000 grants to emerging choreographers based in New York or New Jersey for creating 15 to 20-minute original group pieces.
September 15: Vital Impacts Environmental Photography Grants – Supports visual storytellers documenting compelling, solutions-oriented environmental narratives with one $20,000 grant and six $5,000 grants, plus mentorship programs for emerging photographers.
September 15: New Jersey Arts and Culture Renewal Fund Phase 10 and Phase 11 – Fast, flexible grants to eligible nonprofit organizations with at least one round of grantmaking each calendar year.
September 15: Artadia Awards (Boston) – Three awardees receive unrestricted funds of $15,000 each, plus exposure, recognition, and access to the Artadia Network following studio visits and jury selection.
September 16: Manhattan Arts Grants – LMCC's program supports Manhattan-based artists, arts groups, and community-focused organizations in accessing public funds through Creative Engagement, Creative Learning, and UMEZ Arts Engagement categories.
September 21: Printed Matter Publisher Work Grant – Three unrestricted grants of $10,000 support independent presses with a history of artists' book publishing, providing capacity-building funds for future projects and publisher sustainability.
September 30: Postmark Arts & Cultural Programming Grant – Auburn, Washington provides $500 to $2,000 per project for free arts and cultural programs serving residents and visitors at the new Postmark Center for the Arts.
September 30: Artist Project Support Grant – Auburn, Washington offers $500 to $1,000 grants for arts-related projects and programs that provide free public benefit for Auburn residents and visitors.
Rolling Deadlines
The Adolf and Esther Gottlieb Emergency Grant – Provides one-time financial assistance (typically $5,000, up to $15,000) to qualified painters, printmakers, and sculptors facing unforeseen catastrophic incidents.
Adobe Creative Residency Community Fund – Commissions visual artists for company projects with awards between $500-$5,000 on a rolling basis.
Foundation for Contemporary Arts Emergency Grants – Offers immediate, project-based assistance ranging from $500-$3,000 (average $1,900) to artists living and working anywhere in the United States.
Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant – Welcomes applications from painters, sculptors, and artists working on paper with grants up to $50,000 intended for one year, based on artist circumstances and exhibition history.
South Arts Creative Practice Grant – Grants up to $3,000 for professional development opportunities and milestone activities that lead to substantial career growth for artists from the South Arts region, supporting opportunities between November 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026.
Musicians Foundation Grants – One-time financial assistance grants for professional musicians across all genres who are in specific times of need to pay essential bills.
Innovate Artists Grant – Distributes two $1,800 grants each quarter to one Visual Artist and one Photographer, with grant cycles open four times yearly (Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall). $35 application fee required.
Open Calls for Exhibitions & Competitions
September presents diverse exhibition opportunities from international calls to specialized publications, offering artists platforms to share their work with new audiences.
September Deadlines
September 4: Art Fluent Curator Choice Series Project Submissions – Free submissions for ALL fine art mediums (AI not accepted) for seven-piece series exhibitions, requiring third-person bio, first-person statement, and 8-10 representative jpegs.
September 5: Design a Mini-Golf Hole for The Other Art Fair Chicago – International call for imaginative artists, designers, and fabricators to create artist-designed mini-golf holes for Chicago edition, provides $500 artist fee.
September 7: New Visionary Magazine – NYC-based publication featuring contemporary artists seeks artists of all experience levels internationally for two-page spreads with custom Q&A and professionally published images.
September 9: Orange County Multicultural Senior Center – Public Art Review Board invites individual artists or teams to create artwork for the center's three dynamic community engagement spaces in Pine Hills.
September 15: Making Policy Public Open Call for Visual Designers – Center for Urban Pedagogy seeks visual designers for collaborative projects with $4,000 or $7,000 honoraria depending on project scope.
September 15: Moons, Castles, Trees | The Wrong Biennale '26 Copenhagen – International call for artists working in all mediums to submit still images (single or series up to six) responding to artificial intelligence questions.
September 15: Ingram Prize 2025 (UK) – Annual purchase prize for visual artists within five years of UK art school graduation, with three shortlisted works purchased for Ingram Collection and solo exhibition opportunity.
September 21: Denver International Airport Rotating Sculpture Program – International competitive selection for artists to loan existing large-scale sculptures for temporary display, provides $7,500 budget.
September 28: Woman Scream Poetry, Art and Storytelling – International call for women and men over 18 to contribute short stories, visual arts, and poetry for printed anthology celebrating women's and girls' rights worldwide.
September 30: NINE – Create! Magazine's 9-Year Anniversary Issue – International call for contemporary artists for Issue #54 anniversary edition, featuring selected work in professionally designed print and digital publication with global distribution.
Residencies & Fellowships: Time and Space to Create
September opens doors to transformative fellowship opportunities and immersive residencies that provide the focused time artists need to develop their most ambitious work.
September Deadlines
September 1: Henry L. and Natalie E. Freund Teaching Fellowship – Offers emerging and mid-career visual artists with MFAs a $45,000 teaching award, studio space, access to WashU Sam Fox School facilities, and a solo exhibition at Saint Louis Art Museum.
September 1: Bloedel Reserve Creative Residency – Bainbridge Island, Washington program fosters creative thinking inspired by nature and human-environment connections, includes $1,000 stipend.
September 4: Sauerbier House Artist in Residence Program 2026-2027 – Supported site-responsive studio-based residency in coastal Port Noarlunga, South Australia, welcoming artists at any career stage working across any discipline.
September 5: 2026 Bresler Resident Artists + Montgomery College Collaborative AiR – Four-month residency at VisArts studios in Rockville, Maryland for three dynamic individual artists or collaborative groups, includes studio space and $2,000 stipend.
September 7: Erie Canal Artist-in-Residence – Year-long creative inquiry at Erie Canal Museum in Syracuse, New York focusing on the Erie Canal's past, present, and future, includes $10,000 stipend.
September 9: Princeton Arts Fellowship – Two-year teaching and working opportunity at Princeton University for early career artists with extraordinary promise, provides $93,000 stipend.
September 9: Hodder Fellowship – Ten-month appointment at Princeton University for artists and writers pursuing independent projects, provides $93,000 stipend. No application fee.
September 10: MacDowell Residency – Up to six weeks of exclusive studio use, accommodations, and three prepared meals daily for artists of various disciplines and career stages. $30 application fee.
September 10: Digital Constellations Production & Post-Production Residency 2026 – Supports Indigenous digital media artists, filmmakers, and animators with dedicated time and facilities for video/audio production and post-production work.
September 11: Harvard Radcliffe Fellowship in Humanities, Social Sciences, and Creative Arts – Harvard Radcliffe Institute welcomes scholars and artists proposing innovative work that confronts pressing social and policy issues.
September 15: The Luminary Residency Program – Nationally recognized, research-driven two-week intensive residency for emerging and mid-career artists, curators, and critics developing new work in St. Louis.
September 15: Jentel Artist Residency – Wyoming residency for focused artists, writers, and composers over 25 years of age who are US residents, welcoming both established and developing artists with personal vision.
September 15: Virginia Center for the Creative Arts Residencies – One week to two months residencies at Mt. San Angelo in Virginia or Moulin à Nef in France, providing private studios, bedrooms, and meals for concentrated creative work.
September 15: HAMBIDGE RESIDENCY 2026 Spring Session – Self-directed program on 600 forested acres in north Georgia mountains, providing private studios with work/living space, bathroom, and full kitchen.
September 15: Elizabeth Murray Artist Residency 2026 – Two-week individual residencies and one-week family residencies on 77-acre farm in Granville, NY, committed to supporting emerging, underrepresented, and established artists.
September 16: Sacatar 2026 Open Call – Fully funded artist residencies on Itaparica island, Bahia, Brazil including accommodation, meals, studio space, and cultural connections for individual artists of all nationalities and disciplines.
September 17: BANFF Dancers Intensive 2026 – Two-week immersive residency for individual dancers to explore choreographic languages of three internationally acclaimed dance artists through labs, technique, and improvisation classes.
September 20: Vashon Artist Residency 2026 Season – Self-directed residency on spectacular Vashon Island, Washington supporting artists at all career stages with accessible programming for varied economic, cultural, and geographic backgrounds.
September 21: National Gallery of Art Visiting Senior Fellowship – Two-month appointments for full-time research at the National Gallery's Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts in Washington, DC for scholars with PhDs held for five years or more.
September 22: Queens Museum Jerome Foundation Fellowship for Emerging Artists 2026-2027 – Two NYC-based visual artists receive $20,000 each, professional development consultations, mentorship, and solo project exhibitions in 2027.
September 22: Edgar Heap of Birds Family Artist Residency – Flexible one to five month residency at Tyler School of Art and Architecture during spring 2026 semester, encompassing multiple studio disciplines. No application fee.
September 30: Dorothy Antoinette LaSelle 2025 Travel Fellowship – Two $5,000 awards for visual artists working and residing in Texas to complete research trips furthering their artistic practice.
Rolling Deadlines
Steel Yard Micro-Residencies – Flexible 1-3 month commitments for creative industrial art practice with dedicated ceramics and metals residencies for specific project completion.
ART14 Residency – Self-prescribed objectives welcoming all creator types and skill levels, encouraging new media exploration, collaboration, and community engagement.
Indigo Arts Alliance Mentorship Residency Program – Brings together African Diaspora artists for co-mentorship creative process across all disciplines, currently accepting Northeastern region applications.
Stochastic Labs Residencies – Fully-sponsored residencies of variable length for exceptional engineers, artists, scientists, and entrepreneurs worldwide, including private apartment, co-working space, shop access, monthly stipend, and materials budget.
Ready to Apply? Artist Statement Writing
Your artist statement serves as the bridge between your work and your audience, translating visual or conceptual ideas into accessible language that reveals your creative motivations and processes. A strong artist statement can make the difference between an application that gets noticed and one that gets overlooked.
📌 Pro Tip: Crafting Compelling Personal Narratives
Start with your 'why,' not your 'what' – Rather than describing what you make, begin with why you make it. What drives your curiosity? What questions keep you awake at night? This approach immediately engages readers with your passion and purpose rather than just technique.
Use specific, concrete language over art-speak – Replace vague phrases like "exploring themes of identity" with specific details: "I photograph my grandmother's hands performing daily tasks to understand how cultural memory transfers through gesture." Concrete details create vivid pictures that stick with readers.
Structure around your strongest work – Organize your statement around 2-3 of your most successful pieces, using them as case studies to illustrate your broader practice. This gives readers tangible entry points into understanding your work while demonstrating consistency in your vision.
Include your process, not just your concepts – Describe how you work, what materials you choose and why, or what happens in your studio. Process details help readers understand your commitment to craft and can reveal unexpected connections between your methods and your meanings.
End with forward momentum – Close by indicating where your work is heading or what questions you're exploring next. This shows evolution in your thinking and gives funders confidence that their investment will support continued growth rather than completed ideas.
Stay connected!
We're taking a brief pause from our grant writing workshops this month to focus on our Root 2 Fruit Festival, but keep an eye out for upcoming workshop announcements with Asimina Chremos, Crux, & Stonez. Check our website for future grant writing workshop dates and registration details. 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 applications - here's to finishing summer strong and launching into fall with the support you need to thrive!
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