Grants for Experimental Platforms in Contemporary Visual Arts in New York (USA)
GrantID: 75095
Grant Funding Amount Low: $5,000
Deadline: Ongoing
Grant Amount High: $10,000
Summary
This opportunity supports visual artists, independent collectives, and experimental practitioners in a defined county region in Western New York (specifically Erie and Niagara counties). It is designed to back ambitious and innovative visual-arts projects that include a public-facing component, encouraging work that is experimental, community-engaged, and materially inventive rather than strictly traditional in form or medium.
Applicants may include individual visual artists, artist collectives, experimental organizers, and independent studios. The fund is open to those whose work often falls outside conventional funding models—such as projects involving exhibitions, performances, gardens, publications, artist-run spaces, or other creative platforms. The key is that the projects are visually grounded and shared with the public in the eligible region.
There are two main types of grants. The first (“smaller project” stream) provides up to $5,000 to support creation of a new project with a publicly accessible component—such as an exhibition, performance, film screening, publishing work, or similar creative event or output. The second (“seed/long-term potential” stream) offers up to $10,000, intended for more ambitious or collaborative works that might lead to sustained platforms or durable creative infrastructure—podcasts, forums, collective spaces, or platforms for future public-sharing.
Funds are intended to be used for production, presentation, experimentation, collaboration, and community engagement. The expectation is that proposals demonstrate clear visual art roots, originality, public access, and purpose. Projects should show innovation in format or context, or otherwise respond meaningfully to community or artistic needs.
This initiative offers artists the chance to push boundaries, take risks, and explore process without rigid expectations on outcomes. It aims to strengthen and energize the local arts ecology by investing in creators, enabling new ideas to flourish, and building platforms for ongoing artistic activity.
Those working in Financial Assistance and located in New York may meet the eligibility criteria for this grant. To browse other funding opportunities suited to your focus areas, visit The Grant Portal and try the Search Grant tool.
Eligible Regions
Interests
Eligible Requirements
