Grants & Artistic Support

Dancers’ Group maintains this calendar of grants, residencies, and opportunities that support dance and dance-makers in the Bay Area. This calendar is not exhaustive and details can change – please confirm details with each grant/opportunity.

Deadline: QUARTERLY – June 1, 2025; Sept 1, 2025; Dec 1, 2025

The Svane Family Foundation: Culture Forward Grant

Culture Forward is a $5 million grant initiative by The Svane Family Foundation supporting arts and culture projects that attract families, students, and young professionals to Downtown San Francisco. Grants are open to individual artists, collectives, and arts and culture organizations. Applications will be reviewed and grants will be distributed on a quarterly basis.

Deadline: Mon, Jun 2

Headlands Center for the Arts: Chamberlain Award

The Chamberlain Award is a fully sponsored artist residency and $10,000 prize to support an artist working in the social practice discipline This award supports artists employing non-traditional media to creatively engage with social concerns of the day.

Deadline: Mon, June 2

Headlands Center for the Arts: Artist in Residence

Awards fully sponsored residencies to approximately 50 local, national, and international artists each year. Residencies of four to ten weeks include studio space, chef-prepared meals, comfortable housing, and travel and living expenses. Artists selected for this program are at all stages in their careers and work in all media.

Deadline: Thurs, June 5

California Arts Council: Administering Organization — Individual Artists Fellowship

Through regionally based Administering Organizations (AOs), the Individual Artists Fellowship (IAF) program uplifts and celebrates California artists across all disciplines and traditions, highlights their excellence and acknowledges their leadership in shaping traditional and contemporary cultures.

Deadline: Thurs, June 5

California Arts Council: Administering Organization – Folk and Traditional Arts

Up to $1,000,000 per year for two years in support to administer funding for artists and arts organizations’ work in folk and traditional arts expressions. Folk and traditional art forms are rooted in and reflective of the cultural life of a community, whose members may share common ethnic heritage, cultural mores, language, religion, occupation, or geographic regions. These art forms are preserved and revitalized through efforts to pass down skills and knowledge across generations. By providing opportunities for hands-on learning, collaboration, and practice within families and communities, these traditions remain vibrant and continue to evolve, ensuring the lasting strength of cultural legacies.

Deadline: Thurs, June 5

California Art Council: General Operating Support

The General Operating Support grant program provides direct funding to arts and cultural organizations in support of ongoing operations. Arts organizations defined: An arts and cultural organization is defined as an entity with a primary purpose of providing arts, creative, or cultural programming/services. Up to $30,000 in direct funding to arts and cultural organizations in support of ongoing operations.

Deadline: Thurs, June 5

California Arts Council: Impact Grant

Up to $25,000 in support collaborative projects that center artists and artistic practice in responding to issues experienced by California’s historically and systemically under-resourced communities.

Deadline: Thurs June 5

California Art Council: Arts and Youth

The Arts and Youth program is rooted in the CAC’s belief that arts learning and engagement should be available to all young people in California. Providing access to meaningful, culturally responsive arts experiences helps youth develop a greater sense of self, deepen their connection to their communities, and make meaningful connections across histories and cultures. By participating in the arts, youth gain the knowledge, skills, and understanding to actively take part in creative processes, projects, and pursuits throughout their lifetimes as culturally literate, engaged citizens.

Deadline: Thurs, June 5th

California Arts Council: State-Local Partners Mentorship

The State-Local Partner Mentorship (SLP-M) program is intended to support the establishment of a county-designated local arts agency in each of the four counties in which no such agency has currently been identified (Alpine, Glenn, Kings, San Joaquin). Grant funds will go to four existing State-Local Partners (SLP) to foster the development of new SLPs in these counties.

Deadline: Thurs, June 5th

California Arts Council: State-Local Partners

The State-Local Partners (SLP) program provides general operating support and technical assistance for county-designated local arts agencies. The purpose of the program is to foster cultural development on the local level through a partnership between the State and the counties of California. The nature of this partnership includes funding, information exchange, cooperative activities, and leadership. The partnership enables individuals, organizations, and communities to create, present, and preserve the arts of all cultures to enrich the quality of life for all Californians.

Deadline: Mon, Jun 16

pateldanceworks: imprint: a QTBIPOC dance writing fellowship

imprint is an annual dance writing fellowship program designed for emerging QTBIPOC dance writers. Not intended for full-time students. Artistic Director Bhumi B Patel will support three emerging dance writers through writing and publishing mentorship and professional development as a dance writer. 3 fellows will be selected. Each fellow receives $500 stipend. Fellows will have 2-3 pieces of writing published on pateldancework's website blog. Program year: Sep 1, 2025 - Sep 1, 2026

Deadline: Tues, June 17 at 11:59 PM

Kenneth Rainin Foundation: Open Spaces Program

The Kenneth Rainin Foundation’s Open Spaces Program supports artist-driven temporary, place-based public art projects that resonate with communities. This grantmaking program funds projects at different stages of development that feature generative collaboration between artists, communities and nonprofit organizations to realize ambitious, risk-taking projects. Stage One applications will be accepted from May 21–June 17, at 11:59 PM

Deadline: Tue, Jul 15

Ucross Foundation – Artist Residency

The residency program is open to visual artists, writers, composers, choreographers, interdisciplinary artists, performance artists, and collaborative teams. Applicants must exhibit professional standing in their field; both established and emerging artists are encouraged to apply. Ucross provides each artist with living accommodations, meals, work space, and uninterrupted time so that the artists can focus on their creative process. Residencies range from two weeks to six weeks in length.

Deadline: Tue, July 15

Fleishhacker Foundation: Small Arts Grants

Supports: 1) arts and culture nonprofit organizations with annual budgets between $100,000 and $749,999 in San Francisco, Alameda, and Contra Costa counties; 2) fiscally sponsored arts and culture organizations with annual budgets under $750,000 in these counties; and 3) film projects directed by filmmakers resiing in these counties with budgets under $750,000, that meet the eligibility criteria. Applications are accepted for general support from 501(c)(3) nonprofit and fiscally sponsored organizations that are engaged in the production and presentation of new work by Bay Area artists in the disciplines of dance, music, theater, visual arts, interdisciplinary arts, or film.

Deadline: Quarterly – July 21, 2025, Oct 14, 2025

Zellerbach Family Foundation: Community Arts

Supports the creation of work by Bay Area artists and access to the arts for Bay Area communities. Grantseekers must be located in or serving communities in Alameda, Contra Costa or San Francisco Counties. While Community Arts grants are awarded as general operating support, application materials must include information about an upcoming project. Applications must be submitted by 5:00pm on the application cycle due date. Late and/or incomplete applications will be considered in the following cycle, if eligible. $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000.

Deadline: Mini-Grants are offered monthly and applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Submit your application before the end of the month to be considered for the next month’s award.

ARTogether: Mini-Grants for Artists

Awards $500 to Bay Area refugee and immigrant artists for work on a current or ongoing art project. Preference will be given to refugee artists and to projects which are beyond the development stage.

Deadline: Applications are reviewed and grants are awarded monthly based on available funds. Apply by the 10th of every month.

First Peoples Fund: Yéigo Action Grant

Offers grants for individual Native artists and culture bearers who are in need of quick financial assistance for an artistic opportunity, emergency situation and/or sudden unanticipated expense related to their art practice or business. $100-$5,000.

Deadline: Monthly, visit each chapter’s page for their guidelines.

The Awesome Foundation

Each fully autonomous chapter of the Awesome Foundation supports awesome projects through micro-grants, usually given out monthly. There are chapters in Marin (currently inactive), Oakland (currently inactive), San Francisco, San Jose, and Santa Cruz. Awesome Disability and Awesome On the Water are independent chapters of the Awesome Foundation. $1,000.

Deadline: Applications for residencies at different parks are continuously updated and rotated throughout the year. Visit the website for current listings and deadlines.

National Parks Arts Foundation: Residencies

Works directly with select artists and the National Park Service (and their affiliates) to create unique Artist in Residency programs within the wonders of the National Parks. The NPAF is currently active in parks across the nation.

More info at https://www.nationalparksartsfoundation.org/allresidencies

Deadline: Applications are open periodically throughout the year.

Rauschenberg Medical Emergency Grants

Provides one-time grants of up to $5,000 for unexpected medical, dental, and mental health emergencies to artists in financial need who are creating in the visual arts, film/video/electronic/digital arts, and choreography.

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