NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship

The NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship is a $8,000 unrestricted cash grant available to artists living in New York State and/or one of the Indian 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.

Click here to view the full list of 2022 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellows, Finalists, and Panelists.

GRANT TIMELINE:

Application Opens: Tuesday, October 25, 2022 10:00 AM EDT  
Application Deadline: Wednesday January 25, 2023 at 5:00 PM EST*
Applicants Notified: Summer 2023

*Please note that the application form on Submittable will automatically close and stop accepting applications at this time.

APPLICANTS MUST MEET THE FOLLOWING ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

  • 25 years or older by the application deadline date
  • Current residents of New York State and/or one of the Indian Nations located in New York State
  • Must have maintained New York State residency, and/or residency in one of the Indian Nations located therein, for at least the last two consecutive years (2021 & 2022)
  • Not enrolled in a degree-seeking program of any kind
  • Are the originators of the work, i.e. choreographers or playwrights, not interpretive artists such as dancers or actors
  • Did not receive a NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship in any discipline in the past five consecutive years: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022
  • Cannot submit any work samples that have been previously awarded a NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship
  • While collaborating artists are eligible to apply, the total number of collaborators cannot exceed three
  • Applicants can apply in a maximum of 2 categories each cycle
  • Are not a current NYFA employee or have been in the last 12 months, a member of the NYFA Board of Trustees or Artists’ Advisory Committee, immediate family member of any of the aforementioned, or an immediate family member of a 2022-2023 panelist
  • Artists that have been awarded five NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowships receive Emeritus status and are no longer eligible for the award

NYFA only accepts applications online via apply.nyfa.org/submit.

2023 AWARD CYCLE

Applications for the 2022-23 award cycle are now closed. The following categories are being reviewed:

  • Craft/Sculpture
  • Digital/Electronic Arts
  • Nonfiction Literature
  • Poetry
  • Printmaking/Drawing/Book Arts

FUTURE AWARD CYCLES

2024 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship Categories

Applications for the 2023-24 award cycle will open in Fall 2023. The following categories will be reviewed:

  • Fiction
  • Folk/Traditional Arts
  • Interdisciplinary Work
  • Painting
  • Video/Film

2025 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship Categories

Applications for the 2024-25 award cycle will open in Fall 2024. The following categories will be reviewed:

  • Architecture/Environmental Structures/Design
  • Choreography
  • Music/Sound
  • Photography
  • Playwriting/Screenwriting

INFORMATION SESSION RECORDINGS

NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship Overview, presented by Eleysha Sajous, Program Officer, NYFA Grants.

NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship Info Session: Craft/Sculpture and Printmaking/Drawing/Book Arts, presented by Eleysha Sajous, Program Officer, NYFA Grants.

NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship Info Session: Nonfiction Literature and Poetry, presented by Eleysha Sajous, Program Officer, NYFA Grants.

NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship Info Session: Digital/Electronic Arts, presented by Eleysha Sajous, Program Officer, NYFA Grants.

NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship Info Session: Written Statements (General), presented by Eleysha Sajous, Program Officer, NYFA Grants.

What Panelists Look for in an Application, presented by Eleysha Sajous, Program Officer, NYFA Grants.

“DEAR ARTIST” BY FELLOW KELLY TSAI

Video: Kelly Tsai (Fellow in Nonfiction Literature ’17), “Dear Artist,” spoken word performance, 2020 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellows and Finalists Celebration, December 2020

FUNDING SUPPORT

NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowships are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. Major funding is also provided by the New York State Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA).

Additional funding is provided by the Milton & Sally Avery Arts Foundation, Deutsche Bank, and individual donors.

You can join NYFA’s generous benefactors in helping artists. Visit our Support pages to learn more about the impact of your gift.

Image Credit: (Detail) Sangram Majumdar (Fellow in Painting ’18), giacometti’s shadow, 2018, oil on canvas