NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship
The NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship is an $8,000 unrestricted cash grant available to artists living in New York State and/or one of the Tribal 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 2023 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellows, Finalists, and Panelists.
GRANT TIMELINE:
Application Opens: Tuesday, October 3, 2023 10:00 AM EDT
Application Deadline: Wednesday, December 13, 2023 at 5:00 PM EST*
Applicants Notified: Summer 2024
*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 Tribal Nations located in New York State
- Must have maintained New York State residency, and/or residency in one of the Tribal Nations located therein, for at least the last two consecutive years (2022 & 2023)
- 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: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023
- Cannot submit any work samples that have been previously awarded a NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship
- While collaborating artists and/or artist collectives are eligible to apply, the total number of artists cannot exceed three individuals (this includes the submitter). Each artist (applying as a collective or in collaboration) must all meet the eligibility criteria for this award.
- 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 2023-2024 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.
2024 AWARD CYCLE
The following categories will be reviewed:
- Fiction
- Folk/Traditional Arts
- Interdisciplinary Work
- Painting
- Video/Film
FUTURE AWARD CYCLES
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
2025 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship Categories
Applications for the 2025-26 award cycle will open in Fall 2025. The following categories will be reviewed:
- Craft/Sculpture
- Digital/Electronic Arts
- Nonfiction Literature
- Poetry
- Printmaking/Drawing/Book Arts
INFORMATION SESSION RECORDINGS
The NYFA Grants team will host a series of virtual information sessions designed to answer applicant questions and help artists build a stronger application. Each session will be held on Zoom; have a Q&A section where artists can ask NYFA Grants staff questions about the application process; and will be recorded for artists’ future viewing throughout the application period.
“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
