FAQs

NYFA follows the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) definition of disability as “a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.” Applicants must identify as disabled to qualify for this program. Applicants are asked to identify as being or having one or more of the following when filling out the application:

• Physical/Mobility disability
• Cognitive/Intellectual/Developmental disability
• Mental Illness/Psychiatric disability
• Sensory disability (including D/deaf, hard of hearing, blind, partially sighted)
• Chronic Illness/Chronic Pain (including HIV/AIDS, cancer)
• Invisible/Non-apparent disability
• Not listed – self Identify

No, the applicant will not need to provide documentation of their disability with their application. 

Yes, Cycle 3 of the NYSCA/NYFA Artists with Disabilities Grant is open to New York State artists (including New York City) who have lived in New York for at least the past twelve months.

No, the NYSCA/NYFA Artists with Disabilities Grant is a one-time grant award. If you received the grant in a previous cycle, you are not eligible to apply again.

Yes. Even if you are receiving or did receive unemployment in the past 12 months, you are still eligible to apply for this grant.

Yes. If you meet all the eligibility criteria and you are receiving or have received SSI or SSDI, you are welcome to apply. 

NYFA advises contacting the Social Security Administration for personalized advice.

Applicants can be past recipients of any of NYFA’s grant programs.

The grant will be open to visual, media, music, performing, literary, and multidisciplinary artists. Applicants might be creating work under any of the following disciplines: 

• Craft/Textiles (including: Ceramics, Glass, Wood, Metal, Fiber, and Mixed Media)
• Choreography/Dance (all forms)
• Community Arts
• Design/Architecture (Environmental and Functional Design)
• Digital/Electronic Arts (works where technology is an essential element of the work’s creation)
• Folk/Traditional Arts (works of traditional Folk Art and creative and cultural expressions)
• Interdisciplinary Work (integrate knowledge and methods from different disciplines within a single piece or body of work)
• Literary Arts (including Fiction, Non-Fiction, Poetry, Playwriting, and Screenwriting)
• Music/Sound (Composers working in any and all styles of music)
• Theater/Performance (including Directing, Live Action, and Puppetry)
• Video/Film (all forms)
• Visual Arts (including: Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Drawing, and Sculpture)

Applicants need to be practicing artists and be able to demonstrate an ongoing commitment to their arts practice and career. Applicants should be able to demonstrate that they have participated, created, or maintained their artistic practice and provide documentation from any time over the past 4 years (2019 to date). Applicants are encouraged to share a past public engagement such as an exhibition, show, community-based program, performance, or other public presentation of the artist’s work within their application.

We understand that artists may have had an interruption to their practice in 2020/2021/2022 due to COVID-19. If this is the case, applicants can provide documentation from the years prior.

If eligible, please apply via the Submittable platform. A link to the application will appear on this page on Tuesday, April 4 at 10:00 AM ET and will also be available here: https://apply.nyfa.org/submit

If you have not submitted an application with NYFA’s Grants department before, you will need to create a new Submittable account. Visit www.submittable.com to start a free account. If you have submitted an application with NYFA Grants in the past, you can use those credentials to apply for this grant.

No. All applications must be submitted online via the Submittable platform. However, we are offering assistance to those who require it. To request an accommodation or assistance in applying, please email [email protected]. If you would prefer to call, NYFA has a phone number for this grant. The phone number is monitored every Monday from April 3 to June 5, 2:00 PM to 5:30 PM ET. Please call (212) 366-6900 ext 264. We ask that requests for accommodation be made as soon as possible, and no later than Tuesday, May 23 to allow adequate time for staff to support you in submitting an application before the deadline.

The application form accepts the following file types: PDF, JPG, DOC, DOCX, MP4, and MOV and web links.

Applicants will need to submit two (2) official letters or other documentation from the following dates:

• Document 1: Dated on or before September 2021
• Document 2: Dated anytime in 2022

Applications that submit documents that are dated outside of the eligible date ranges will not qualify for the grant. 

The documents can be, but are not limited to: a utility bill, bank statement or bill, credit card statement, valid government ID listing address issued within the required dates, and/or residential or studio lease active within the required dates. The documents must include:

• Applicant’s full name
• New York State address
• Date
  ○ Document 1: Dated on or before April 2022
  ○ Document 2: Dated anytime in 2023

Applications that submit documents that are dated outside of the eligible date ranges will not qualify for the grant.

Yes. The application form will be open from 10:00 AM ET, Tuesday, April 4 and remain open until 5:00 PM ET on Tuesday, June 6. Applications will close at 5:00 PM ET so please make sure you submit your application before this time. The application will not reopen after the deadline.

By completing this information you are helping NYFA secure future funding, collect general information about our audience, and properly assess our effectiveness in serving the creative community. Your responses will remain confidential and will only be reviewed by NYFA staff members. Any personally identifying data will be removed prior to sharing the demographic data with third parties. 

NYFA is committed to supporting individuals from all backgrounds and disciplines and will continue to work towards values of equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility across all programs. Read NYFA’s DEIA statement on our website.

Yes, you may submit an application as a proxy on behalf of another person with their consent. Ensure that you are creating a Submittable account, and submitting the application under that person’s name as the applicant, with their contact information. There is a section for you to fill out your name and contact information as the proxy, but all other answers should relate to the applicant.

If possible, please email [email protected]. This email address is monitored daily and staff will aim to respond in a timely manner. If you would prefer to call, NYFA has a phone number for this grant. The phone number is monitored every Monday from April 3 to June 5, 2:00 PM to 5:30 PM ET. Please call (212) 366-6900 ext 264.

We strongly encourage that you apply at least 2 days before the deadline in case technical difficulties come up to allow us time to assist your application. In the event you encounter technical difficulties on the last day and as a result cannot get your application in on time, NYFA cannot extend the deadline regardless of the cause of the problem you may have encountered. Please email [email protected] or call (212) 366-6900 ext 264 on Mondays between 2:00 PM to 5:30 PM ET for assistance.

Once applications close, applications will be reviewed for completeness. Qualifying applicants will be selected by a lottery system.

The lottery system allows us to give equal consideration to every qualifying application received during the application cycle. The random selection of the lottery system ensures that early submissions are not given undue advantage over those submitting materials towards the end of the cycle, and avoids any disparity among applicants of different geographic location, physical ability, cultural background, or economic circumstance.

All applicants will receive notification on the outcome of their application in June 2023. Please do not email us regarding the status of your application.

All funding will be distributed via mailed checks at no expense to the recipient.

All recipients will be asked to complete a W-9 for NYFA’s internal processing purposes ONLY. 1099s will not be issued.

No. Unfortunately, due to limited funds and volume of applications, not every eligible applicant will be funded.

No. Duplicate applications will be removed from the review process.

No. Personal information will never be disclosed or publicized without prior consent.

Yes. Cycle 3 recipients will be asked to provide a brief report by October 2023, verifying how the funds were used to support their artistic practice. Recipients will be provided with more detailed instruction upon notification of their award.

This cash grant will support any expenses that are related to your artistic practice. This includes, but is not limited to: artists fee, space rental/fee, supplies/materials, technology/equipment rental.

All recipients will be asked to complete a W-9 for NYFA’s internal processing purposes ONLY. NYFA will not be issuing a 1099 for this grant as the relief falls under a disaster relief benefit relating to a COVID-19 emergency. For individual questions relating to your personal finance or tax implications, please advise a financial manager or tax accountant.