Happy 2023, creative fam! If you’re looking to secure funding for a big creative project, or you’re working to get your name and art out there, the grants and exhibitions below can help you start the year off on the right foot.

2023 Grants

1. Challenge America

 If you are a small arts organization that is seeking support for an upcoming 2024 art project, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Challenge America Grant may be a great place to start. Grants offered in this category are open to projects slated to launch during 2024 in any part of the nation’s 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. jurisdictions. Challenge America grants are set at $10,000 and require awardees to match that amount in cash or similar contributions. The application has been built with first-time applicants to the federal funding process in mind, so rest assured knowing there is technical support available if you hit a snag. The deadline to submit your application is April 27, 2023. 

To learn more about the Challenge America grant(s), visit the website here. You can also register to attend the guidelines webinar that is scheduled to take place at 3:00pm ET on March 1, 2023.

2. Grants for Arts Projects

The second grant being offered by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is the Grants for Arts Projects. Labeled the “largest grant program for organizations”, this grant was designed to support artistic disciplines nationwide. A blurb from the website states that the program “also welcomes projects that engage with individuals whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography, race or ethnicity, economics, or disability.” Grants in this category range from $10,000 to $100,000 and much like the Challenge America grant, awardees can expect to match their awarded amount. For projects that are slated to launch in 2024, the deadlines to apply to the Grants for Arts Projects is February 9 and July 6, 2023.

To read up on the guidelines for the grant, check out the website here. A webinar is also scheduled to take place at 3:00 pm ET on Wednesday, January 11, 2023. Visit arts.gov/events to register.

(Photo: National Endowment for the Arts)

3. Creators of Culture

The Creators of Culture grant is aimed at supporting small-scale arts activity across Southeast Michigan. Since 2019, the grant has been awarded annually by CultureSource, a member association for non-profit arts and cultural organizations in Southeast Michigan serving Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Washtenaw, Livingston, Monroe and St. Clair counties with a focus on providing annual funding opportunities for grassroots and other artist-led creative activities.

The grant program is set to launch in early 2023, so make sure you visit Culture Source’s website and check back for updates soon.

4. Kresge Artist Fellowships

At the time of writing, there are six days remaining for Metro Detroit artists in the literary and visual arts field to apply for a 2023 Kresge Artist Fellowship. Artists of all career stages are invited to apply but must live and work in Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties. A total of twenty Kresge Artist Fellowships of $25,000 will be awarded in addition to ten Gilda Awards of $5,000. While both programs were designed to support local artists, the Gilda Awards were created to honor the legacy of  Gilda Snowden, who was a mentor and avid supporter of emerging artists. Awardees in both categories will be offered professional development, mentorship, and promotion opportunities.

The deadline to submit your application for a Kresge Artist Fellowship/Gilda Award is January 19, 2023. 

Visit The Kresge Foundation website for FAQs, submission guidelines, or to apply.

(Photo: The Kresge Foundation)

Upcoming Exhibitions

1. About Face Exhibition (online and in-person)

Love to take selfies? The About Face Exhibit is calling for artists to share their interpretation of the portrait. Artwork of all mediums is being accepted and artists are encouraged to submit several interpretations of their work whether it relates to an individual, group, self-portrait, non-living entity, or animal. Artists who wish to join the exhibit must pay an entry fee as outlined below:

• $20 entry fee DCA member: in-person exhibit + online exhibit

• $30 entry fee non-member: in-person exhibit + online exhibit

• $5 entry fee DCA member: online exhibit only

• $10 entry fee non-member: online exhibit only

• FREE for students ages 14-22: in-person + online exhibit

Entry fees can be paid via the DCA website, and you’ll also want to fill out the entry form to participate.  The deadline to submit artwork is Tuesday, January 17, 2023 at 8 pm EST.

The Opening Reception will take place Thursday, January 19th from 6-8 pm, and the exhibition is scheduled to run until February 18, 2023. 

2. Composing Detroit 2023 Spring Exhibition

Submissions are now open for Composing Detroit’s two-day Spring exhibition show. To apply, visit ComposingDetroit.org and fill out the short form with your name, email, and artist bio. There is also a space to fill in the details about your artwork including the title, dimensions, and price. A $35 per submission fee is required to submit up to two pieces of art. The fee to submit a full body of work is $100. (Please contact Composing Detroit if you are interested in displaying a full body of work.)

Artwork submissions will be curated by the Composing Detroit Team and artists who are selected for the exhibition will be contacted via email. 

Submissions for artwork are open now until February 19, 2023 at 11:59 PM EST.

The first night of the exhibition will take place Friday, April 28, 2023, and is reserved solely for participating artists, their families, curators, and collectors. The public viewing will take place for one night only on Saturday, April 29th, 2023. (Times for both dates have not yet been released.)

(Photo: Composing Detroit)

What other grants or exhibitions can we add to the list?  Leave a comment and share them with me!