VIA Art Fund’s Artistic Production Grants (US)

Individual artists or producing organizations seeking production funding must have a confirmed exhibition venue or presenting partner.

Focus Areas

• Artistic Production
  • They champion the production of new work—from creation to exhibition, documentation, and dissemination—that reflects artistic excellence and innovation. When possible, VIA Artistic Production grants are made with the intention to gift the work to a US-based cultural organization, ensuring that VIA-funded artworks live on to encounter new audiences under the stewardship of public institutions.
• Thought Leadership
  • They support the work of both established and emerging voices in contemporary art that bring new knowledge and dynamic avenues of understanding to the field. The creative output of these thought leaders generates entry points for dialogue and collaboration and fosters vital intellectual exchange.
• Public Engagement
  • They promote work that penetrates social, cultural, geographic, and economic barriers to inspire and educate diverse and expanded audiences. These initiatives act as platforms for inquiry and investigation, generating meaningful collective experiences for the public.

Funding Information

• Artistic Production funding ranges from $25,000 to $100,000 (can be lower than $25,000) per project, with grants at the upper levels of funding reserved for permanent or long-term installations, or newly commissioned works that may be gifted to a U.S. public collection.

Eligibility Criteria

• VIA awards grants to artists, nonprofit organizations, cultural institutions, art production platforms, and biennials or festivals working in the field of contemporary art in the United States and internationally.
• VIA does not fund in-house museum or gallery exhibitions. Their support is geared towards high-impact artistic commissions presented in nontraditional exhibition venues and those mounted in the public realm.
• Projects must have a confirmed artist (describe in the LOI).
• Project must have a confirmed exhibition venue (describe in the LOI).
• If the project takes place in the United States, the featured artist(s) may be US-based or international. If the artist is internationally based, then the project must take place in the United States. If you are a nonprofit entity (American or international) applying for support for a project outside the United States, your proposal must feature the work of a US-based artist.
• Projects must begin after their grant award notification dates.
• Organizations applying must provide proof of nonprofit status.
• Previous grantees must wait three full years from the date of their last grant award to re-apply for funding. Previous applicants who were invited to submit a full application but did not receive support must wait one full year to reapply. Previous applicants who did not progress past the LOI stage may not submit an LOI for the same project; they may, however, submit an LOI for a different project in the next cycle.

Application Requirements

• Artists should include in their LOI:
  • Your full name, address, phone number, and email.
  • A two-page description of the project written in the form of a letter, with details of the exhibition/project venue(s); an artist statement related to the proposed project; the amount of your request.
  • A balanced project budget.
  • A project timeline.
  • An updated CV and link to your website.
• Organizations should include in their LOI:
  • Their full name, address, phone number, and email.
  • A two-page description of the project written in the form of a letter, with details of the exhibition/project venue(s); identified artist(s); a brief organizational mission and artist statement related to the proposed project; the amount of your request. Please be sure your letter answers the question: who is the artist at the center of your project?
  • A balanced project budget and organization’s current annual operating budget (not a P&L balance sheet).
  • A project timeline.
  • Proof of nonprofit status.

For more information, visit VIA Art Fund.