Open Call: Creative Capital Award + State of the Art Prize (US)

Their goal is to support artists of various identities, ages, and career stages working across a range of disciplines, themes, and ideas. Creative Capital seeks project proposals for formally and/or conceptually innovative works in all disciplines, including, but not limited to, painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, video and multimedia, dance, theater, playwriting, jazz, opera, music, experimental film, documentary and narrative film, poetry, and fiction.

State of the Art Prize recipients may apply again to future open calls for the Creative Capital Award. However, artists who have already received the Creative Capital Award may not apply for the State of the Art Prize. Both the State of the Art Prize and the Creative Capital Award are one-time awards.

Focus Areas

• Visual Arts: architecture & design, craft, drawing & illustration, ecological art, installation, painting & printmaking, performance art, photography, public art, sculpture, social practice, sound art, video art, technology, and socially-engaged visual art
• Performing Arts: dance, jazz, multimedia performance, music, musical theater, opera, theater, playwriting, technology, and socially-engaged performing arts
• Film: animation, documentary film, experimental film, and narrative film
• Literature: fiction, nonfiction, and poetry

Funding Information

• Creative Capital Award
  • The Creative Capital Award provides unrestricted project grants of up to $50,000 to individual artists to create new work.
• State of the Art Prize
  • The new State of the Art Prize provides unrestricted artist grants of $10,000.

Ineligible Projects

• Projects whose main purpose is promotional
• Project is to fund ongoing operations of existing business or nonprofit organization
• Curation or documentation of existing work
• Projects that will premiere or be completed before October 1, 2026

Eligibility Criteria

• US citizen, permanent legal resident, O-1 visa holder, or Tribal ID holder
• At least 25 years old by application deadline
• Working artist(s) with at least 5 years of professional artistic practice within their chosen discipline
• Applicant may not be enrolled in a degree-granting program
• May not apply to the Andy Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant program in the same year
• May not have previously received a Creative Capital Award
• May not be an applicant or collaborator on more than one proposed project per year
• State of the Art Prize recipients must be a resident of the state they are awarded in through February 1, 2026. Prize recipients must provide proof of residence in the state or territory to receive the grant.

Application Requirements

• Please be prepared to complete the following information in the application portal:
  • Legal name, and professional/chosen name (if applicable)
  • Contact Information
    • Current City, State, Zip Code, Country o Primary phone number and email address
    • Date of birth
• Demographic information
  • Gender identity and pronouns
  • Race/Ethnicity
  • Tribal Affiliation (if applicable) o Disability identification
  • Hometown city, state, zip code, country
  • Career stage (emerging/mid-career/established)
• A short (50 words) and long (200 words) bio focused on your artistic career and creative practice. Collaboratives will also submit a short (50 words) and long (200 words) bio for the collaborative, focused on the collaborative’s creative practice.
• A professional resume. If applying as a collaborative, please submit a resume for the lead applicant only.

For more information, visit Creative Capital Foundation.