BIPOC Deaf Arts Grant Program – United States

The Deaf Spotlight inspires and showcases Deaf Culture and Sign Languages through the arts. The Deaf Arts Grant will make a crucial difference for BIPOC Deaf, DeafBlind, DeafDisabled, and Hard of Hearing artists to thrive in the challenging arts field.

Funding Information

• For 2024, Deaf Spotlight will award $1,000 each to 4 recipients.
• At least one recipient will reside in the Pacific Northwest (Washington, Oregon, or Idaho), and at least one recipient will be a National selection outside of the Pacific Northwest region.

Eligible Funding

• Grant Awards may be used for:
  • Direct project expenses (such as research or residency)
  • Wages, salaries, and fees
  • Supplies and materials (purchases that will assist for the completion or production of your work)
  • Equipment or space rentals (for presentation or creation of your work)
  • Insurance, licenses, permits
  • Publicity and marketing
  • Transportation (such as travel to workshops, seminars, and/or anything that will assist with art creation)
  • Documentation by photographer or videographer
  • Training (such as workshops, master classes, and/or coaching)
  • Accessibility (such as interpreters, captions, etc.)

Ineligible Funding

• Grant Awards may not be used for:
  • Purchase of equipment unrelated to art needs (such as software or food)
  • College or university tuition
  • Government-run programs and degree-granting institutions, religious services, fundraising efforts, or gifts
  • Political campaigns

Eligible Projects

• In 2024, applications will be accepted by artists working in these art forms or disciplines:
  • Literary: Comics and Graphic Novels, Experimental/Hybrid works, Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Zines.
  • Media: Animation, Augmented Reality, Film, Immersive Audio & Video Works, Podcasts, Screenplays, Sound Art, Teleplays, Video Art, Virtual Reality, Web-based Art.
  • Performing: Costume Design, Dance, Music Composition, Musical Theater, Performance Art, Playwriting, Puppetry, Set Design, Sound Design, Spoken Word, Storytelling, Theater, Traditional/Folk Performance.
  • Tactile: Craft, Furniture Art, Installation, Interactive Installation & Sculpture, Immersion, Mixed Media, Multi-Sensory, 3-D, Printmaking, Public Art, Textile Arts.
  • Visual: Bio Art, Craft, Digital Arts, Drawing, Ecological Art, Environmental Design, Furniture Art, Illustration, Installation, Interactive Installation & Sculpture, Mixed Media, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Public Art, Sculpture, Textile Arts, Traditional/Folk Art.
• Any work with audio elements must be made accessible (transcripts, captions, audio descriptions, visual descriptions, etc.).

Eligibility Criteria

• Identify as a member of an underrepresented racial group, such as Black, Indigenous, or a Person of Color (BIPOC).
• Identify as Deaf, DeafBlind, DeafDisabled, or Hard of Hearing.
• Identify as an artist who makes original art
• Live in the United States or U.S. Territories. US citizenship is not required.
• Be at least 18 years of age by the time grant funds are dispersed (September 30, 2024).

Ineligibility Criteria

• You cannot apply if you are:
  • Involved with Deaf Spotlight as: a board member, grant judging/planning committee member, or staff member (either staff or active committee member during 2024) for the current application year.
  • A past award recipient of the BIPOC Deaf Arts Grant.
  • If you are a prior volunteer or committee member for Deaf Spotlight, please disclose your relationship with Deaf Spotlight in your application under potential conflicts of interest.

Selection Criteria

• Your application will be judged using the criteria below. Each criterion below is assessed at equal value.
  • Vision for grant award 
    • Shows a clear need for the grant award, and a clear plan for what they will do with the funding
  • Experience and potential 
    • Shows potential and strength in previous work or current work
    • Shows history of starting and completing work
  • Artistic growth 
    • Demonstrates growing skills and deepening of craft, technique, or approach over time
    • Shows growing scope, direction, themes, approaches in artistic or administrative work.

For more information, visit Deaf Spotlight.