Illuminations Grant for Black Trans Women Visual Artists – US

The llluminations Grant is administered through Queer|Art with a rotating panel of judges, each of whom will conduct a studio visit with the winning artist as part of the award’s focus on supporting creative and professional development.

Funding Information

• A $10,000 grant, supports visual artists who are self-identified Black trans women.
• The grant will also provide a $1,250 award to four distinguished finalists.
• Winning artists and finalists will receive additional professional development resources and further guidance to bolster their creative development in the field.
• Queer|Art staff will also provide the winning artist and finalists with consultations and further access to many of the tools they have developed in conjunction with the organization’s cornerstone creative and professional development program, Queer|Art|Mentorship.

Eligibility Criteria

• This is a grant for U.S. based individuals, including the 50 states and its territories.
• Artists currently enrolled in college, university, or other educational programs are welcome to apply for this grant.
• This is a grant for self identified Black trans women who are early-career working in visual art. They recognize that language is slippery and evolving, and that the terms for self-identification may carry different meanings for different people. They don’t police how applicants self-identify, so only you can determine your eligibility in this regard; they will ask you to fill out demographic information in the grant application. Please note that the grant’s intention is to support Black trans women, who are systematically overlooked and often excluded from formal visual arts institutions due to racialized transphobia and socioeconomic barriers to entry in the visual art world.
• This grant defines “early-career” as follows:
  • Likely to be receiving grant or fellowship support at this level and amount for the first time
  • May be of any age
  • May be self-taught or already have a fine arts degree
  • May have experience self publishing their work (but not with major publishers)
  • May have exhibited in regional or local galleries or museums (but not major galleries or museums)
  • May have previously received limited grant funding

Ineligibility Criteria

• Artists with commercial gallery representation should not apply.

For more information, visit Queer|Art.