2025 Grants for Artist Projects (GAP) Guidelines

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About Artist Trust

Artist Trust is a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to helping Washington State artists thrive. Recognized as a national model for direct funding and professional development for working artists, we have invested over $15 million in individual artists since our founding in 1986. We view our mission to support and encourage artists working in all disciplines in Washington State through a lens of racial and geographic equity, actively working to ensure that artists from all backgrounds and Washington State geographies are reached through our services.

About the Award

Grants for Artist Projects (GAP) are unrestricted project-based grants of $1,500 awarded to 65 artists working in all disciplines across Washington State. Funding may be used for but not limited to artist fees, materials, equipment, space rental, travel for research, documentation, professional development opportunities, marketing and promotion, support to continue a current project, support to start a new project, and many other needs related to your project.

Deep appreciation to our donor community, participants in our statewide artist focus groups, the Artist Trust Strategic Vision and Stewardship Committee and Racial Equity Committee, Board of Trustees, and staff for making this program possible.

Artists who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), LGBTQIA+, living with/having disabilities, and/or living in rural communities are strongly encouraged to apply. For support with your application, see the Help with your application section below.

Rachel MaxiRachel Maxi, 2024 GAP Recipient (Visual, King County), Temporal Monuments, oil on canvas, 2024
Gustavo Alonso LópezGustavo Alonso López, 2024 GAP Recipient (Performing, Walla Walla County). Photo credit: Common Tone Arts

Who is eligible

Applicants must be:

  • 18 years of age or older;
  • Washington State residents at the time of both application and payment;
  • Individual artists (or artist teams) who are the originators of works of art.

Applicants must not be:

  • A recipient of a GAP from 2020–2024 (including recipients of Grants for Artists’ Progress);
  • Previous recipients of the James W. Ray Distinguished Artist Award or Arts Innovator Award;
  • Recipients of another Artist Trust grant in the 2025 calendar year;
  • Current graduate or undergraduate students enrolled at the time of the application and/or payment (payment will be made October 2025);
  • Applying on behalf of a company, nonprofit, organization, fiscal sponsorship, or community group;
  • Current Artist Trust staff, Board of Trustees, honorary committee, current GAP panelists, or their immediate family.

Artist Teams
A team of two or more artists may apply if they have a documented history of creating and presenting work as a team for at least three consecutive years. Artists applying as a team must contact Artist Trust to confirm eligibility before applying. If eligible, one artist will submit the application and list team members in the application. All team members must meet the eligibility requirements.

Choosing your disciplinary category

Choose the category that best suits your practice and use the discipline statement to provide additional context.

Disciplinary categories may include the following practices:

Literary Arts: Creative Nonfiction, Experimental/Hybrid Works, Fiction, Graphic Novels, Poetry, Zines.

Media Arts: Animation, Augmented Reality, Film, Immersive Audio & Video Works, Podcasts, Screenplays, Sound Art, Teleplays, Video Art, Virtual Reality, Web-based Art.

Performing Arts: Costume Design, Dance, Music, Music Composition, Musical Theater, Performance Art, Playwriting, Puppetry, Set Design, Sound Design, Spoken Word, Storytelling, Theater, Traditional/Folk Performance.

Visual Arts: BioArt, Craft, Digital Arts, Drawing, Ecological Art, Environmental Design, Furniture Art, Illustration, Installation, Interactive Installation & Sculpture, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Public Art, Sculpture, Traditional/Folk Art.

JuliaDawn Stetzel (2024 GAP Recipient) (Visual, Pacific County), Climate Watch Chair: Salton Sea, heat index 107° F, 2022

How to apply

The 2025 GAP application is available online starting May 16, 2025. Visit artisttrust.submittable.com/submit to submit.

DEADLINE: Friday, June 23 2025, at 11:59 PM PST

Materials to Submit

  • Discipline Statement (50 words or less)
  • Biography (150 words or less or up to 1.5 minutes of video/audio)
  • Project Description (350 words or less or up to 3 minutes of video/audio)
  • Work Samples (See Work Sample Guidelines section)
  • Impact Statement (150 words or less)

Applications are only accepted through Submittable.

Video guidelines for your biography and project description
Materials submitted in video format should be low-tech. Low-tech videos are unedited, without filters, scene changes, or multiple clips. The video should be a straight and clear shot of the applicant. The video can show the applicant’s full body, or from the waist or shoulders up. The video cannot contain any of the applicant’s artwork.

  • Clear and focused footage of the applicant;
  • Up to 1.5 minutes long for the biography and up to 3 minutes long for the project description;
  • Easy to see and hear the applicant;
  • Footage of the applicant speaking clearly.

The video should not be:

  • Footage of more than one person;
  • More work samples or have the applicant’s work in view;
  • Longer than the maximum time – up to 1.5 minutes for the biography and up to 3 minutes for the project description.
Audio guidelines for your biography and project description
Materials submitted in audio format should be clear and easy to hear without any additional audio including music, white noise, other voices, and/or any background noise that is not the applicant’s own voice.

The audio should be:

  • Clear and easy to hear the applicant’s voice;
  • Up to 1.5 minutes long for the biography and up to 3 minutes long for the project description;
  • The applicant’s voice only.

The audio should not be:

  • More than one person’s voice;
  • Edited audio of the applicant including auto-tune, sped up or slowed down manipulation, and/or higher or lower pitched;
  • More work samples;
  • Longer than the maximum time (up to 1.5 minutes for the biography and up to 3 minutes for the project description).
Arturo Solorio, 2024 GAP Recipient (Visual, Yakima County), Warm Shadows, 35mm film, 2024
Pamela Yasutake, 2024 GAP Recipient (Performing, King County), Performance at The Lemon Grove, Medearis Dixson (Keys), Chris Patin (Drums), Evan Fluory-Barnes (Bass), Owuor Arunga (Trumpet). Photo: Jordan Sommers

Help with your application

Applying for grants can be hard, and we want to help you. Artist Trust offers the following support services and resources to guide you through the application process:

2025 GAP Info Session
Attend this Info Session Tuesday, May 20, 5:30 – 6:30 pm to learn about 2025 Grants for Artist Projects (GAP)! During this event, our Programs Team will share general information about applying to 2025 GAP. This is not a private session, but rather a space for learning and asking basic questions about the application process.
Register for the Info Session

How to Apply for 2025 GAP (Regional)
Attend one of our regional workshops for an overview of Artist Trust’s Grants for Artist Projects (GAP) application process. Led by local teaching artists and arts professionals, these 1.5-hour workshops will introduce you to Artist Trust, provide details about the 2025 GAP awards, and guide you through how to apply.

Port Townsend
Spokane
Yakima
Tacoma

How to Apply for 2025 GAP (Pre-recorded)
A brief walkthrough of how to apply, the process, and selection criteria.
Watch the webinar on YouTube

Office Hours
20-minute consultations with our staff provided in person, via Zoom or by phone, on June 11 and 12. Available by appointment.
Reserve a spot for June 11
Reserve a spot for June 12

Reference Guide
Review examples of successful applications from past year’s grantees.

Contact Us
We are happy to answer questions about your application. Please note: it’s hard for us to answer questions on the day of the deadline. Start your application early and don’t wait to contact us with questions.
Jump to contact information.

If you require a translator to complete your application or have other accessibility needs, please get in touch.

Tips & hints

  1. Read the guidelines and instructions carefully and follow them.
  2. Start your application at least a week before the deadline and give yourself plenty of time to prepare your materials. Don’t wait until the last minute to submit. Submittable slows down from high traffic in the hours before the deadline. We do not accept late applications.
  3. Write and save your application in a word processing program. Copy and paste the text into Submittable when you are ready to submit.
  4. A discipline statement (50 words or less) describes your artistic practice. It can be as simple as “I am a poet” or give a more detailed explanation of your practice. You will also be asked to select a disciplinary category (literary, media, performing, and visual) (detailed above).
  5. A biography (150 words or less or up to 1.5 minutes of video/audio) tells your story as an artist. It provides details about you and your work, such as where you were born or grew up, your training, career development, accomplishments, or other information that may not be found elsewhere in the application. This can be written, video, or audio format.
  6. A project description (350 words or less or up to 3 minutes of video/audio) explains the who, what, when, where, and why of a project. It gives specific details about your vision, timeline, intentions, goals, and how this funding will support your work. A strong project description is clear and straightforward, cohesive with the work samples, and shows you know what it takes to complete your project. Projects selected for GAP funding vary in scope, size, and scale. They range from developing a series of poems to large-scale performances. This can be written, video, or audio format. You can find written examples of projects supported by GAP in the reference guide.
  7. Work samples are the most important part of your application. Include your strongest work. Make sure your work samples are well-documented, cohesive, and follow the work sample guidelines below. Upload your work samples in the order you’d like the panel to review them.
  8. The impact statement (150 words or less) explains how this grant will impact your artistic practice. How will this funding progress your work forward? Please feel free to address your financial need and how this grant will impact other parts of your artistic progress and/or life.
  9. Do not include links to external websites, portfolios, social media, etc. in any of your submitted materials.
  10. You can find examples of some components of the GAP application in the reference guide.
  11. Watch the How to Apply to 2025 GAP pre-recorded webinar.
  12. Have a friend, colleague, or another artist review your application before you submit.
  13. If you have questions about your application, the guidelines, your eligibility, or anything else, please get in touch with a member of our staff. Find our contact information below.
Wynter RhysWynter Rhys, 2024 GAP Recipient (Media, King County), Euphoria, video, 2018

Work sample guidelines

You may submit work samples in audio, video, image, and manuscript formats. The works in your samples should have been created within the past 5 years. Review the guidelines for information on file types, sizes, lengths, and total number of samples. We do not accept physical artwork in any format, slides, or files sent via email. All work samples must be submitted within your Submittable application.

The total amount submitted must equal no more than 10, which may not necessarily be how many files you upload.

If you are submitting multiple file formats, you may submit no more than 10 files. One image is equal to one minute of video, audio, or manuscript page. For example, you can submit a single 10-minute video, 10 images, or 10 manuscript pages. Or you can submit a combination. For example, you can submit 2 minutes of a video, 5 pages from a manuscript, and 3 images—this equals 10 work samples.

Exceeding the work sample limit could result in ineligibility. Links to third party websites, such as SoundCloud, Vimeo, and YouTube, are not accepted anywhere in the application.

File Format Details

Audio

  • Maximum of 10 minutes total.
  • Begin and end each sample where you want the panel to begin and end.
  • Do not submit samples with cue times.
  • Choose a selection that will make the panel want to see/hear more (avoid long intros, etc.).
  • Do not submit work samples designed for promotional purposes (such as a filmography, reels, or interviews).
  • Submit an individual file for each song or work.
  • File type(s): .aiff, .mp3, .wav
  • Music and Music Composition: No scores please.

Images

  • Maximum of 10 images.
  • Recommended no smaller than 1920 pixels on the longest side.
  • Recommended 72 ppi/dpi (standard web resolution).
  • Submit one piece per file (do not collage several angles or multiple pieces within one image).
  • Backdrops should be neutral (white, black, or gray), with each piece well-lit and focused.
  • File type(s): .gif, .jpeg

Manuscript

  • One manuscript with a maximum of 10 pages, plus one synopsis page (11 pages maximum).
  • All manuscripts must be double-spaced with a 12-point font size or larger (except poetry, plays, or experimental works).
  • Multiple poems, stories, pieces, or excerpts should be combined into one file.
  • Each excerpt, story, poem, or piece should start on its own page. Do not put different pieces on a single page.
  • One synopsis page is allowed. Include it as the first page of your work sample (one synopsis page + maximum 10 manuscript pages). If the work sample consists of multiple excerpts, use the synopsis page to give information for each. A synopsis page can include publication dates, whether the selections are from a larger series, additional description, or details about where the piece fits within a larger body of work. It can be single- or double-spaced.
  • File type(s): .pdf

Video

  • Maximum of 10 minutes total.
  • Do not submit work samples designed for promotional purposes (such as a filmography, reels, or interviews).
  • Submit an individual file for each distinct work.
  • Video compilations of still images are not allowed.
  • Begin and end each sample where you want the panel to begin and end.
  • Do not submit samples with cue times.
  • Choose a selection that will make the panel want to see/hear more (avoid long intros, fade-ins/outs, etc.).
  • Resolutions: recommended minimum 640 x 480, maximum 1920 x 1080.
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3 or 16:9.
  • Bit Rate: recommended above 240 kbps.
  • Frame Rate: recommended minimum 12 fps, maximum 30 fps.
  • Format: .avi, .mp4, .m4v, .mpg, .wmv

Submittable has a default maximum file upload size of 400 MB and a default maximum total submission size of 800MB. This means individual files cannot exceed 400MB, and in total, your application cannot exceed 800 MB.

Work sample descriptions
You may add Work Sample Descriptions when uploading each file. Work Sample Descriptions should include: title, materials, dimensions, time, or pages, and the year work was completed. Also, use the description to clarify your role (e.g. cinematographer, lighting designer, “I’m the second to the left in this image.”). You may include a short (1-2 sentence) description of the work.

Work sample order
Submittable orders your files in the order that you upload them.

Selection process

Selection Criteria
Applications are reviewed by panels in four disciplinary categories (visual, literary, performing, and media). Each panel consists of three working artists with expertise in practices within that specific discipline. For example, an artist applying in the media category may have their work reviewed by an animator, a documentary filmmaker, and video artist. Panelists review all eligible applications online through Submittable and meet over Zoom to discuss applications and recommend recipients. Panelists are required to review all applicants through a lens of racial equity, consider geographic diversity, and highlight a range of disciplines and practices.

Artist Trust recognizes that Black and Indigenous people experience more barriers and less opportunities than other people of color. We use the term BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) to acknowledge this reality. Throughout the process, panelists will be asked to prioritize Black and Indigenous artists, artists living in rural areas, and artists who identify as LGBTQIA+ by considering structural, institutional, and historical barriers artists face and how it can impact their career.

The panel nominates recipients based on:

  • Artistic excellence;
  • Clarity of vision and project;
  • The potential impact the award would have on the artist’s life.

Racial Equity Background
Artist Trust is a nonprofit organization that helps Washington State artists of all disciplines thrive through direct support, connections, and advocacy. We believe a fair and just society ensures artists of all backgrounds and identities are included in its cultural narratives.

Artist Trust Racial Equity Statement
Artist Trust is committed to becoming an anti-racist organization, and to working against the systems of racism we have inherited, upheld, and perpetuated. We know we are not there yet. Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) have been systemically oppressed, and we are committed to partnering with them to eradicate white supremacy throughout our organization and to support historically marginalized artists across Washington State.

Read more about our work towards racial equity.

Selection Panelists 
Selection panelists are chosen by Artist Trust staff and represent a range of disciplines, ages, genders, and stages in their careers. Panelists are working artists from across Washington State and are kept confidential until the announcement of the awards.

Schedule
Application opens: May 16
Application deadline: June 23
Panel review: July – August
Notification: Early October
Award announcement: October

Questions?

Contact Artist Trust

  • With questions about applications, guidelines, eligibility, support services, and resources;
  • If you need to access or edit a submitted application prior to the deadline of June 23, 2025.

Contact Submittable

  • With website access issues;
  • With questions about uploading or formatting files;
  • With other technical support needs.

Submittable Contact Information
submittable.com/help/submitter

Artist Trust Contact Information
Monday–Friday: 9:30 am – 3:00 pm PST

Lydia Boss (she/her) // Program Director
lydia@artisttrust.org: (206) 467-8734 x25

Jasmine Brown (she/her) // Program Manager
jasmine@artisttrust.org: 206/467-8734 x23

Anna Teiche (she/her) // Program Coordinator
anna@artisttrust.org: (206) 467-8734 x26