Emergency Grants / Funding

Deadline
January 1, 1970


Organization Name: Foundation for Contemporary Arts

Organization Location: New York, NY

Type: Funding

Fee: Free

Discipline:

Created in 1993 to further FCA’s mission to encourage, sponsor, and promote work of a contemporary, experimental nature, Emergency Grants provide urgent funding for visual and performing artists who:

  • Have sudden, unanticipated opportunities to present their work to the public when there is insufficient time to seek other sources of funding
  • Incur unexpected or unbudgeted expenses for projects close to completion with committed exhibition or performance dates
    Emergency Grants is the only active, multi-disciplinary program that offers immediate assistance of this kind to artists living and working anywhere in the United States, for projects occurring in the U.S. and abroad.

Each month FCA receives an average of 95 Emergency Grant applications and makes approximately 12-15 grants. Grants range in amount from $500 to $2,500, and the average grant is now $1,600.

We recommend that artists review all of our eligibility guidelines and FAQs before applying. You may also complete our Eligibility Questionnaire, but please note that the questionnaire is not a substitute for a thorough review of program guidelines.
For information on current Emergency Grantees please follow FCA on Instagram and Facebook.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

  • Applicants must be living in the United States or U.S. territories and have a U.S. Tax ID Number (SSN, EIN, ITIN, or other)
  • Applicants must have committed performance or exhibition opportunities, and be able to provide specific dates at the time of application.
  • Applicants must be individual artists, or an individual representing an artist collective, ensemble, or group. Curators, producers, workshop organizers, organizations, or arts presenters are not eligible to apply.
  • Applicants may not reapply for a project for which they have previously been denied funding.
  • If you have received an Emergency Grant or a Grants to Artists award from FCA, you must wait three years from the date of your past award before reapplying.
  • To confirm that your application meets program guidelines, please review our Emergency Grants F.A.Q.s.

EMERGENCY GRANTS DO NOT SUPPORT:

  • Life-related emergencies such as food, rent, medical bills, childcare, and other basic necessities
  • Reimbursement for expenses that you have already incurred
  • Projects with no scheduled exhibition or performance dates
  • Fees for participation in a residency program, or other educational and artistic development opportunities. Review our
  • Emergency Grants F.A.Q.s for residency-related questions.
  • Deposits and registration fees for participation in an exhibition, fair, or other presentation opportunity
  • Projects taking place in commercial gallery spaces
  • Youth or educational programming
  • Requests to attend, present at, or organize professional training, workshops, lectures, symposiums, conferences, or competitions
  • Students (high school, undergraduate, graduate, Ph.D., doctoral candidates, and other students enrolled in any degree program at the time of application) are not eligible to apply
  • Production of CDs, albums, or music videos

WHEN TO APPLY:

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. To meet artists’ last-minute needs in a timely manner, FCA’s Emergency Grants panel meets monthly to review requests.
We recommend applying 6-8 weeks before your presentation date. We review applications received within a shorter timeline, but please keep in mind that you may not hear back from FCA until your project is underway.

You may not apply for a project that is more than eight weeks away, for a project that has already happened, or to request reimbursement for expenses you have already incurred.

Applicants should not request more funding than needed.

HOW TO APPLY
Emergency Grants applications are accepted through an online form.

given on a rolling basis

Opportunity Website


EmergencyFundingFundsGrants