The Grants for Artists program fosters Oklahoma’s visual artistic creative excellence. The grants committee supports the mission of OVAC and scores submissions based on the merit of each application according to the pertinent grant category and its associated criteria. Grants for Artists help individual Oklahoma artists create visual art for public presentation, develop their professional practices, and lead community projects. Grants are open to artists working in visual-based mediums, curation, and art writing. |
THE TIMELINE All four of our grant applications will be reviewed multiple times throughout the year on the following rolling schedule: Professional Basics and Education Assistance Grants: Applications must be received by 11:59PM on January 15th, March 15th, or October 15th and applications will be reviewed in the following weeks. Creative Projects and Community/Artist Partnership Grants: Applications must be received by 11:59PM on March 15th or October 15th and applications will be reviewed in the following weeks. Artists can expect notification within four weeks of the grant deadline. Funded projects must occur after the grant application is accepted and within one year of receiving grant funds. THE APPLICATIONS CREATIVE PROJECTS Next Deadline: October 15, 2024 Creative Projects Grant Application Example Creative Projects Scoring Matrix COMMUNITY/ARTIST PARTNERSHIP Next Deadline: October 15, 2024 Community/Artist Partnership Grant Application Example Community/Artist Partnership Scoring Matrix EDUCATION ASSISTANCE Next Deadline: October 15, 2024 Education Assistance Grant Application Example Education Assistance Scoring Matrix PROFESSIONAL BASICS Next Deadline: October 15, 2024 | ELIGIBILITY
GRANTS FOR ARTISTS FAQs
+
How often can I apply for an OVAC Grant? You can apply as often as you would like. If you are awarded a grant, you must wait one year from that grant cycle to apply again. Recipients of Momentum Spotlight are not eligible to apply within one year of their reward disbursement of the stated programs. If you are awarded a Thrive Grant, you are eligible to apply, but your proposed project may not be the same as your Thrive proposal or a new iteration of said project. Can I apply for multiple grants in a cycle? No. Individuals can only have their name attached to one application per cycle. How long must I have been a resident of Oklahoma to be eligible to apply for an OVAC grant? To be eligible for an OVAC grant, you must have held at least 12 months residency in Oklahoma prior to the submission deadline. I’ve applied several times and not received a grant. Why? Our grants are extremely competitive, particularly our Creative Projects grants. Please do not become discouraged by the possibility of having to submit over multiple occasions. We will provide feedback on each request, whether funded or not. We encourage you to use this feedback to strengthen your submissions for the future. What sort of projects are not funded? There are some limits on the types of projects we can fund. Our mission limits our focus to the visual arts and does not include documentary films, strong narrative films/productions, music, dramatic productions, dance, and others. We can fund video art, performance art, sound art, and other non-traditional art forms that still fall under visual art. Projects that raise concerns around cultural appropriateness will not be considered. If you are unsure of whether or not your project qualifies, please reach out to our Administrative and Artist Relations Manager at ariana@ovac-ok.org. Can curators and arts writers apply for OVAC Grants? Yes. Artists/writers/curators may only have their name(s) attached to one application per cycle. Artists/writers/curators who choose to submit as groups, upon award of grant, will be held to the same rules of eligibility as an artist/writer/curator who applies individually. Can I apply as part of a group? Yes. Artists may only have their name(s) attached to one application per cycle. Artists who choose to submit as groups, upon award of grant, will be held to the same rules of eligibility as an artist who applies individually. Once I’m funded, when can I apply again? Once you are funded, you have to wait one year from the grant cycle for which you were awarded. E.g. If you were awarded July 15, 2015, you cannot apply again until July 15, 2016. Do I have to be an OVAC member to receive a grant? No, you do not have to be an OVAC member to apply for or receive a grant. How are grant applications scored? Each grant category has a different system of scoring. Education and Travel Assistance grants are evaluated and awarded based on four categories: the quality of the educational opportunity, potential impact on the applicant's practice/career, the applicant’s abillity to complete the project, and on the relevance of the project based on provided work samples. Professional Basics grants are evaluated and awarded based on three categories: the quality of the project, the applicant’s ability to complete the project, and on the relevance of the project based on provided work samples. Creative Projects grants are evaluated and awarded based on four categories: the concept of the project, the quality of the work, how career altering the opportunity is, and the ability of the applicant to complete the project. "Extra Credit" will be given to projects that: serve under-represented regions of Oklahoma and/or include artist(s) Native Peoples/People of Color. Community/Artist Partnership grants are evaluated and awarded based on four categories: the potential impact on the community from this project, the concept of the project, the quality of the work, and the applicant’s ability to complete the project. "Extra Credit" will be given to projects that: serve under-represented regions of Oklahoma, include artist(s) Native Peoples/People of Color, and/or utilizes collaboration. Who reviews the grants? OVAC staff organizes a panel of community members to review grants. These individuals are involved in the arts in a variety of ways, and are chosen for their informed opinions, diverse backgrounds and perspectives, and experience. OVAC staff does not decide who receives grants. |
Questions?
Reach out to Administrative and Artist Relations Manager, Ariana Weir, at ariana@ovac-ok.org or (405) 879-2400 Ex. 5
Upcoming Grants for Artist Events
| Grants for Artists Application Dates
|
JANUARY GRANTEES
Solo Show at the Black Rock Art Gallery at Joshua Tree National Park
+ PROJECT DETAILS
In 2023 Jim was selected as artist-in-residence at Joshua Tree National Park. His project was to incorporate climate and ecological science into the artwork and included spending several days working with park biologists on measurement and restoration projects. To see the most obvious impacts, he traveled to the Mojave National Preserve where two major fires had burned 110,000 acres and tens of thousands of Joshua Trees. Because of the work he did in the park, he was invited to show work at the Black Rock Gallery in 2024. Although he had planned on finishing up the major residency work while he was in the park, this opportunity inspired him to extend the work by consolidating what he'd learned and experienced into a suite of relief prints. | Rumours
+ PROJECT DETAILS
Rumours is a film about two girls in 1690s Puritan New England, Beth and Abby, who are caught in a compromising situation by Beth’s brother Thomas and must determine how to deal with his intrusion. The project is currently in pre-production to be shot in March of 2024, following which it will be submitted to film festivals internationally. |