Career Opportunity Program Grants is sponsored by Oregon Arts Commission and The Ford Family Foundation. Supports individual Oregon artists by enabling them to take advantage of timely opportunities that enhance their artistic careers, such as residencies, exhibitions, or performance opportunities.

Business Oregon : Career Opportunity (COG) Grants : Career Opportunity : State of Oregon Translate this site into other Languages tag, as divs are not allowed in 's --> Career Opportunity (COG) Grants Sabina Haque (director & producer), "(Un)Belonging," 2018-2020 Career Opportunity Grants Para asistencia en español, llame al The Career Opportunity Grant Program supports Oregon arts practitioners across all disciplines and career stages in taking advantage of timely and concrete opportunities that can significantly enhance their artistic careers.

Recognizing that stipends or payments from these opportunities often fall short of covering all expenses, the Oregon Arts Commission provides this grant to ensure arts practitioners can fully participate without financial burden. This program ensures that artists and arts practitioners can benefit from and engage in career-building opportunities as they arise. What is a Career Opportunity?

All proposed opportunities require proof of invitation to apply. Proposed opportunities must be unique and of limited duration. The applicant must be invited to, selected for, and/or reviewed by peers or industry specialists (such as a curator, editor, program director, jury) for the opportunity in question.

Opportunities should represent a natural, meaningful step in the applicant’s career, offering potential for significant impact in one or both of the following categories: Introducing work to new audiences These are opportunities to present the artist’s work in a significant way to new audiences or raise their artistic profile such as exhibitions, performances, or screenings.

The development of new skills These are opportunities to develop a new artistic skill or further enhance one’s practice through participation in activities such as conferences, artist residencies, workshops, fellowships, master classes or apprenticeships.

Career Opportunity funding requests must directly align with the opportunity, and may include: Travel associated with the opportunity; Hired professional services to fulfill/engage in the opportunity (such as lighting/sound or costume); Preparation, freight and/or shipping costs; Equipment purchases or materials needed to fulfill/engage in the opportunity; Rental of equipment, instruments, or facility integral to the opportunity; Professional fees needed to fulfill/engage in the opportunity; Registration fees associated with the opportunity; Costs associated with documentation of the opportunity; and/or Childcare costs that are necessary for you to take advantage of the opportunity.

Artists from underserved communities, including (but not limited to) rural communities and communities of color, are especially encouraged to apply.

Deadline: The application period closes Wednesday, September 24, 2025, at 5:00 pm, for activities taking place between November 1, 2025, and October 31, 2026 Wednesday, February 11, 2026, at 5:00 pm, for activities taking place between May 1, 2026, and April 30, 2027 At the time of the application deadline, all applicants must: Be 18 years of age or older; Have not received funding from the Career Opportunity Program in the past three (3) cycles (calculated from application deadline month to application deadline month); Have been domiciled in Oregon for at least 12 months prior to application deadline; Not be enrolled (either part- or full-time) in a degree-granting program; and Submit an individual application.

​​ In addition to the above eligibility requirements, applicants requesting additional funds from The Ford Family Foundation must meet the following criteria: Currently producing work in the fields of visual arts writing, curation, visual arts, or contemporary craft; Have been domiciled in Oregon for 36 months prior to the application deadline; Provide evidence in the professional resume or biography of five (5) or more years of active professional participation in the field.

​​​ Awards range from $500 to $2,000 depending on the scope and nature of the opportunity. (Applicants may apply for funding for a portion of an opportunity.) Additional funding of up to $9,000 may be available from The Ford Family Foundation for established visual artists, established curators of visual arts exhibitions or established visual arts writers o nly .

The Arts Commission determines awards based on number of applications and available grant funds. There are limited resources and not all applicants receive funding. Arts Commission staff reviews submitted applications for eligibility, completeness and accuracy.

Applications that meet program requirements are accepted for further review. Applications are then reviewed by a panel of professionals with experience in the arts and other fields relevant to the grant program. The Arts Commission and The Ford Family Foundation consider panel recommendations for funding and determine final award amounts.

The following review criteria will be used to evaluate applications, focusing on the applicant's work over the past 24 months (0 is the lowest score): Career Impact (0 to 45 points): Clear definition of opportunity; Timeliness of opportunity (in terms of needing to take advantage now); Quality of proposed opportunity; and Appropriateness of opportunity in relation to the artist's career goals.

Artistic Merit (0 to 45 points): Artistic quality as demonstrated by work samples provided; and Qualifications, background and experience of the artist as demonstrated through the resume, work samples and other support material. Appropriateness of the budget for activities associated with the opportunity. Applications must be submitted no later than 5:00 pm on the deadline date to be considered for review.

Career Opportunity Grant Guidelines ​​​​ for full information about this grant program including all the application questions. Program assistance is available from Ryan Burghard, Public Art & Artist Programs Coordinator, ryan. burghard@biz.

oregon. gov or 971-374-3083. Technical assistance is available from Kat Bell, Grants Officer, kat.

bell@biz. oregon. gov or 971-304-5044 prior to the application deadline.

Applicants may also seek feedback after funding decisions have been made. Upon request, Arts Commission funding a​​pplication materials will be made available in an alternate format such as Braille, large type or on audiotape. For applicants who are hearing‐impaired and require TDD assistance, please call 800-735‐2900.

Spanish-speaking applicants can contact Liora Sp onko, Senior Program Manager, liora. sponko@biz. oregon.

gov​ or 971-345-1641. ​​​​ How to recognize an official Oregon website Only share sensitive information on official, secure websites. Your browser is out-of-date!

It has known security flaws and may not display all features of this and other websites. Learn how