Creative Fellowship Grants for Indigenous Artists and Culture Bearers (Texas)

Creative Fellowship Grants for Indigenous Artists and Culture Bearers (Texas) is sponsored by Texas Commission on the Arts (through local arts councils). This year-long program provides financial support for innovative projects that honor ancestral knowledge and enhance cultural expressions through the arts.

At the Native Arts + Cultures Foundation (NACF), we are dedicated to supporting the creativity of Native artists across the country. This resource page is designed to empower artists with the tools and opportunities they need to thrive.

### **Open Calls for Entry** **Deadline: Rolling Quarterly (January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1)** The Buffalo Institute for Contemporary Art (BICA) offers a $300 unrestricted microgrant to artists and curators realizing exhibitions, performances, or other visual arts projects in the greater Buffalo, New York, area.

The grant is designed to help offset the personal costs often incurred when producing artistic work and can be used however the recipient sees fit. Eligible projects must include at least one public event and take place within three months before or after the application date.

**The Awesome Foundation** **Deadline to apply: Award Monthly** The Awesome Foundation is a global community advancing the interest of awesome in the universe, $1000 at a time. Each fully autonomous chapter supports awesome projects through micro-grants, usually given out monthly.

These micro-grants, $1000 or the local equivalent, come out of pockets of the chapter’s “trustees” and are given on a no-strings-attached basis to people and groups working on awesome projects.

**The Yéego Action Grant** **Deadline to apply: 3:00pm MT on the 10th of every month** **Grant amount: Up to $2500** The Yéego Action Grant provides support for the growing landscape of Native artists and culture bearers who need financial assistance with a specific professional opportunity or towards a hardship that is hindering their creative practice.

This program offers grants up to $2500 for individual Native artists and culture bearers. First Peoples Fund (FPF) finds it essential to support artists in their times of need, especially when their work is impacted by sudden hardship. This grant’s name incorporates the Diné word yéego, often used as a phrase of encouragement that can mean “keep going” or “don’t give up.

” **Ceramic and Glass Industry Foundation Project Grants** **Deadline: August 31, 2026** The Ceramic and Glass Industry Foundation (CGIF) offers Project Grants of up to $2,500 to support creative projects that expand materials science education and help train the next generation of ceramic and glass professionals.

Funding is available for outreach initiatives, educational programs, workshops, and other instructional activities that increase awareness of ceramics, glass, and materials science in communities, classrooms, and informal learning environments.

**Liu Shiming Artist Grants** **Application: August 31, 2026** Designed to support the work of visual artists during the first decade of their careers, the Liu Shiming Artist Grants support the creation or completion of new projects that explore the interplay between traditional cultural or historical influences and contemporary artistic practice. Each year, up to five artists are will be selected to receive a $5,000 grant.

Visual artists who have been working for at least two years (but not more than 10 years) are invited to apply for a grant in support of a current or new project. Final awardees will be chosen by a distinguished panel consisting of accomplished representatives from a cross section of the art world.

**David Whitehouse Research Residency for Artists** **Deadline: August 31, 2026** The Corning Museum of Glass offers the David Whitehouse Research Residency for Artists, a fully funded residency for artists in all disciplines interested in conducting research related to glass.

Residents receive dedicated time to explore the Museum’s collections, the Rakow Research Library, and work with curators, librarians, and other experts to inform and expand their artistic practice. The residency may last one to three weeks and includes transportation, lodging, and meals. This is a research-focused opportunity and does not include studio access or art-making facilities.

**International Sculpture Center Innovator Award** **Deadline: September 7, 2026** The Innovator Award recognizes individuals, collectives, and organizations advancing contemporary sculpture through creative innovation and community impact. The recipient receives a cash prize, professional recognition, and opportunities to share their work with an international sculpture community.

**Sarah Stanley Gordon Edwards and Archibald Cason Edwards Senior Fellowship** **Deadline: September 15, 2026** The Virginia Center for the Creative Arts (VCCA) offers a fully funded, two-week residency fellowship for female-identifying visual artists, with strong preference given to Native American artists. The fellowship includes a private room, studio space, and daily meals at VCCA’s Mt.

San Angelo campus in Virginia, providing artists with dedicated time and space to focus on their creative practice within a multidisciplinary residency community.

**Sheila Gulley Pleasants Fellowship** **Deadline: September 15, 2026** The Virginia Center for the Creative Arts (VCCA) offers need-based financial assistance for VCCA Fellows working in any discipline, including writers, visual artists, and composers, to attend a residency at le Moulin à Nef in Auvillar, France.

The fellowship supports artists who demonstrate financial need and provides assistance toward participation in VCCA’s international residency program, offering dedicated time and space to focus on creative work in a historic village setting. Applications are submitted through the “Moulin à Nef Residencies, VCCA in France 2027” application.

**ACS Local Section Inclusion and Belonging Grant** **Deadline: September 15, 2026** The American Chemical Society’s Local Section Inclusion and Belonging Grant provides up to $3,000 to support projects and programs that advance inclusion, belonging, and community engagement within ACS local sections and their broader communities.

Funding may support activities such as speaker series, mentoring programs, outreach to underrepresented communities, educational workshops, scholarship initiatives, heritage celebrations, and collaborative projects with community organizations. The grant encourages innovative approaches that foster participation, connection, and a stronger sense of belonging in the chemical sciences. **The Dorothy and Lewis B.

Cullman Center Fellowship** **Deadline: September 25, 2026** The New York Public Library’s Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers offers a prestigious nine-month fellowship for academics, independent scholars, journalists, creative writers, translators, and visual artists working on book-length projects that would benefit from access to the Library’s research collections.

Fellows receive a $90,000 stipend, a private office, and full access to the Library’s physical and electronic resources while participating in a collaborative community of scholars and writers from September through May.

**American Australian Association Indigenous Arts Scholarships** **Deadline: September 30, 2026 (Round 2)** The American Australian Association provides grants of up to $10,000 to Native American, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, Aboriginal Australian, and Torres Strait Islander artists to support artistic development opportunities between the United States and Australia.

Funding can be used for travel, tuition, living expenses, and other costs related to advancing creative work across disciplines.

**Fulbright U.S. Student Program: Open Study/Research Awards** **Deadline: October 6, 2026 (2027–2028 Award Cycle)** The Fulbright U.S. Student Program provides grants for graduating seniors, graduate students, young professionals, and artists to conduct independent research, pursue graduate study, or complete creative arts projects abroad for an academic year.

Awards are available in more than 140 countries and support projects across a wide range of disciplines, including the arts, humanities, social sciences, sciences, and interdisciplinary fields. Applicants develop their own project in partnership with a host institution or organization, fostering cultural exchange and international collaboration through research, study, and creative practice.

**CSA Betty Kirke Excellence in Research Award** **Deadline: October 15, 2026 (Abstract Submission Deadline)** The Costume Society of America’s Betty Kirke Excellence in Research Award recognizes outstanding scholarship in the fields of costume, dress, fashion, and appearance studies.

Open to CSA members whose abstracts are accepted for presentation at the Society’s annual symposium, the award honors original research that advances knowledge in the field. The recipient receives a $750 honorarium, a $600 travel stipend, a certificate, and complimentary day-of-presentation registration. Eligible submissions include completed research presentations, design-based research, project-based research, and creative works.

**NDN Collective Community Action Fund** **Deadline to apply: October 16, 2026** The Community Action Fund (CAF) grants support direct actions and organizing efforts that are often urgent and time sensitive. CAF prioritizes frontline, grassroots and community-based efforts that defend Indigenous peoples rights, communities and nations, including responses to climate disasters.

**Taurus World Stunt Awards Submissions** **Deadline: October 31, 2026** The Taurus World Stunt Awards recognize excellence in stunt performance and coordination in feature-length motion pictures.

Stunt performers, stunt coordinators, agents, studios, and production teams may submit eligible stunt sequences for consideration in categories including Best Fight, Best High Work, Best Work with a Vehicle, Best Specialty Stunt, Hardest Hit, Best Stunt Rigging, Best Overall Stunt by a Stunt Woman, and Best Stunt Coordinator and/or 2nd Unit Director.

Submissions must include footage or time codes totaling no more than three minutes and will be considered for nomination for the 2027 Taurus World Stunt Awards **CSA Richard Martin Exhibition Awards** **Deadline: November 1, 2026** The Costume Society of America’s Richard Martin Exhibition Awards recognize excellence and innovation in costume and dress exhibitions presented by museums, universities, historical societies, and other institutions.

Awards are given in three categories: large exhibitions, small exhibitions, and student-led or student-driven exhibitions. Eligible exhibitions should demonstrate outstanding interpretation, scholarship, and public engagement through the presentation of costume, fashion, dress, or textile-related subjects.

Award recipients receive national recognition for exhibitions that advance the understanding and appreciation of dress and material culture.

**VIA Art Fund Artistic Production Grant Program** **Deadline: November 5, 2026 (Spring 2027 Award Cycle Letter of Inquiry)** VIA Art Fund’s Artistic Production Grant Program supports the production of newly commissioned visual art projects presented beyond traditional museum settings, including public spaces and nontraditional exhibition environments.

Grants ranging from $25,000 to $100,000 are available to artists, nonprofit organizations, and institutions developing ambitious projects that demonstrate artistic production, thought leadership, and public engagement. The Spring 2027 award cycle begins with a Letter of Inquiry due November 5, 2026, with invited applicants submitting full proposals in January 2027. Projects must begin after June 15, 2027.

**CCCC Tribal College Faculty Fellowship** **Deadline: November 15, 2026** The Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC) Tribal College Faculty Fellowship provides two $1,500 awards to faculty members working at tribally controlled colleges and Native American-Serving Nontribal Institutions (NASNTIs) to attend the 2027 CCCC Annual Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The fellowship supports professional development, networking, and engagement with scholarship in writing, literacy, language studies, and composition education through access to hundreds of conference sessions and presentations. Applicants do not need to be presenting at the conference to be eligible.

Artist residencies provide a unique opportunity for artists to immerse themselves in their work, connect with other creatives, and gain exposure to new ideas and perspectives. Explore residency programs through Artist Communities Alliance (ACA)’s directory to find the perfect fit for your artistic journey. **Professional Development** We believe in the power of continuous learning and growth.

Professional development resources are designed to help artists enhance their skills, expand their networks, and build sustainable careers. Check out New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA)’s free Business of Art resources for more information. For any inquiries or additional support, please Contact Us.