Individual Artist Awards (United Arts of Central Florida)

Individual Artist Awards (United Arts of Central Florida) is sponsored by United Arts of Central Florida. Individual Artist Awards provide competitive funding to practicing, professional artists across all disciplines in Central Florida to advance their creative practice.

Individual Artist Grants | United Arts of Central Florida United Arts Grants Individual Artist Award This application is currently closed. We expect to open this opportunity again in 2027. Individual Artist Awards provide competitive funding to practicing, professional artists, historians, scientists, etc. across all disciplines.

Up to 20 Central Florida artists will receive a $5,000 award to advance their creative practice, with up to $100,000 in direct funding distributed throughout our community (Lake, Orange, Osceola, and Seminole counties). These awards are competitive. Depending on the number of requests received, not all may be funded.

Only one application per individual will be considered. This program is dedicated to fostering creativity, artistic career development, and community impact, enabling professional artists to thrive in Central Florida. All awards must promote creative excellence and merit and expand access to innovative arts, culture, history, and/or science experiences.

For this cycle of the Individual Artist Awards, applicants will apply for either a specific project OR to acquire supplies/professional developmen t . Only one application per individual will be accepted. An individual cannot apply for both.

As one of the funders, Duke Energy is interested in funding projects that promote, raise awareness of, or address environmental sustainability challenges. Artists with such a practice or project in mind are encouraged to apply. This is not a requirement to apply and projects, events, or new works with other focuses are still eligible to receive funding.

Please note: All Individual Artist awardees are considered independent contractors and will receive a 1099. Recipients are responsible for any tax obligations under federal, state, or local laws. A W-9 form must be filed with United Arts before award payments can be made.

Maximum Request Amount: $5,000 Allowable expenses include: Artists' Fees - Paying yourself or collaborative artists Materials & Supplies - Equipment purchases and/or rentals Presentations & Documentation - Costs related to producing materials, such as slides, discs, catalogs, demos, manuscripts, and marketing materials Trainings, workshops, & classes - Education directly related to your arts practice or arts business growth Must be a professional working artist living and working in Lake, Orange, Osceola, or Seminole counties.

Must plan to reside within one of the four counties listed above throughout the project period, July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027 Proof of residency will be required to receive payment Must be a citizen of the United States or a permanent legal resident with the right to work in the United States. Awardee must submit a W-9 Form. A 1099 will be issued to the grantee for tax reporting purposes.

Must be 18 years or older at the time of application. * For full eligibility requirements, including ineligible expenses and artist ineligibility, please read the Guideline s document. Read all guidelines thoroughly and take note of any questions.

Proofread! It can be helpful to have colleagues or friends review the application before final submission. You can ask for a courtesy review by United Arts before the deadline.

Leave extra time at the end in case you have questions or computer trouble. Missing documents or fields will prevent the submission of the application. Contact and project information for all grantees will be made available to the press, and United Arts may use quotes or pictures from applications or reports in publicity.

Post your events for free at ArtsinOrlando. com . This resource is open to everyone to use, and it will be a requirement to post your project if awarded.

For instructions on how to post to the Calendar, visit this l ink . Questions? Contact Cameron Robinson at cameron@unitedartscfl.

org or call 407- 504-0684, or Outreach at outreach@unitedartscfl. org . Interested artists are encouraged to check out additional opportunities on our website , as well as artist opportunities through South Arts , the regional arts organization serving the Southeast.

Application Opens: Wednesday, March 11, 2026 FY27 Individual Artist Award Information Webinar: Monday, March 23, 2026, 10am - 11:30am Application Deadline: Sunday, April 19, 2026 @ 11:59pm Last Day for Staff Courtesy Review: Monday, April 13, 2026 @ 5:00pm Last Day for Staff Questions: Thursday, April 16, 2026 @ 3:00pm Individual Artist Award Review Panelists: May 15, 18, 19, and 20, 2026, from 10 am – 1 pm Board Approval: Mid-June 2026 Notification of Award: Mid/Late-June 2026 Funding Period: July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2027 FY27 Individual Artist Awards are supported in part by Duke Energy Thank you to the players, sponsors and partners of the Athletes for Artists Golf Tournament for their support of Individual Artists.

Creating an Individual Artist Grant Portal Account How to navigate the Grant Portal 2026-27 Evaluation Matrix FY27 IAs Information Session March 23, 2026 Additional Artist Resources: Arts Impact Explorer — Americans for the Arts Artist Statement Guide – School of the Art Institute of Chicago How to Write an Artist Statement — The Creative Independent Budget Basics for Artist Fundraising — The Creative Independent How to Talk About Your Art in a Grant Application — Fractured Atlas How to Create a Budget for Your Artistic Project — Fractured Atlas Outreach Help Desk - United Arts Grant Support This video guide on the right is designed to help grant holders manage their grants and clarifies our expectations and requirements.

For more how-to videos, please go to our YouTube channel . Grantee & Applicant Resources Our Solicitations of Contributions Act Registration Number is CH-459. A copy of the official registration and financial information may be obtained from the Division of Consumer Services by calling toll-free (800-435-7352) within the state.

Registration does not imply endorsement, approval, or recommendation by the state. An audited financial report is available at unitedartscfl. org/about/financials/