The Spark Award for Oregon Artists - Literary and Media Arts is sponsored by Miller Foundation. This program supports individual mid-career artists in Oregon creating original work in literary arts (fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, graphic novels) and media arts.

The Spark Award for Oregon Artists Individual Artist Grants Portal Organization Grants Portal The Spark Award for Oregon Artists The James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation believes that the arts connect us to each other in powerful and surprising ways and help us make sense of our world.

By celebrating the vital role artists play in enriching the lives of all Oregonians, we recognize that artists are essential to our state’s vitality. The Foundation has funded the arts throughout Oregon for over two decades, primarily by supporting the work of arts organizations.

In 2024 we launched the Spark Award for Oregon Artists , a three-year pilot program that provides direct support to 60 midcareer individual artists across artistic disciplines . This program supports individual artists in Oregon as a valuable investment in both the artists themselves and the communities enriched by their work .

This three-year pilot program will support 60 individual Oregon artists (20 per year) in various artistic fields. The program invests in the overall creative development of artists rather than focusing on particular projects. ‍ This funding is to support midcareer artists during a crucial phase of their artistic growth.

photo credit: Marissa Lewis Check back in late April 2026 for information about the 2026 Spark Award for Oregon Visual Artists. ‍ The Miller Foundation will grant $25,000 to each selected artist. Recipients can receive the award in a single payment shortly after award announcements or in multiple installments.

Awardees will receive a 1099-MISC form. Supporting you as an artist Funds can address any barriers to sustaining and advancing your artistic practice, offering time to explore, reflect, connect, or create work at a particularly important moment in your creative development. Meeting a wide range of needs You determine how to use the funds, from living expenses such as rent, childcare or healthcare, to research or material support.

This funding does not need to be used in support of a specific project. Disciplinary focus by year Each year the Spark Award pilot program supports working artists in a limited set of disciplines. The application will be open to specific discipline/s each year.

photo credit: Jonathan Chng Individual artists creating original work in the performing arts: dance, music, theater, and other performance practices, traditional and folk performance, Culture Bearers and interdisciplinary artists whose work includes the performing arts as one of the primary forms of expression.

photo credit: Jakob Owens Individual artists creating original work in the fields of literary arts (fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, graphic novels) and media arts (animation, experimental, narrative and documentary media), and interdisciplinary artists whose work includes the literary or media arts as the primary forms of expression.

Individual artists and Culture Bearers creating original works of visual art and presenting in an exhibition/installation context: Book arts, Collage, Ceramics, Drawing, Ecological Art, Fiber, Glass, Installation, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture, and Video/Digital/Sound/Social Practice Art that is presented in exhibition or installation context, and interdisciplinary practices where visual arts is a primary form of expression.

Check back in late April for 2026 Visual Arts eligibility requirements.

Eligible applicants will be individual midcareer artists who meet these basic criteria : 30 years of age or older with 7+ years of active art practice (not including schooling) Regularly creating and presenting new work to public audiences Producing original work in eligible disciplines Oregon resident for last 5 years To be eligible for this grant program, applicants should be an individual literary or media artist who meet the following criteria: 30 years or older (as of 12/31/2025, no exceptions).

have been a resident in the state of Oregon for the last five years (since 2020 or earlier) and at the time of application and anticipate staying in residence in Oregon for the next year. This includes enrolled members of tribal communities situated in the state. A “resident of Oregon” is defined here as a person who would be required to file a resident Oregon income tax return.

7+ years of active artistic practice in their primary artistic discipline (not including schooling). Miller Foundation defines an "active artistic practice" as presenting their work to the public on a regular basis. This could be via readings, distribution, public screenings, exhibitions, residencies, talks, etc. at a midcareer stage of their professional practice.

“Midcareer” is defined here as an artist able to demonstrate a sustained artistic practice of 7+ years in their discipline, with likely future contributions to the field. This program is not focused on supporting artists who are in an emerging or advanced stage of their careers.

ongoing practice involves creating new original work (rather than interpreting, translating, arranging, reviving, remounting or copying the work of others/ previously existing material). Applicant cannot currently be enrolled in a creative degree program (associates, low residency, undergraduate, graduate). The award funds cannot support tuition toward a degree program.

Applicant cannot be an emerging artist (less than seven years of professional practice outside of schooling) and cannot be an advanced artist in the later stages of an artistic career. The Foundation defines ‘ advanced’ as a well-established artist who has experienced significant regional and national recognition and achievements over an extended period.

Artists working in the performing and visual arts are not eligible to apply in 2025 . ‍ Applicants employed by an arts organization in an artistic or leadership capacity are only eligible if they have an individual artistic practice independent from the work of that organization. * ‍ This funding is to support individual artists rather than artistic teams.

If you work within a collaborative, you must be able to represent your ongoing individual and original contributions in your application narrative and work samples. ‍ ‍ Former recipients of a Spark Award from the Miller Foundation are not eligible to apply. Applicant cannot be a family member of an employee or board member of the James F.

and Marion L. Miller Foundation, or the Foundation's namesakes (Family member is defined as a spouse, domestic partner, parent, child or sibling). * These grant funds are intended to support the work of individual artists rather than the work of arts organizations.

Arts organizations are eligible to receive operating support through other Miller grant programs. We would like to ensure that organizations who receive funding from the Miller Foundation to support their staff and operations are not receiving duplicate support through this program (i.e. supporting an artist through Miller organizational grant AND a Spark Award).

View FULL Eligibility Criteria The Miller Foundation does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Panelists will consider the following criteria when reviewing applications: Artist’s work demonstrates a distinctive vision and voice, communicates unique perspective/s ( Materials: Artist statement, Work samples ) Artist demonstrates strong technical skills and craft in the execution of their work and shows an ongoing commitment to working in this form ( Materials: Work samples ) Application demonstrates sustained audience engagement with applicant’s artistic work ( Materials: Resume/CV, Work samples ) Application provides compelling evidence that funding will have a significant impact on the artist’s creative development at this juncture in their career and will support their artistic potential.

This could be by removing barriers to sustaining and advancing the artist’s practice or serving as a catalyst to a new stage of artistic development ( Materials: Narrative questions, Resume/CV ) Please note: The application materials noted in italics are the most relevant to the evaluation of the criteria. ‍ on the 2026 Spark Award timeline Submit individual artist application through the Artist Grants Portal .

The 2025 deadline has passed. Application screening, panel review and selection . Funding awarded!

The one-time, $25,000 awards for individual artists announced in mid-November 2025. Artists report back about a year after receiving the award, sharing how the funding supported their creative growth and furthered their artistic career. photo credit: Sara Sjol.

Artists: ERAS and Never Satisfied | Portland Street Art Alliance Our Artist Grants Portal will guide artists through the application process. Applicants will create a profile, complete the eligibility quiz, and provide the following information: Tell us who you are and share your background, influences, and journey as an artist.

Please tell us a bit about yourself, such as where you grew up, what led you to become an artist, or any other information that might not be included in other parts of your application. [2,000 characters maximum including spaces] Please share your journey as an artist.

Tell us about your original artistic practice and how it has developed over time: you may include information about your influences, process, values, emphasis, main interests, and more. What are your current investigations or curiosities? [3,500 characters maximum, including spaces] Tips and Resources on preparing your bio and artist statement available HERE .

Explain how this funding would provide momentum for your creative practice and/or remove barriers at this particular stage of your career. Tell us about your engagement with audiences. Anticipated impact of funding on your creative development How would this funding provide momentum for your creative development at this particular stage in your artistic career?

How would this funding help address barriers or enhance your ability to sustain and advance your creative practice in the future? [3,500 characters maximum, including spaces) Reminder: This funding is intended to support you as an artist.

As such, the funding may be used to support any activities and aspects that sustain your practice, including - but not limited to - living costs such as rent, healthcare, childcare, and/or trainings, materials, equipment, research costs, etc . This funding does not need to be used in support of a specific project. However, the application should describe how the funding can advance your creative development and artistic career.

The Spark Award aims to support artists who directly engage audiences: tell us about the specific audience/s you have reached with your work.

Examples include screenings, readings, distribution, and other programs (rather than self-presented or passive distribution that have had minimal reader/viewer/listener engagement) [3,000 characters maximum, including spaces) Detailed Artist Resume/CV Provide details of training, background and experience related to your current artistic practice. Upload a resume/CV in a single document.

This document is a tool that should help tell the story of the evolution of your artistic career to date—it will be carefully reviewed to fully assess eligibility, career stage, commitment to your discipline, audience/s, and future potential. As such, the document should provide a comprehensive overview of any background and professional experience related to your current, original artistic practice.

Special emphasis should be put on the production and presentation of original work. Depending on your discipline(s), this could include an overview of past and upcoming publications, productions, screenings, readings, presentations, grants/awards, residencies, or other relevant activities. Clearly state the year in which the activity occurred.

Do not include general employment history or other information unless it is pertinent to your artistic practice [Five pages maximum in PDF format] Tips and Resources on preparing a CV HERE . Share samples created in the last decade that you consider the best examples of your creative work. 3 samples required from 3 different bodies of work (see specifications below).

The work samples you submit are the most important part of your application. Provide links to locations where your video/audio files are hosted. For text/script, upload PDF files in simple formatting (scans from publications will not be accepted).

Tips and Resources on preparing your work samples for application available HERE . Sessions and resources to support applicants 2026 Guidelines will be available in late April. Review our 2025 application guidelines [ plain text version ], which include detailed eligibility criteria for the previous year, the application questions and required materials, and details of the review process.

More information is available on our Frequently Asked Questions page. View a recording of our 2025 Info Session here . Download a transcript of the session here [PDF].

Read our grant writing tips and find more resources here . Access 1:1 Spark Support: Throughout June, we offered 15-minute, one-on-one meetings with prospective applicants on Zoom or over the phone, to provide individualized application support. Open Support Session : In June Miller staff facilitated a shared virtual workspace for applicants to ask questions and work on their applications in community.

Request assistance : We are committed to making this application accessible. Please contact Yaelle Amir at artists@millerfound. org to request translation, interpretation, or other assistance you might require in completing the application.

The 2025 deadline has passed. photo credit: Jasmin Schreiber Anticipated impact of funding on your creative development How would this funding provide momentum for your creative development at this particular stage in your artistic career? How would this funding help address barriers or enhance your ability to sustain and advance your creative practice in the future?

[3,500 characters maximum, including spaces) Reminder: This funding is intended to support you as an artist. As such, the funding may be used to support any activities and aspects that sustain your practice, including - but not limited to - living costs such as rent, healthcare, childcare, and/or trainings, materials, equipment, research costs, etc . This funding does not need to be used in support of a specific project.

However, the application should describe how the funding can advance your creative development and artistic career. The Spark Award aims to support artists who directly engage audiences: tell us about the specific audience/s you have reached with your work.

Examples include screenings, readings, distribution, and other programs (rather than self-presented or passive distribution that have had minimal reader/viewer/listener engagement) [3,000 characters maximum, including spaces)