2021 Uprise Grant Fund

As part of the Sundance Institute’s continued commitment to supporting artists from underrepresented communities, we are pleased to announce the launch of the Uprise Grant Fund. Acknowledging the disproportionate effects the pandemic and racial terror have had on storytellers of color and other systematically marginalized groups, our goal is to provide financial support at key moments in an artist’s career by supporting their personal livelihoods and creative projects. This is a need-based artist-support grant where need will be partially determined by the response to the pandemic impact question. To apply, please submit a letter of inquiry (LOI) here. Finalists will later be invited to submit a complete application.

This fund meets the most urgent needs of U.S.-based emerging artists of color from historically marginalized communities who are looking to sustain their creative practice, ensuring that these critical stories and voices are not erased. Artists must identify as being Black, Indigenous, and/or a person of color, and we encourage artists who also identify as disabled, LGBTQ+, and/or undocumented to apply. Sundance defines “emerging” as artists who have yet to complete a longform or major work in the specific discipline of the program in question. In serving these communities, we additionally seek to uphold values of narrative sovereignty, justice, and joy.

We’ve titled this grant fund Uprise in honor of communities around the world fighting for liberation through creative expression.

For any questions about this application, please do not hesitate to contact us at inclusion@sundance.org. You can learn more about the Sundance Institute’s Outreach & Inclusion Program here.

To request an accessibility accommodation related to completing this application, please email is at inclusion @sundance.org