A4 Artists Fund

ABOUT THE PROGRAM
In a survey conducted of A4 constituents in 2026, results showed that the most requested service was more direct grants to artists. Most constituents ranked basic living costs as more urgent than professional costs, indicating a particularly financially precarious time for artists that A4 seeks to offset. Survey results also showed that the top two limitations for a sustainable artistic practice were not enough paid opportunities and inaccessible grants. In short, artists need money right now.

PROGRAM GOALS
The A4 Artists Fund is a program created to directly respond to these findings. For our pilot program, A4 will award 10 NYC-based artists with $1,000 each to make progress on new work across any discipline. Inspired by the ethos of organizations such as IndieSpace and the Cultural Solidarity Fund, the A4 Artists Fund prioritizes accessibility through a low-barrier application process and opts for a lottery format in order to distribute funds quickly and equitably.

The lottery format seeks to ensure that artists whose first language is not English, artists who are unfamiliar with formal grant-making processes, or artists who simply do not have the time to spend hours on a single grant application, will all have an equal chance at receiving the grant.

Artists’ applications will first be screened to ensure minimum eligibility requirements are met.

Our goals are to:

• Increase AAPI access to paid artistic opportunities
  
• Reduce administrative and cultural barriers associated with applying to grants
• Support the development of new work at any stage: research, experimentation, production, or presentation
  
• Provide flexible, trust-based funding that accommodates varied artistic processes and timelines

INFORMATION SESSION
A virtual information session for those interested in applying will be held on Thursday, December 10, 2026, from 12:00–1:00pm ET. Registration is required. A recording will be available on our YouTube channel.

PROGRAM STRUCTURE
Participants will:

• Receive $1,000 honorarium
• Receive access to Materials for the Arts
• Submit a short project update

Timeline:

• Monday, December 7, 2026: Application opens
• Wednesday, December 9, 2026: Virtual Information Session (12–1pm ET)
• Thursday, February 4, 2027: Application deadline (11:59pm ET)
• Friday, February 5, 2027: Awardees selected
• Week of February 8, 2027: Awardees notified, and payment disbursed
• August 2027: Submit a short project update to A4

Requirements

WHO CAN APPLY
Eligibility requirements:

• NYC-based artists
• At least 21 years old
• All artistic disciplines and experience levels welcome

Application Instructions

Submit your application through Airtable. Please note the submission form does not save draft responses. We recommend that you write your application first on a document and paste your answers when they are finalized.

Basic Information
1. Full name
2. Birthdate
3. Pronouns
4. Email
5. Phone
6. Website
7. Social media handle(s)
8. Address

Demographic Information
1. Ethnicity
2. Discipline

Eligibility Documentation
1. Upload documentation of NYC residency
2. Upload proof of age
3. If you don’t have a website or social media account, attach documentation of a previous artistic piece that you created.
4. Check this box to understand that if selected, A4 will only be able to pay you this grant money if you have either a Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN).

Application Questions
1. How do you or how does your work relate to the community that A4 serves? (less than 800 characters)
2. Describe the project that you are working on. (less than 800 characters)
3. Describe, if selected, what plausible next step the $1,000 would enable for your project in the next six months and what impact it would have. Please be as concrete and precise as possible. (less than 800 characters)

Total estimated time to complete application: 15 minutes