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90 Days of Grants direct to your inbox ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
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FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES | VOLUME 59| March 19, 2026
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(**NOTE: See corrected info for grants AFTER March 18th + Ignite Fund in the "Featured Grants" section. Apologies for the errors in our first email!) Stop by LMRM, our featured art space for the month, this coming Sunday from 2PM - 5pm! LMRM (pronounced “loom room”) is a project space fostering opportunities for art-making, research, and community programming around digital weaving. Based in Chicago, LMRM is currently one of few places in the world offering public access to a TC2 digital jacquard loom and the only one in the U.S. with an open studio model: no residency application, and no university enrollment. Head over to their website to learn about their programs, check out their Full 2026 Warp & Workshop calendar, and learn about co-director Murat Ahmed at the end of our newsletter. Curious about LMRM (or can’t get enough)? Are you a maker who wants to explore and connect with other craft artists? Don’t miss the first ever Chicago Craft Crawl taking place this Saturday and Sunday, 3/21 & 3/22! As a participating craft space, LMRM will be open on Sunday, March 22, from 2-5pm at 2003 W Fulton Street in Studio 215. Come meet us and visit LMRM for a tour of the weaving studio, our access model, and demo of our equipment. Know before you go: see full details about parking, the building, and entering the space here: Welcome to LMRM
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Curious about what’s involved in the development process before you break ground or start renovations? On Tuesday, March 24th, join Arts Alliance IL with partners IFF and Bustling Spaces, featuring our founder Henry Wischamper, for a webinar that takes a deeper dive into the iterative steps – and players – for this part of the development process. The Webinar takes place at 10AM - register here: Pre-Development Process / Players There will be an opportunity for Q&A at the end. This program will be recorded, and ASL interpretation will be provided.
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Funder: First Presbyterian Church of Chicago
Grant Program: Built on Belief 2026 Open Call - The Common Ground: Community and Sacred Futures
Max Award/Opportunity: $3,000 Artist Honorarium + $9,000 max Artist budget
Application Closes: April 3, 2026
Funding Area: Art & Design, Placemaking, Performance (Individual Artist) This year, the Chicago Architecture Center is partnering with Arts at First—the community-centered arts program at The First Presbyterian Church of Chicago (First Church)—to realize a site-specific initiative on church grounds that will open to the public in October in conjunction with Open House Chicago 2026 This open call invites artists, designers, and interdisciplinary practitioners to propose site responsive works that explore the intersections of architecture, religion, and spirituality. Selected projects will animate the historic First Church campus at 6400 S Kimbark in Woodlawn through outdoor installations and interior activations that reimagine sacred and public spaces through the lenses of architecture, community, and spiritual resilience. Find out more and apply here: Built on Belief: The Common Ground Weekly open office hours will be held from 2 - 3PM CST on Zoom on the following dates: 03.05/03.12/03.19/03.26/04.02 (office Hour Zoom Link) Applications are due April 3rd, and selected artists will be notified on May 15, 2026.
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Funder: Ignite Fund
Grant Program: Ignite Fund Grant
Max Award/Opportunity: $10,000
Application Closes: April 13, 2026
Funding Area: Visual Arts (Individual artist / Artist collective) The Ignite Fund offers six $10,000 grants for Chicago-area artists and artist-led collectives to produce and present bold new projects rooted in the visual arts. We prioritize public-facing work that embraces accessibility, fosters community impact and/or participation, and responds to the issues shaping our social climate. In this spirit, The Ignite Fund shines a light on the vibrancy, creativity, and resilience of the Chicago arts ecosystem. *CORRECTED INFORMATION BELOW: Watch the Info Session #1 recording HERE A second info Session takes place April 7, 2026, 12–1PM (CT) Register HERE Office hours will take place on Monday March 16, 23, 30, and April 6 from 11AM–1PM (CT). Register HERE! to reserve a fifteen-minute time slot. Registration is first come, first served. Access the links to these resources as well as full guidelines, timeline, and application instructions here: https://ignitefund.org/en/apply Applications are due April 13th, and awardees will be notified in June
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Grant Tip of the Week 💡- “Releasing Funding FOMO”There’s a pot of gold at the end of this newsletter! Overrun by grant due dates? Stressed out about constant applications for funding? Need to get off of the hamster wheel? Sometimes….you’ve just gotta let it go. Scroll down with us after the funding opportunities to get a little perspective and encouragement.
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Funder: New Music USA - New Music Organization Fund
Maximum Grant Size: $10,000
Application Closes: March 19, 2026
Funding Area: Music (Organization) Funder: Field Foundation - Leaders for a New Chicago
Maximum Grant Size: $50,000 for each individual awardee, $25,000 for the awardee’s affiliated nonprofit.
Nomination Window Closes: March 20, 2026
Funding Area: Arts & Culture / Justice / Journalism (Individual + Organization) Funder: National Endowment for the Arts - Research Grants in the Arts, Pt. 1
Maximum Grant Size: $100,000
Application Closes: March 23, 2026
Funding Area: Arts Research (Organization) Funder: Cliff Dwellers Arts Foundation
Maximum Grant Size: $2,000
Application Closes: March 27, 2026 (email or postmark by 3/27)
Funding Area: Multiple Disciplines (Organization or Individual) Funder: Polk Bros Foundation - Emerging Strategies to Advance Shared Ownership
Maximum Grant Size: $200,000
Application Closes: March 27, 2026 (Letter of Intent)
Funding Area: Shared Ownership Initiatives (Organization / Collective) Funder: City of Chicago DCASE - Healing Arts Chicago Summit Creative Producer 2026
Maximum Grant Size: $75,000
Application Closes: March 27, 2026
Funding Area: Event Production (Individual Producer / Team) Funder: Hyde Park Art Center - Bridge Performance Incubator Program
Grant Award: 10-week seminar-style exploratory practice cohort
Application Closes: March 29, 2026
Funding Area: Performance (Individual Artist) Funder: Chicago DPD/SBIF (47th/King Drive | 63rd/Pulaski | 87th/Cottage Grove | Central West | Ewing Avenue)
Maximum Grant Size: $150,000 commercial | $250,000 industrial
Application Closes: March 30, 2026
Funding Area: Capital (Organization) Funder: Illinois Department of Human Services - Problem Gambling Awareness Art Competition
Maximum Grant Size: $2,000
Application Closes: March 31, 2026
Funding Area: Multiple Disciplines (Visual Art, Literature, Performance, Film) Funder: Landmarks Illiinois - Preservation Heritage Fund Grant
Maximum Grant Size: $5,000
Application Closes: April 1, 2026
Funding Area: Historic Preservation (Organization) Funder: National Endowment for the Arts - Research Grants in the Arts, Pt. 2
Maximum Grant Size: $100,000
Application Closes: April 2, 2026
Funding Area: Arts Research (Organizations) Funder: Creative Capital - Creative Capital Award + State of the Art Prize
Maximum Grant Size: $50,000
Application Closes: April 2, 2026
Funding Area: Visual Arts, Performing Arts, Film, and Literature (Individual Artist) Funder: Redtwist Theatre - Independent Productions Initiative
Maximum Grant Size: $5,000
Application Closes: April 10, 2026
Funding Area: Theater Arts (Individual Artist ) Funder: World Business Chicago - Horizon Lines: Visions for Chicago 2050
Maximum Grant Size: $5,000
Application Closes: April 15, 2026
Funding Area: Design, innovation & social change (Artists/ Organizations) Funder: Ignite Fund
Maximum Grant Size: $10,000
Application Closes: April 13, 2026
Funding Area: Visual Arts (Individual Artist / Collective)
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Funder: Chicken & Egg Films - (Egg)celerator Lab
Maximum Grant Size: $40,000
Application Closes: April 29, 2026 (early-bird 4/1)
Funding Area: Nonfiction Film (Individual Artist, women / gender expansive) Funder: Oak Park Area Arts Council - Mini Murals Project 2026
Maximum Grant Size: $1,500
Application Closes: April 30, 2026
Funding Area: Visual Arts (Individual Artist) Funder: Vilcek Foundation Grants
Maximum Grant Size: $20,000
Application Closes: April 30, 2026
Funding Area: Immigrants in Arts, Sciences, Education, Social Services (Organization) Funder: Chicago DPD/SBIF (79th/Vincennes | Belmont/Central | Foster/Edens | Kennedy/Kimball | Western/Ogden)
Maximum Grant Size: $150,000 commercial | $250,000 industrial
Application Closes: April 30, 2026
Funding Area: Capital (Organization) Funder: Illinois Humanities - Gwendolyn Brooks Youth Poetry Awards
Maximum Grant Size: $300 + poem publication /performance
Application Closes: May 1, 2026
Funding Area: Poetry (Individual Youth Artist, K-12 ) Funder: SouthArts - Jazz & Human Connection Creative Residency
Maximum Grant Size: $40,000
Application Closes: May 1, 2026
Funding Area: Music (Individual Artist / Jazz ) Funder: SouthArts - Jazz Road Legacy Residency
Maximum Grant Size: $40,000
Application Closes: May 1, 2026
Funding Area: Music (Individual Artist aged 55+ / Jazz ) Funder: Film Independent - Documentary Producing Lab (opens 3/9)
Opportunity: Week-long documentary development lab + pitch event
Application Closes: May 4, 2026
Funding Area: Documentary Film (Individual Artist) Funder: Film Independent - Fiction Producing Lab (opens 3/9)
Opportunity: 2-week-long fiction development lab + pitch event
Application Closes: May 4, 2026
Funding Area: Film - Fiction (Individual Artist) Funder: Film Independent - Alfred P. Sloan Producing Grant (opens 3/9)
Maximum Grant Size: $30,000
Application Closes: May 4, 2026
Funding Area: Film - math /tech/science (Individual Artist) Funder: Chicago DPD: Neighborhood Opportunity Fund, Q2
Maximum Grant Size: $250,000
Application Closes: May 15, 2026
Funding Area: Immigrants in Arts, Sciences, Education, Social Services (Organization) Funder: National Performance Network - Creation and Development Fund (Phase 1)
Minimum Grant Size: $15,000
Application Closes: May 18, 2026
Funding Area: Multiple disciplines (Artist + Partner Organizations) Funder: Crossroads Fund - Chicago Racial Justice Pooled
Maximum Grant Size: $50,000
Application Closes: May 29, 2026
Funding Area: Racial Justice (Organizations / Collectives) Funder: Chicago DPD/SBIF (35th/Halsted | 47th/State | Elston/Armstrong| Ogden/Pulaski | Pilsen Industrial Corridor)
Maximum Grant Size: $150,000 commercial | $250,000 industrial
Application Closes: May 30, 2026
Funding Area: Capital (Organization)
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Funder: Arts Work Fund
Maximum Grant Size: $40,000
Application Status: Rolling
Funding Area: Capacity Building/Planning (Organization) *RE-OPENED - Funder: Reva & David Logan Foundation
Maximum Grant Size: Varies
Application Status: Rolling (LOI)
Funding Area: Arts, Social Justice, and Journalism (Organization / Individual) Funder: Craft Emergency Relief Fund (CERF+): Emergency Relief Grant
Grant/Award: $3,000 Emergency Relief Grants
Application Status: Rolling
Funding Area: Emergency relief for Craft Artists (Individual) Funder: New Music USA--Reel Change: Fund for Diversity in Film Scoring
Maximum Grant Size: $20,000
Application Status: Rolling
Funding Area: Music (Artist) Funder: Epiphany Center for the Arts - Call for Exhibitions
Maximum Grant Size: Exhibition platform / space (see guidelines for details)
Application Status: Rolling
Funding Area: Visual Arts (Artist) To view additional rolling grants please visit this link!
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Photo credit: Felton Kizer Meet LMRM Co-Director Murat Ahmed! Murat Ahmed is a creative administrator interested in encouraging the mixing of practices, communities, ideas and support. In his role as LMRM Co-director, he explores ways in which collaborative and experimental programming can thrive. With a background in mathematics and quantitative research, his entry point into the art world was through another encouraging Chicago makerspace: Latitude, a community digital print lab. Murat is passionate about providing a similar outlet for others. Alternative economies centered around experimental support have been a constant in his personal work. |
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STRATEGY & TIPSGrant Tip of the Week 💡Releasing Funding FOMOAs many members of our team slid into the end of last week having survived what felt like a gazillion due dates, we realized it was time to pass on one of our little secrets to surviving grant season - LETTING. GO. The CDC reports that Funding FOMO (“Fear of Missing Out”) is one of the top 5 causes of cardiac arrest in independent artists aged 20+. But in all seriousness, we cannot count the number of times that our clients and friends have come to us stressed, panicked, or despondent because they saw an opportunity for thousands of dollars, only to realize that they simply couldn’t get the application in on time due to life, time constraints, and *motions at everything*(and honestly, the origins of the word d*adline probably don’t help things, either).
We’re here to tell you - this is a). completely normal, and b). absolutely okay.
Why? First, you are a human being - not a grant writing machine - and that’s the way it’s supposed to be. Anxiety and overwhelm impede flow, and flow is where your funding is. You’ll be able to do your best work, and be as present with the connection between the work that you do and the funding that you need, when you are as close to balance as you can be. Lastly - and this is from experience - that which passes you, sometimes comes back around in even greater measure. There are plenty of stories (including some of our own!) where a grant seeker has either missed or been rejected for a funding opportunity, only to apply for another one that came along a few weeks or months afterwards (often with the same materials they used for the rejected grant) for which they received 3X the original amount! So take a deep breath and say it with us: “The money I see will return to me” - and relax! You’ve got this. Want more grant tips and opportunities sent directly to your inbox? Sign up for Fractured Atlas’ newsletter here
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Tell City Council to keep arts funding strong in Chicago’s 2026 budget! Contact your alderperson and urge them to support cultural grants and programs in this year's budget. Contact Your Alderman Take a closer look at what’s in (and what’s not) for arts and culture in Chicago’s FY26 budget. Read Arts Alliance full analysis for key takeaways and context. Read Arts Alliance’s Analysis
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Looking for convenient access to our Newsletter? In addition to receiving biweekly updates, you can also locate the latest newsletter on our website under Programs > Newsletter Catalogue .
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Looking for Space on the Southside?
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South Side Artists in Sacred Spaces Check out our interactive map of the congregations that are participating in the South Side Artists in Sacred Spaces program. Here’s the link to the map.
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Additional Funding Opportunities & Informational Resources:
Explore more funding avenues! Discover additional resources promoting diverse grants, residencies and other opportunities for artists, arts organizations, and creative businesses. Unleash new possibilities and fuel your artistic journey! |
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