Funder: Illinois Arts Council - Creative Accelerator Fund
Maximum Grant/Opportunity: $10,000
Application Closes: October 14, 2026
Funding Area: Multiple Disciplines (Individual Artist)
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Funder: School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) - Artist in Residence, West Side
Maximum Grant/Opportunity: $7,000 + 6-month Residency @ Nichols Tower
Application Closes: October 14, 2026
Funding Area: Multiple Disciplines (Individual Artist)
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Funder: First Peoples Fund - Yéego Action Grant for Native Artists / Culture Bearers
Maximum Grant/Opportunity: $2,500
Application Closes: October 10, 2026 (monthly on the 10th)
Funding Area: Multiple Disciplines (Individual Native Artist)
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Funder: Research to Impact Lab - Work//Shift Fellowship
Maximum Grant/Opportunity: 1-yr. fellowship + $30,000 stipend
Application Closes: October 9, 2026
Funding Area: Future of Work Ideation (Individual Freelance / Gig Worker )
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Funder: New York Foundation for the Arts - Rauschenberg Dancer Emergency Grants (multi-cycle)
Maximum Grant/Opportunity: $3,000
Application Closes: October 6, 2026 (next round due December 8)
Funding Area: Emergency Relief for Dancers (Individual)
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Funder: PEN America - U.S. Writers Aid Initiative (multi-cycle)
Maximum Grant/Opportunity: varies - see guidelines
Application Closes: Oct. 5th (fall cycle)
Funding Area: Emergency Relief for Writers (Individual)
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Funder: David Amarri Foundation - David Amarri Foundation Grant
Maximum Grant/Opportunity: TBD (see website for details)
Application Closes: October 4, 2026
Funding Area: Multiple Disciplines (Individual Artist / Cultural Producer)
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Funder: Art Omi - 2027 Arts Residencies
Maximum Grant/Opportunity: Fully-funded 2-week Residency (see guidelines for dates by discipline)
Application Closes: October 1, 2026
Funding Area: Music, Dance, Architecture (Individual Artist)
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Funder: Black Public Media - 2026 Open Call for Nonfiction Filmmakers
Maximum Grant/Opportunity: $20,000 + opportunity to pitch at BPM PitchBLACK competition in June 2027
Application Closes: October 1, 2026
Funding Area: Film, Nonfiction (Individual Filmmaker / Director)
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Funder: Chicago DPD/SBIF (107th/Halsted | Fullerton/Milwaukee |LaSalle Central | Madison/Austin |Woodlawn)
Maximum Grant/Opportunity: $150,000 commercial | $250,000 industrial
Application Closes: September 30, 2026
Funding Area: Capital (Organization)
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Funder: Terra Foundation - Convening Grants
Maximum Grant/Opportunity: $25,000
Application Closes: September 28, 2026 (*Letter of Inquiry)
Funding Area: Visual Art (Organization)
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Funder: IL Dept. of Human Services / Field Foundation - Healing Illinois
Maximum Grant/Opportunity: $30,000 for regional activations, $50,000 for statewide activations
Application Closes: September 28, 2026
Funding Area: Racial Healing Activations (Organization)
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Funder: Filter Photo - “Field Notes from the Middle” Photography Exhibition Open Call
Maximum Grant/Opportunity: Photography Exhibition + $2,000
Application Closes: September 30, 2026
Funding Area: Photography (Individual Midwest Photographer)
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Funder: Grammy Museum - Preservation Projects Grant
Maximum Grant: $20,000
Application Closes: September 25, 2026
Funding Area: Music - Archiving & Preservation (Individual / Institution)
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Funder: Ingenuity - Creative Schools Fund, Arts Teacher Grants
Maximum Grant: $5,000
Application Closes: September 25, 2026
Funding Area: Special Projects for Arts Teachers in CPS (Individual Arts Teacher)
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Funder: Grammy Museum - Scientific Research Projects Grant
Maximum Grant: $20,000
Application Closes: September 25, 2026
Funding Area: Music Research - Impact on Human Condition (Individual)
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Funder: Center on Halsted - Spark Community Partnerships Programming Grant
Maximum Grant/Opportunity: $1,000
Application Closes: September 25, 2026
Funding Area: LGBTQ+ Cultural expression & well-being (Artist / Organization)
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Funder: Cliff Dwellers Arts Foundation - Arts Grants
Maximum Grant: $2,000
Application Closes: September 25, 2026 (*next cycle in March, 2027)
Funding Area: Multiple Arts Disciplines (Individual / Organization)
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Funder: Ingenuity - Creative Schools Fund, Partnership Residency Grants
Maximum Grant: $10,000
Application Closes: September 25, 2026
Funding Area: Arts Education in CPS (Organization)
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Funder: Chamber Music America - Presenter Consortium for Jazz
Maximum Grant/Opportunity: $15,000 (*see guidelines for details)
Application Closes: September 24, 2026
Funding Area: Music - Jazz (Organization / Venue Collaboration )
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Funder: The Amphion Foundation - Amphion Grant Program
Maximum Grant: varies - see guidelines for details
Application Closes: September 24, 2026
Funding Area: Music/Performance (Organization)
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Funder: Chicago Community Trust - Sponsorships
Maximum Grant / Opportunity: $10,000
Application Closes: September 21, 2026
Funding Area: Events, Conferences, Cultural Events taking place in Nov., Dec., and January (Organizations)
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Funder: Roots & Culture Contemporary Art Center - Double Exposure Exhibition Open Call
Maximum Grant/Opportunity: Participation in Double Exposure 2-person Art Exhibition, Winter / Spring Season 2027
Application Closes: September 18, 2026
Funding Area: Visual Arts (Individual Artist or 2-person team)
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Funder: Innovate Grants - Grants for Photographers and Visual Artists
Maximum Grant/Opportunity: $1,800 (unrestricted)
Application Closes: September 17, 2026 (next cycle in October)
Funding Area: Visual Art, Photography (Individual Artist)
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Funder: Elevated Chicago - Elevating Culture Near Transit RFP
Maximum Grant/Opportunity: To Be Determined / Not Specified (Covers creative placekeeping project costs) - Need an Organizational profile in Grant Central
Application Closes: September 14, 2026
Funding Area: Arts, Culture, & Creative Placekeeping Near Transit (Organization / Community-Led Collaborations)
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Funder: Live Music Society - Toolbox Grant
Maximum Grant/Opportunity: $10,000
Application Closes: September 16, 2026
Funding Area: Music, Venue Improvements (Organization)
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Funder: New York Foundation for the Arts - Rauschenberg Medical Emergency Grants (multi-cycle)
Maximum Grant/Opportunity: $5,000
Application Closes: September 15, 2026 (next round due 11/17/26)
Funding Area: Medical Emergency Relief for artists in visual arts, digital/electronic arts, video/film, and choreography (Individual)
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Funder: Graham Foundation - Individual Artist Grants
Maximum Grant/Opportunity: $20,000 (Production & Presentation) & $10,000 (Research & Development)
Application Closes: September 15, 2026 (LOI)
Funding Area: Production and Presentation grants and Research and Development grants (Individual)
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Funder: Guggenheim Foundation - The Guggenheim Fellowship
Maximum Grant/Opportunity: $50,000
Application Closes: September 15, 2026
Funding Area: Multiple Disciplines in Arts, Humanities, Natural & Social Sciences (Individual Mid-Career Practitioner)
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Source: Chicago Women's History Center - Call for Proposals, Chicago Women’s History Conference 2027
Opportunity: Presentation at Chicago Women’s History Conference
Application Closes: September 14, 2026
Focus Area: Women in the Arts, Multiple Disciplines (Individual Presenter / Team)
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