I am really sick of "pay-to-play" application fee scams and finding out I'm ineligible on the 5th page of a PDF. Here are 3 actually free, fully-funded deadlines closing soon.
Hey everyone. Seeing the thread yesterday about the toxic residency nightmare is exactly why I hit my breaking point with art opportunities. I'm really sick of application links asking for $50 just to be ignored by a juror, or spending an hour reading a prospectus just to find out my zip code disqualifies me.
To try to fix this for my own oil painting practice, I started putting together a database tool that easily filters out the noise and only shows opportunities that are strictly, fully funded.
Here are a few massive ones with deadlines closing in the next few weeks so you don't miss them:
- The Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant - For global student or emerging representational artists aged 18-41. CAD $17,000. Deadline: May 29, 2026.
- Working Assumptions Project Grants - US Photographers. USD $10,000. Deadline: June 1, 2026.
- Oak Spring Garden Foundation Eliza Moore Fellowship - Global early-career artists interested in the natural world. USD $10,000 grant, plus housing and studio space. Deadline: May 31, 2026.
I put the whole database on a free webpage. I also added some filters so you can just plug in your exact medium and location, and it will hide everything you aren't actually eligible for. It's completely free for artists, with no paywalls.
I'm not posting the direct link here to avoid breaking the self-promo rules, but if you want to use the tool to find stuff for your specific medium, just let me know in the comments and I'll send it to you.
Hope this helps some of you save time, get funded, and avoid the scams out there!
(Note to mods: I left the website link out entirely so I don't step on the self-promo rule in the sidebar. I just built this for free to help people dodge fees, but if even mentioning it is too far, just let me know and I'll edit that paragraph out!)