Microgrants
YoungArts’ Microgrants program supports the professional development and artistic needs of YoungArts award winners through small monetary awards.
Additionally, YoungArts is currently offering unrestricted Emergency Microgrants to Los Angeles community members who have been significantly impacted by the wildfires. More information below.
About Creative & Emergency Microgrants
Launched in November 2018, the Microgrants program was developed to support YoungArts award winners with a wide range of artist needs and professional development opportunities. Each month, there is a $27,000 grant allocation of which applicants can apply to receive up to $5,000 each for any expenses related to professional or artistic development. In 2020, YoungArts expanded the Microgrants program to include emergency microgrants, which distributes $1,000 to YoungArts award winners who are experiencing loss of income due to unforeseen circumstances.
Both creative and emergency microgrants are open to award winners who have registered and completed a profile on YoungArts Post. Applications for the Microgrants program are reviewed by a panel comprised of staff and a diverse group of professional artists with an established practice in their field.
Eligibility
Creative Microgrants Eligibility
All YoungArts award winners are eligible to apply regardless of age or discipline.
Creative Microgrant fund requests include:
- Plane ticket to attend a residency
- Registration fees for a conference or seminar
- Purchase of equipment or materials
- Studio Rental fees
- Fees to pay for an artistic collaborator
- Printing costs for artwork or promotional materials
Creative Microgrants cannot be used to support:
- Fundraising events
- Trusts or endowments
- Debt repayment or ongoing monthly expenses not related to artistic production
- Programs with religious or sectarian purposes or that are part of scheduled religious services
- Expenses incurred before the date of the grant payment (please see calendar for specific dates)
- Programs which aid or service political campaigns or political groups
- Tuition or fees paid to higher-education institutions
Grants may be larger or smaller than your request based on our available budget and the strength of the application.
Emergency Microgrants Eligibility
Applicants must:
- Be at least 18 years of age.
- Be a YoungArts award winner.
- Be able to receive taxable income in the U.S.
- Have been a practicing artist or educator, or working in production for the last 3 years
- Rely on their income to cover monthly expenses. ie. Housing, food, medical expenses, etc.
Eligible applications for Emergency Microgrants will be selected using a lottery system. Eligibility is verified by a rotating panel of YoungArts staff and past award winners with applicants’ personal information redacted.
Los Angeles Wildfire Emergency Microgrants
YoungArts is offering unrestricted Emergency Microgrants to Los Angeles community members who have been significantly impacted by the wildfires. $5,000 microgrants will be distributed to eligible applicants who are experiencing “urgent financial emergencies”, which we define as the lack–or imminent endangerment–of essentials such as housing, medicine, childcare, and food within the next four weeks.
To reach as many impacted individuals as possible, awardees may only receive one microgrant through this program.
The deadline to apply for the first funding cycle is Sunday, February 2, at 11:59 PM PT.
Support
If you are interested in supporting YoungArts’ Microgrants program or emergency relief efforts, please contact advancement@youngarts.org.