Microgrants

About the Program

Launched in November 2018, the Microgrants program was developed to provide YoungArts award winners with up to $1,000 monthly to support a wide range of artist needs and professional development opportunities. In 2019, the maximum grant allotment per artist increased to $3,000, and was increased again in 2021 to $5,000.

Applicants apply via open call and must submit a detailed description of the project or need for their request and commit to providing documentation of the funds used if monies are awarded. There can be multiple recipients of a portion of the monthly $27,000 grant allocation. Monies may be requested for any expenses related to professional or artistic development prior to the work taking place, including travel expenses to a residency, registration fees for a conference or class, the purchase of equipment, studio rental fees, etc. Creative microgrants are not awarded as reimbursements for expenses already incurred.

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 the cancellation of scheduled professional engagements or unexpected expenses due to COVID-19, natural disaster, and/or other unforeseen dire 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. View the current list of National Reviewers.

The November 2023 through April 2024 Microgrant cycles are generously sponsored by SunChips.

Creative Microgrants

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

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.

Aaron Kahn (1993 Theater)

Aaron Klein (2019 Theater)

Aaron Miller (1998 Classical Music)

Ackeem Salmon (2016 Photography & 2017 Visual Arts)

Adam Moezinia (2010 Jazz)

AJ Hudson (2022 Classical Music)

Alexa Derman (2013 Writing)

Allysen Hooks (2006 Dance)

Alyssa Ackerman (2015 Visual Arts)

Alyssa Warcup (2018 Classical Music)

Amanda Krische (2012 Dance & U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts)

Anastasiya Magamedova (2016 Classical Music, Visual Arts)

Andie Aylsworth (2018 Visual Arts)

Andrea Kim (2018 Classical Music)

Antonio Pulgarin (2008 Photography)

Aron Stornaiuolo (2020 Voice)

Ava Tiye Kinsey (2004 Writing & U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts)

Ayoun Kim (2016, 2017 Classical Music)

Bailey James (2019, 2020 Theater)

Brittany Proia (2004, 2005 Theater)

Charles “Logan” Smith (2017 Theater)

Christell Victoria Roach (2015 Writing)

Christian Warner (2012 Dance)

Christopher Trapani (1998 Classical Music)

Claire Dickson (2013, 2014 Voice & U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts)

Claire Griffin (2018 Voice)

Coralina Rodriguez Meyer (2000 Visual Arts)

Daniel Narvaez (2019 Visual Arts)

Daveed Baptiste (2016 Photography, Visual Arts)

David Leon (2012 Jazz)

David Potters (2010 Voice)

Demetri Burke (2017 Visual Arts)

Devon Manney (2013 Film)

Dr. Javier Nero (2008 Jazz)

Dusan Brown (2020 Film)

Emi Nietfeld (2010 Photography, 2011 Photography, Writing)

Emily Kiacz (2005 Visual Arts)

Evan Clark (2011 Classical Music)

Evan Sagadencky (2017 Dance)

Faith “Seven” Duncombe (2018, 2019 Theater)

Faithe Nguyen (2021, 2022 Film)

Frankie Tyska (2016 Photography)

Gabriel Kahane (2018 Film)

Gabrielle Turgeon (2020 Voice)

Gabrielle Vitollo (2008 Visual Arts)

Gesel Mason (1989 Dance)

Giancarlo Llerena (2019 Classical Music)

Gordon Beeferman (1994 Classical Music)

Guadalupe Campos (2017 Visual Arts)

Jace Weyant (2018 Dance & U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts)

James Balo (2018 Visual Arts & U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts)

Jennifer Rust (2018 Writing)

Jesse Blue Eads (2019, 2020 Jazz)

Jessica Kim (2022 Writing)

Jessie Baldinger (2015 Design Arts)

Joaquin Sharon (2021 Jazz)

Jonas Tarm (2013 Classical Music)

Jordan Tiberio (2011 Photography)

Joseph Thomas Skerik (2018 Classical Music)

Joshua Banbury (2013 Theater, Voice)

Joshua Song (2022 Classical Music)

Julian Sol Jordan (2020 Film)

Juliana Nicole Gabriel (2021 Writing)

Justine Garcia (2015, 2016 Voice)

Kate Kortum (2018, 2019 Voice)

Katya Richardson (2016 Classical Music)

Kerri Stephenson (2019, 2020 Writing)

Kevin Sherwin (2012 Classical Music)

Lianah Sta. Ana (2016 Theater & U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts)

Liza Butts (2012 Visual Arts)

Lizette Avineri (2007 Visual Arts)

Lucas Hunter (2020, 2021 & 2022 Voice)

Madison Meadows (2019, 2020 Theater)

Mara Jill Herman (2003 Theater)

Marjan Naderi (2020 Writing)

Matt Nadel (2017 Film)

Max Colby (2008 Visual Arts)

Maya Keren (2018 Jazz)

Maya Paredes (2018, 2019 Classical Music)

Michael Orenstein (2013 Jazz)

Nadia Wolff (2016 Design Arts, Visual Arts & U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts)

Natalie Wong (2022 Dance)

Nicholas LaMaina (2022 Dance)

Nile Harris (2013 Theater)

Nine Reed-Mera (2022 Writing)

Njari Anderson (2019 Visual Arts)

Paul Laraia (2007 Classical Music)

Phineas Davenport (2019 Jazz)

Priscilla Aleman (2009 Visual Arts & U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts)

Queen Esther (1983 Theater)

Rodney Jones II (2009 Photography)

Roman Banks (2017 Theater)

Salimatu Amabebe (2010 Film, Photography)

Sara Truscott (2015 Film, Photography)

Sharaya Schwardt (2014 Visual Arts)

Stephane Clement (2018, 2019 Jazz)

Sue Helen Montoya (2009 Visual Arts)

Suwan Kim (2015 Film, Visual Arts)

Tariq Al-Sabir (2011 Voice)

Teddy Alvarez-Nissen (2019, 2020 Film)

Tess Becket (2020 Photography)

Theo Taplitz (2019, 2020 Film)

Tiarra Bell (2016 Design Arts)

Tomoe Beasty Carr (2019, 2020 Dance)

Triniti Wade (2018 Writing)

Tyreek McDole (2019 Voice)

Victoria Newton Ford (2011 Writing & U.S. Presidential
Scholar in the Arts)

Wesley Goodrich (2015 Theater)

William Lancaster (2016, 2017 Film)

Zonelys Martinez (2020 Visual Arts)