Supporting Individuals & Communities

Create Wisconsin Statewide Artist Grant

Submit Your Application

The support creative Wisconsinites need.

With the support and partnership of the Ruth Foundation for the Arts, the Create Wisconsin Statewide Artist Grant Program provides opportunities to support the work of creative individuals and communities across the state.

We recognize the critical importance the arts have to Wisconsin’s communities and culture. This grant seeks to bolster that community vibrance by directly supporting individual vision and creativity.

How It Works:

When are applications due?

The application portal will close on Monday, February 16, 2026, at 11:59 pm.

Who is eligible?

Creative individuals in a variety of visual and performing disciplines who are over the age of 21 based in and living primarily in Wisconsin. Eligible applicants are practicing performing and/or visual artists with demonstrated creative ability and professional achievement.

Up to 35% of the funding will be directed towards artists living in counties with under 55,000 people (46 of 72 counties).

What do I submit?

  • Background Description: A description of you and your work overall (max 500 words).

  • Simple project budget. No matching funds are required.

  • Submitting work samples:

    • Up to 10 images or video files may be submitted. Preferred image format: JPG, PNG. Preferred video format: mp4.  Maximum file size: 5GB (large files may be zipped if needed).

    • Please label your images with FIRST and LAST NAME-#number (i.e., JON SNOW-#1)

  • Project Proposal: Provide a description of the artistic enrichment or community-based initiative for which funding is requested (max 500 words). Applicants may apply in one category only.

    • If applying for an individual artistic enrichment project, describe the opportunity and the short-term and long-term benefits for creative growth.

    • If applying for a community-based project, explain your background in producing these types of projects, how the project will benefit the community, and what kind of community involvement you have already developed and will develop during the project.

Who are the jurors?

The statewide panel of jurors will be announced in the near future.

When will I hear back?

Awards will be announced to the recipients and publicly by March 31, 2026.

Click here to review the Submission Guide

  • We appreciate your good idea, but these grants are meant to support the work of individuals, so we’re not accepting applications from nonprofit organizations and public agencies.

  • You will receive an email confirmation via the email provided on the form. The email will come from “Airtable Automations.” If you do not receive an email within 24 hours and it is not in your spam folder, please contact Hailey Fuller (hfuller@createwisconsin.org)

  • We can pay the grant amount to an individual (which means you’ll pay individual taxes on that amount) or to a business if you are a self-employed creative worker with an LLC business designation (which means your business will count the award as business income). We are not able to pay the award to a nonprofit organization or government agency.

FAQs

Ready to apply?